Windshield reassembly in a BE?

[TexasSprite]

Before I start experimenting with how much stress 50 year old glass can take before breaking, does anyone have any suggestions on how to assemble the frame/glass/gasket combination? I'm guessing you seat the glass in the gasket then into the bottom of the frame and then work the lip over the glass as you work your way toward the top of the frame. There did not appear to be any sealant on the glass when it was removed, but everything was fossilized, so it was hard to tell.

 

[jlaird]

No sealant. Use lots and lots of dish soap.

 

[TexasSprite]

Not having much luck here despite liberal amounts of soap. Are you supposed to put the seal on the glass and try and work them into the frame or are you supposed to put the seal into the frame and work the glass into the seal?

 

[jlaird]

Darn if I know. Stand by for someone who has done this.

 

[spritenut]

Seal on the glass and it has to be roped into the frame, it's not a push it in with your hands type of set up.
Using a thin rope between the seal and frame, pull the rope around the frame and the glass pops right in.
At least it does for the guy at my local glass shop. He has showed me this many times, my son can do it, I can not.

 

[TexasSprite]

Update on progress:

I did get the seal installed in the windshield frame the hard way by squeezing it in with my hands and judicious use of a screwdriver as a prying bar. It was not easy and took a long time. I had thought about using the rope idea, but only for getting the glass into the already installed seal. One of the other forum members had done it that way and had as much problems as I did. Moral of the story: try spritenut's tip next time!

 

[jlaird]

You know the wedges used to install windows and doors in homes. They are now made in plastic and are great for not maring things that screwdrivers do.

 

[Glen_B]

I made extensive use of plastic bicycle tire levers and dish soap. As per Frank, glass into gasket, both into frame with liberal application of profanity.

Glen