windshield frame removal (1 Viewer)

[stayalert]

I've read everything I could find on removing the windshield frame on my FRP topped '87 JDM BJ74. I've removed the fasteners and have the top front edge free and the bottom free. The top corners of the frame still seem to be attached at the metal frame just below the FRP roof. It seems like 2 (1 each side) very small fasteners are holding the 2 corners.....They are ~2mm in diam. and maybe 3 mm long and seem to be like rink shanked nails or screws.....I wonder if they are just small indexing studs that I can pry apart?....

Has anyone encountered this?

Best,

Rob M

 

[TomS]

You shouldn't need to pry anything. I have replaced my rusty surround in my 73 with a fibreglass one. There are two bolts undert he frp roof that need to be taken out using a 10mm socket by memory. It connects to the part of the frame that makes the top of the door, and is the same size/type of screw as the domey head screw in the top front corner holding the window frame and that brace already. Ridiculous that you have tot ake the roof off to take the surround out; but this car is like a meccano set. Its incredible the amount of bolts in it. For the roof it will be 24 bolts!

Good luck!

 

[crushers]

you need to remove the roof to get to the top 2 corner bolts that come down vertically...

 

[roscoFJ73]

you need to remove the roof to get to the top 2 corner bolts that come down vertically...

Is it slightly different to the cab chassis with the metal roof?
I was able to get it out without removing the roof on my 75 series.

 

[crushers]

:shrug:
not sure, i think the metal roof is thinner and taller at the corners than the fiberglass. that might make those top 2 bolts accessable ...
or
it could be the previous owners decided not to reinstall the upper bolts.

 

[stayalert]

you need to remove the roof to get to the top 2 corner bolts that come down vertically...

AHA! Many thanks I was able to get those out with the roof in place....I used a 10mm gear wrench....Was able to coax enough room to remove each bolt (1 per upper corner coming down from the top) without removing the roof.....

This is the extent of my rust.....I think I will treat/repair

in the cardboard box is my new ENS Toyota windshield

shameless sales pitch: also in the background are a nice set (5) of 35" x 12.5" x15 tires/rims that are for sale....make an offer!

 

[crushers]

excellent, let me know how it goes on the reinstall, be carefull, those buggers strip REAL easy.

 

[stayalert]

removed (to clean up) the seal/weather strip below the windshield frame....A wee bit of rust under that seal as well....Maybe I'll remove the old windshield from the frame and see what's hiding below the seal??? and see what's hiding under the seal....Photo of cowel?/bulkhead?/body? rust near windshield frame hinge (similar on each side in the same area.....

I was thinking about the fasteners on the top corners and was either of the mind to leave them off or cut them so they're bit shorter.....

Naturally, minutes after I removed the windshield frame, a 5 minute deluge rain shower came through and I had to scramble to push (no Batts - another story) the rig into the garage.....

 

[roscoFJ73]

:shrug:
not sure, i think the metal roof is thinner and taller at the corners than the fiberglass. that might make those top 2 bolts accessable ...
or
it could be the previous owners decided not to reinstall the upper bolts.

All the bolts were there,I think I was able to bend it a little to get enough room.

AHA! Many thanks I was able to get those out with the roof in place....I used a 10mm gear wrench....Was able to coax enough room to remove each bolt (1 per upper corner coming down from the top) without removing the roof.....

This is the extent of my rust.....I think I will treat/repair

in the cardboard box is my new ENS Toyota windshield

!

How much was the new windshield? Brand?

 

[stayalert]

Once the glass is in place and its back together (should be a couple of days - I have other draws on my time) I'll provide a more detailed summary of the costs for my new windshield from Toyota....

Best,

Rob M

 

[Nuyens]

Recently took off my window frame from my 1985 BJ73 and thought I'd add to this thread while it was fresh in my mind.

1. Remove the rear view mirror.
2. At the top of window (inside), remove the two inside plastic corner pieces, the side-to-side upper trim piece, and the sun visors. By the way, a lot of screws and bolts will accumulate during all of this.
3. Now get ready for 10 mm and 12 mm bolts. Remove bolts along the upper and lower window sections where you see them. I removed a 10 mm bolt (x2) from the rear upper inside door frames as well but to be honest I'm not sure it did anything. It might have helped in step 9 below but I can't be sure. It was easy to do though, so off they came.
4. Move to the outside. If they're still there, carefully remove the plastic cover off the window frame hinges. The sun may have weakened the plastic so wiggle them off slowly. Fold the hinges down a bit.
5. Remove the windshield wipers. Pry the black plastic off carefully as it might crack with age.
6. If it's easy to do, you should remove the radio antenna which is probably in the way a bit. If you're reluctant to remove it, someone could pull the antenna out of the way when the time comes.
7. Apply masking tape across the inside and outside air vents and along the outside window frame and truck body. You might be surprised at how much rust falls out of the window when it is removed.
8. Above the window there is a side-to-side weatherstrip between the FRP top and the window frame. Ahead of time I ordered a replacement one from cruiserparts.net - they call it a "roof panel rain seal". To facilitate easier removal of the window frame I cut into the seal from side to side outside the truck.
9. Now the tricky part. Finally, there are two hidden 10 mm bolts on each side of the window frame. They're accessible from the inside, but someone is going to have to help you by applying upward pressure to the FRP top from the outside. We used two large screwdrivers. Since I had cut away the seal the screwdrivers easily lifted the top about 1" to 1.5" inches, which is all you need to get to the bolts. You might want to use a flat bar instead, which will create less direct pressure to the fibreglass than the screwdrivers did. No matter what you use, be careful not to lift the top too much. Only as much as you need to to get to the bolt heads. A ratcheting 10 mm wrench is helpful here.
10. The window is ready to be yanked out. Push firmly on the bottom corners first to loosen the rust. The outside hinges may be slightly in the way but you push past them with enough force. The top should pop out cleanly as the bottom gives way. If you hate the sight of rust you could vacuum up the loose bits before proceeding too far.

11. Once the window is out, look at the condition of the top seals on the old window frame. They may be reusable. If not, Cruiserparts.net sells them and calls them "roof side rail seals". Don't forget the three (x2) black plastic rivets.
12. My windows have chrome trim pieces on the rain gutter which are salvageable and will be reused on the new frame.
13. After cleaning the rust away, look at the condition of the main weight-bearing seal. Mine looks reusable. Peel back the corners a bit and inspecct the truck body for rust. If you're unlucky the truck will need some work before putting the new frame back in. I was lucky.
14. I didn't try to swap out the window glass myself. Too scared I'm going to crack the window. I took it to the pros to do.
15. Previously I struggled to think of where water was leaking into the frame but looking at the new frame I can see where it could weep inside from the outside. I sealed up the (~2 feet) top-to-bottom rain gutter which is comprised of ~10 spot welds (x2) but which has open slits between the welds. At the time of this writing I haven't received the window back from the glass shop but when I do I'm going to continue inspecting it for areas in which water could get inside and seal it up before putting it back into the truck in the reverse order of wheat was listed here.
16. Hopefully you ordered "hinge support packing" before reinstalling the new frame.

 

[wardharris]

Very helpful writeup, thanks. I am a 73 owner on Whidbey if you ever need a hand.

 

[Oldtoy74]

Very interesting, where exactly do you think the leak comes from, as p/o has replaced Oldtoy frame, but last rain, I noticed some moisture sitting in each cnr of the windshield rubber internally and at the 2 bolts at base of frame, is it a case water enters from top corners where FRP, door, frame join together, run down inside frame and pool up, or is the rubbers themselves, curious, any thoughts???

 

[crushers]

ummm, the proper way is to remove the top. very easy to do.
rust along the bottom of the fold down windshield frame is caused by sweating. they rust from the inside out.
cheers

 

[Oldtoy74]

I just took my sun visors off frame and checked inside with finger & torch, " bingo" there was moisture / sweat beading inside the upper frame, only on drivers side, although evidence left side has done the same
Has anyone found a creative way on reducing this sweat build up, air flow, anti moisture pallets, or is it a case, it is what it is, quirks of the 70s

 

[crushers]

quirks of the design.
it wouldn't hurt to drill an air hole top and bottom of the frame on the inside. this would allow the inside to breath.
also, having the frame internals sprayed with a wax rust proofing might be a good idea
or
just plan on replacing every 10 years.

 

[wardharris]

having the frame internals sprayed with a wax rust proofing might be a good idea

Wayne -
Any wax-based product brands you like?

Also, any benefit to powder-coating a new windshield frame vs. paint?

 

[crushers]

since it rusts from the inside out, if you are PC for rust protection then that will be a waste.
durability, yes, IF don't proper ... remember there is a sealant in the joints that might melt out during the curing process.
Krown is the one i like but i am sure there are others that work well. you want to make sure the wax stays "runny" and not solidifies with age.

 

[Nuyens]

I decided against keeping the original roof side rail seals. New ones are cheap, and besides I think I'll need the "sponginess" of fresh new rubber on each corner. I also ordered a new window gasket. My original plan was to re-use the old one - not the best idea I guess. Window repair places are so used to cutting through the old rubber they're quoting high prices to remove the window with the intention of re-using the gasket. Plus, my old gasket has a thin chrome "insert" that runs around the outer edge of the gasket (photo 2742). That's a headache because it's so fragile. Frankly it looks so old now that a pure-rubber black gasket will probably look better.

I am going to keep the "main" bottom seal though - it's in good condition. I completely removed it to have a better look at the condition of the truck itself. Rust was starting to gather under each corner at the pillar-posts, or whatever those areas are called. I think things are ok but I'd like to know what others think. I included a photo of each corner after I chipped away all the rust (that I could see and get to) and lightly wire-wheeled the area a bit. The passenger side was clean. The driver's had the most rust.

I'm not sure what caused the leakage of water into the frame, but I can say that a small water drop was often visible from inside after it rained (my truck is parked outside) and always on the driver's side. But interestingly the rust was mild on the driver's side and worse on the passenger's side. When driving in the rain I never saw water drops inside the cab on either side. So, based on scant evidence I suspect the window frame rain gutter. I think when driving there was too much wind for the droplets to settle and fall down the gutter and inside the frame - just a hunch. If you look closely at the newly-painted window frame (picture 1072) you can see the spot welds and the open "seams" in the gutter. By design, water is channeled down the gutter right at the seams. To me it looks like there's lots of spots for a droplet to "weep" into the seam. Once inside the frame, water is supposed to travel to either side and fall down a drain hole. But the frame is almost horizontal so I can imagine water simply "sits there" before the truck moves and forces it to one side or the other.

I peeled off the top weatherstrip. The old weatherstrip (picture 2742) was actually pinched quite tightly between the FRP roof and the frame. To me, it's more than a weatherstrip, it's a gasket that "creates" a weatherstrip when pinched in tightly/correctly. Getting it back into that condition is critical to keeping things dry. The new weatherstrip is spongy, but it arrives as a diamond shape in cross-section with adhesive on one of the four sides. The old gasket/weatherstrip was more of a T-shaped gasket. I want to get it right because the old frame had no evidence of water/rust in the top half of the frame at all. I think when the time comes I'll go all CSI and cut the old frame apart and look inside.

 

[Oldtoy74]

Any chance to take few close ups snaps of all the corners of frame you took out, keen to see if there is any sign of water marks specifically from the top, and keen to see exactly where the rust is on frame base