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windshield moulding removal? by Macarchie
Started on: 07-14-2014 05:28 PM
Replies: 28 (1975 views)
Last post by: Adjustso3 on 05-04-2015 04:50 AM
Macarchie
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Report this Post07-14-2014 05:28 PM Click Here to See the Profile for MacarchieSend a Private Message to MacarchieEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
I have a small windshield leak directly above the rearview mirror. I looks like I need to remove the windshield moulding and then fix the adhesive underneath and replace the moulding. Is there a secret to removing the moulding around the windshield? I tried to remove the moulding from a scrap car and it was very hard and keep breaking. Any advice out there?

thanks, Jimmy

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Report this Post07-14-2014 06:08 PM Click Here to See the Profile for BloozberrySend a Private Message to BloozberryEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
You could try heating it up with a blow dryer to soften it, but it's unlikely you'll be able to take it off successfully. It's stuck in there pretty well with the old butyl rope goo that's used to hold the windshield in place. Your best bet is likely to pull it all out in pieces, then drop by a windshield replacement shop and buy some new lace. There are two kinds now so be careful to buy the push-on type rather than the style that wraps around the back side of the windshield before it goes in. They've got rolls of it and it shouldn't cost more than a few bucks to get enough. It'll be nice and supple. You may find that pushing the new stuff into place is difficult though because the old butyl goo is going to prevent you from shoving it all the way in. If that happens, you can once again soften the butyl with a hair dryer, and/or dig some of it out carefully with a knife, and/or cut a few of the ribs off the back side of the new moulding. Good luck.
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Report this Post07-14-2014 08:37 PM Click Here to See the Profile for donnie072003Click Here to visit donnie072003's HomePageSend a Private Message to donnie072003Edit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
This is good info Blooze. I was wanting to pull mine for bodywork purposes. I have a lot of chips in the fiberglass around the windshield and its really hard to sand that area plus mine doesn't fit in the corners correctly anymore. I didn't know it came out separately. I thought the windshield had to come out too to remove the trim.
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84fiero123
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Report this Post07-14-2014 08:59 PM Click Here to See the Profile for 84fiero123Send a Private Message to 84fiero123Edit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
That's urethane holding the windshield in it has been used for decades before the Fiero was built. the stuff Bloozberry is talking about was never used at the manufacturer to put windshields in, I know. You want to know why Bloozberry? I'll tell you, Because I worked at a GM assembly plant from 1973 until 1990 as utility repair and line repair and guess what line my repair station was ?

Windshield and backlight install, so those reveals were part of my repair.

Bloozberry The stuff you are talking about is what a backyard mechanic, MIGHT use to put a windshield in, not the best but many use it. Don't believe me, look it up. The glass was set on a rotating table then the Urethane was then put on the glass as the windshield or rear glass rotated around. We had 55 gallon drums of the stuff and would go threw a drum a shift putting those in at the front and rear glass install Stations. Each had a 2 drum setup where they would run one drum and when that one ran out they would switch over to the second drum and the millwrights would come and change the empty drum.

In the early 80s we used a push in reveal, around the middle of the 80s we switched over to one that they put on the windshield at the same time they put the urethane on than had a lip that held it on until it was put in. that is most likely the type you have in your Fiero even if it has been replace by a glass repair shop like PPG. But you can tell by the way the revel molding looks when you look at the part that is supposed to be in place. if it has ridges on that look almost like a upside down Christmas tree it is the push in style. If it is flat it is the type they put on before installing the windshield. The later you will not be able to put back in and get it to stay.

urethane sets quickly in under a half hour so that we could ride the cars threw water test because it was just set, and not hard so repairs were stiff possible after water test with more urethane. But over the next few days the stuff turns into a hard solid part of the car. Actually to the point of becoming an integral part of the physical strength of the body of the car.

OK now back to the OPs question by someone who KNOWS what they are talking about.

The urethane in your car unless it was repaired by some back yard mechanic will be so hard it will be almost impossible to cut even with a brand new razor blade in a utility knife. Sure you can try it but if it is more than a few inches of the reveal I wouldn't try. You will scratch the paint and possibly cut the molding or yourself if you aren't careful. you can use a heavy duty blow dryer on high heat and try and soften up the reveal molding and if it will go back in place but just pops back out then get a small tube of urethane and squirt a tiny bit into the gap left where the reveal was. Then push the molding in and tape it down in place for at least an hour or 2. if that doesn't work I think your best bet is to remove the entire windshield and old urethane and do a complete install.

Steve

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84fiero123
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Report this Post07-14-2014 09:15 PM Click Here to See the Profile for 84fiero123Send a Private Message to 84fiero123Edit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post

84fiero123

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quote
Originally posted by donnie072003:

This is good info Blooze. I was wanting to pull mine for bodywork purposes. I have a lot of chips in the fiberglass around the windshield and its really hard to sand that area plus mine doesn't fit in the corners correctly anymore. I didn't know it came out separately. I thought the windshield had to come out too to remove the trim.


No it is a one peace unit, don't listen to him, he has no idea what he is talking about. go to a glass replacement place and they will show you that it is a one peace unit. it will brake the reveal when you try to pull it out if it was put in right, it is very rare that they come out in one peace if it is a factory installed unit. or even done by a pro glass place. you can still get the push in style reveal but it is meant as a cosmetic repair that's all. And as I said above the mid 80s is when they went to the style reveal that actually was put on before the windshield was installed and after than it would be glued in by the urethane making the reveal just about impossible to take out in one peace.

Its all done by robots now but here is what I could find on youtube of how they are put in.

http://youtu.be/Y3dlLjzNGiQ

in the 80s it was done by hand by men like me on the line, the first plant to use robots to install windshields was the chevette plant and we all know how well those worked.

Steve

[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 07-14-2014).]

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Report this Post07-14-2014 09:47 PM Click Here to See the Profile for BloozberrySend a Private Message to BloozberryEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
 
quote
Originally posted by 84fiero123:
No it is a one peace unit, don't listen to him, he has no idea what he is talking about.


Obviously you didn't work on the Fiero production line. No FIero ever left the plant with the lace that wrapped around the backside of the windshield. Every single one had the rounded Christmas tree style push-on lace up to '88. If your car has the flat style lace, then the windshield has been replaced and it's not the stock style lace. The stock style lace on the Fiero was held in place either by shear friction, or as I've discovered first hand having removed several in my lifetime, with butyl adhesive.

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Report this Post07-14-2014 09:56 PM Click Here to See the Profile for BloozberrySend a Private Message to BloozberryEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post

Bloozberry

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Like this:

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84fiero123
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Report this Post07-14-2014 10:09 PM Click Here to See the Profile for 84fiero123Send a Private Message to 84fiero123Edit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
 
quote
Originally posted by Bloozberry:

Like this:



that's the early 80s molding.



The one on the right was the mid to late 80s style we used that was put on the windshield before it was installed. No I didn't work at the Pontiac plant in the 80s but they all used the same style reveal corporate wide because they found the new style didn't slip out as easily and of course replaced a man/job.

go to any local glass place and they will tell you the same thing. The style on my picture on the right is what they will replace yours with if you have it done at a glass place.

Steve

oh ya and nothing was used to hold that in but the urethane on the Christmas tree style.

[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 07-14-2014).]

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Report this Post07-14-2014 10:15 PM Click Here to See the Profile for 84fiero123Send a Private Message to 84fiero123Edit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post

84fiero123

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quote
Originally posted by Bloozberry:


Obviously you didn't work on the Fiero production line. No FIero ever left the plant with the lace that wrapped around the backside of the windshield. Every single one had the rounded Christmas tree style push-on lace up to '88. If your car has the flat style lace, then the windshield has been replaced and it's not the stock style lace. The stock style lace on the Fiero was held in place either by shear friction, or as I've discovered first hand having removed several in my lifetime, with butyl adhesive.


The butyl adhesive as you call it was never part of any factory installation, the urethane oozed out and came in contact with the windshield molding helping to hold it in in most cases. What you may have come across was a fix by someone try to hold the molding in.

Steve

[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 07-14-2014).]

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Report this Post07-14-2014 10:27 PM Click Here to See the Profile for BloozberrySend a Private Message to BloozberryEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
 
quote
Originally posted by 84fiero123:
that's the early 80s molding.


That's the only style used on the stock Fiero. There's a better than excellent chance that if donnie072003's moulding doesn't fit in the corners anymore as he said, then it's because he has the stock style moulding that isn't actively captured in place by wrapping around the back side of the glass.

 
quote
Originally posted by 84fiero123:
No I didn't work at the Pontiac plant in the 80s but they all used the same style reveal corporate wide...


Then how do you explain that the P22 lists only one part number (10103279) for all Fiero body styles and years? Or why the extremely low mileage '88's that are for sale on the internet have the old style? Have a look for yourself.

 
quote
Originally posted by 84fiero123:
go to any local glass place and they will tell you the same thing. The style on my picture on the right is what they will replace yours with if you have it done at a glass place....


What they'll replace it with isn't the argument here. Nevertheless, you can ask to have the original style lace if you want it. It's still readily available.

 
quote
Originally posted by 84fiero123:
oh ya and nothing was used to hold that in but the urethane on the Christmas tree style.


...because you said so.

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Report this Post07-14-2014 10:37 PM Click Here to See the Profile for 84fiero123Send a Private Message to 84fiero123Edit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
 
quote
Originally posted by Bloozberry:


...because you said so.


Because I installed and repair windshields and backlights in the mid to late 80s. On Cieras, P6000s and whatever other models we made during that time until the year before they shut our plant down and they went to one shift. Then I went to the body shop and welded silicon bronze around the front and rear of the windshield and backlight opening and roof line as well as some steel welding.

Want proof? I have the book they gave us the year they closed the plant down with pictures of all the employees and some of the jobs they did.

[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 07-14-2014).]

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Report this Post07-14-2014 10:43 PM Click Here to See the Profile for BloozberrySend a Private Message to BloozberryEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
For someone who openly criticizes me then states:

 
quote
Originally posted by 84fiero123:
OK now back to... someone who KNOWS what they are talking about.


You haven't proven much so far.

(Edit to add: I'm done here. The OP can follow whatever advice he chooses.)

[This message has been edited by Bloozberry (edited 07-14-2014).]

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Report this Post07-14-2014 10:45 PM Click Here to See the Profile for 84fiero123Send a Private Message to 84fiero123Edit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
 
quote
Originally posted by Bloozberry:

For someone who openly criticizes me then states:

You haven't proven much so far.


And as I thought you will never except the word of a man who did the job, typical. You have an education and know everything. did you install the glass at the factory, any auto factory?

[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 07-14-2014).]

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Report this Post07-14-2014 11:14 PM Click Here to See the Profile for MacarchieSend a Private Message to MacarchieEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
wow… lot's of info. I have a scrap car that I am dismantling which I can experiment on. I have an infrared heater that I'll play with to see if I can get the material pliable enough to play with. The moulding is extremely hard to cut (even with a new sharp blade). The PO tried to squirt some clear silicone along the edge of the moulding which is not working. Perhaps, if I could get a smaller bead of silicone "under" the lip of the moulding that might work; but I think a more permanent solution may be needed. I hate to replace a perfectly good windshield, but if need be, I'll take it to a local glass shop and see what they say. Since I hope to make this car my daily driver, I can't have water dripping from the mirror every time I drive in a moderate rain.

Thanks for all the replies and info.

- Jimmy

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Tha Driver
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Report this Post07-14-2014 11:49 PM Click Here to See the Profile for Tha DriverClick Here to visit Tha Driver's HomePageSend a Private Message to Tha DriverEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
I think Blooz is right: I've had a BUNCH of Fiero windshield moldings out & ALL of them were the Christmas tree type. The Fiero store sells an exact replacement.
To get it out, though, is another story. After trying to pull them out (which usually results in it breaking into pieces) I have to go to using a die grinder to cut the rest out. You have to be VERY careful not to hit the windshield. If you try to pry or cut it out with a knife, you usually break the windshield. If you cut it out deeply enough, you can push in the new molding easily. Use windshield urethane (comes in a caulking tube) to seal the leak. Any silicone left will cause it not to seal. If you seal it & install the molding before it dries, you won't be able to pull out the molding at a later date. Windshield urethane is really strong shtuff.
In this case I would cut it out (with the die grinder), seal the windshield, do all your body & paint, & after buffing install the new molding. You can use black weatherstrip adhesive to glue it in if you need to.
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

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Report this Post07-15-2014 08:35 AM Click Here to See the Profile for BloozberrySend a Private Message to BloozberryEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
Against my better judgement, I'm going to post in this thread one last time. The issue of whether the windshield lace was purposefully held in with butyl adhesive or not, or whether the windshield itself is held in place with urethane, is moot. The fact is that the windshield frame is held in place with butyl adhesive around all three sides. If you've ever tried to remove the roof panel, you'll know this is true. I've borrowed a photo from tbone42 to illustrate:



There can be no denying that the butyl adhesive can and does ooze out into the channel where the windshield lace sets and ends up onto the lace. Whether the adhesive ends up on the lace by accident or by design, doesn't change the fact that anyone trying to get the old lace out is going to find adhesive on it, will end up breaking it up, and to install a new one, they'll very likely have to dig some adhesive out of the channel. That's what I've said from the beginning.

The reason 84fiero123's experience on other car lines is not relevant is because steel skinned cars such as the Ciera's, Pontiac 6000's and other models had no use for glue to hold the outer skin onto a substructure.

[This message has been edited by Bloozberry (edited 07-15-2014).]

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84fiero123
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Report this Post07-15-2014 09:04 AM Click Here to See the Profile for 84fiero123Send a Private Message to 84fiero123Edit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
lets see when I did the job on the line when one of the guys was out I personally put in over 350 windshields or backlights when that guy was out, per shift. when they changed the backlight of the Oldsmobile ciera to an almost 90 degree bend in the glass I was on the repair station on the line as my permanent job. Finally after over 5 years as utility absentee plant wide. the new backlight didn't fit because of a 75+% rejection rate at the glass factory and jig problems in the body shop for the steel around the backlight. we had glass falling into the interior of the car, glass not fitting in so many ways that we actually could not cover the area around the glass with even the widest repair molding. to the point that because of the distance between body shop and trim department where we put the glass in that we literally had thousands of cars that we had to send to final repair and literally remove all the backlight glass and send the car back to the body shop to have the opening re aligned so that the glass would fit. I spent the first 2 months of that model run working 8 hours a day on the line and another 4 hour at final repair after that pulling and replacing those backlights and windshields.

I dare to say I have more experience installing and replacing and cutting glass out in just one night than you do in your entire lifetime Bloozberry. You had no idea what you were talking about in your first post, remember you said,

"It's stuck in there pretty well with the old butyl rope goo that's used to hold the windshield in place."

It is put in with urethane not rope no matter what the car was made of, whether it was the Oldsmobile with a steel roof or the Corvette or Fiero with the fiberglass body panels. I dare say I have put in more replacement glass in more cars after working for GM than you have your entire life as I also worked for a friend who owned a corvette restoration shop and was the only one he ever allowed to cut out and replace or just remove the glass for work on all the classic corvettes he ever pulled the glass on. mater of fact I have used every method of removing auto glass from cold knifes to hot knives to windshield removal wire to guitar strings. the latter 2 I recommend for anyone trying to cut out a windshield in any car as the safest way to cut out a windshield or back light without braking it. Just take your time when doing it and you will do just fine, don't try to do it to fast as most people do or you could brake the glass.

now still say I don't know what I am doing or talking about Bloozberry?

Just how many windshields have you cut out and put in in your lifetime?

Steve

[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 07-15-2014).]

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Report this Post07-15-2014 09:04 AM Click Here to See the Profile for 2.5Send a Private Message to 2.5Edit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
If its original you have about 0% chance of removing and reusing it. The replacements are nicer anyway IMO.

[This message has been edited by 2.5 (edited 07-15-2014).]

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Report this Post07-15-2014 09:07 AM Click Here to See the Profile for 2.5Send a Private Message to 2.5Edit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post

2.5

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A windshield place could probably just remove the outer seal shoot some urethane sealer in there and put a new outer seal on for a decent price. I wouldnt use silicone.
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Report this Post07-15-2014 09:28 AM Click Here to See the Profile for 84fiero123Send a Private Message to 84fiero123Edit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
 
quote
Originally posted by 2.5:

If its original you have about 0% chance of removing and reusing it. The replacements are nicer anyway IMO.




 
quote
Originally posted by 2.5:

A windshield place could probably just remove the outer seal shoot some urethane sealer in there and put a new outer seal on for a decent price. I wouldnt use silicone.


Urethane and silicone are not compatible together they will not work and play well together, if anyone wants to try that I would not recommend it, if you want to fix a leak or reveal molding get a small tube of urethane at any parts store for a few bucks and use that. It is the same material and will adhere to each other better for all purposes from leaks to reveal replacement.

Steve
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Report this Post07-15-2014 09:40 AM Click Here to See the Profile for BloozberrySend a Private Message to BloozberryEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
 
quote
Originally posted by 84fiero123:
now still say I don't know what I am doing or talking about Bloozberry?


You don't. The OP didn't ask how the windshield was held in place so I'm not sure what you've been ranting about. Try answering the question: "Is there a secret to removing the moulding around the windshield?"
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Report this Post07-15-2014 09:52 AM Click Here to See the Profile for 84fiero123Send a Private Message to 84fiero123Edit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
 
quote
Originally posted by Bloozberry:


You don't. The OP didn't ask how the windshield was held in place so I'm not sure what you've been ranting about. Try answering the question: "Is there a secret to removing the moulding around the windshield?"


No there isn't, if the car is as old as our Fieros chances are it is brittle and won't come out in one peace. If it does chances are the windshield has been replaced or at least the windshield reveal has been replaced since it was built. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't it's all the luck of the draw when it comes to the reveal coming out in one peace. If you are lucky enough to get the reveal out in one peace I sure as hell wouldn't reuse it as it has become so brittle and will not conform to the windshield as well as a new one will so I definitely do not recommend reusing the original reveal unless you absolutely have to when you pull it out, say in the case that only a few inches of the reveal has pulled out. see when the glass is set in with the Urethane they push the glass into the opening to set it in place so the urethane squishes outward and generally contacts the reveal and that is what makes it so difficult to get it out in one peace.

Again it is not put in with butyl rope goo it is put in with urethane.

Steve

[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 07-15-2014).]

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Report this Post07-15-2014 10:13 AM Click Here to See the Profile for BloozberrySend a Private Message to BloozberryEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
Wow. It's a damned good thing you clarified all of that because I'm sure it makes a world of difference to the OP. I'm pleading the OP not to use the instructions in my initial post to remove his lace. It's going to make a huge difference following the same instructions coming from you than it will coming from me. After all I'm just...

 
quote
Originally posted by 84fiero123:
... dumber than a bag of hammers.

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Report this Post07-15-2014 12:08 PM Click Here to See the Profile for rogergarrisonSend a Private Message to rogergarrisonEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
I replaced 3 of my Fiero windshields. All of them looked original and had a lip locked behind the glass. All the replacements I had installed by my glass shop also had the rubber mounted on the glass (with a lip behind it), sealant applied and the glass set in the car. The newer seal was slightly flatter and wider than the OEM one they replaced and looked much better than the OEM anyway. All mine were 86's. With the rubber ...with the lip....there would be no way to reinstall it properly without taking out the glass since it would be near impossible to know if the lip went behind the glass or not. By locking behind the glass, the corners were far less likely to bulge or pop out. The christmas tree type molding, if its stretched any at all around a corner, WILL come out at the corners since its not held in as securely. Another benefit of the newer wider molding is it covers the very edge of the roof so it doest chip and rot like it does with the narrower one.

[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 07-16-2014).]

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Report this Post07-15-2014 06:04 PM Click Here to See the Profile for MacarchieSend a Private Message to MacarchieEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
Lot's of good info. For clarity, I don't care if I destroy the moulding; I would gladly buy new if it fixes the problem. Also, it appears that the windshield is original.

I was wondering if it would be possible to remove (cut or grind) the moulding only in the area of the leak and then cut a small piece to cover it after the adhesive underneath has been repaired.

I really appreciate the input… it gives me a lot to think about.

- Jimmy

------------------
1987 Fiero coupe; Blue; 2.5L; 5-spd
1987 Firebird Formula; Blue; 5L; 5-spd

[This message has been edited by Macarchie (edited 07-15-2014).]

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84fiero123
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Report this Post07-15-2014 08:18 PM Click Here to See the Profile for 84fiero123Send a Private Message to 84fiero123Edit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
 
quote
Originally posted by Macarchie:

Lot's of good info. For clarity, I don't care if I destroy the moulding; I would gladly buy new if it fixes the problem. Also, it appears that the windshield is original.

I was wondering if it would be possible to remove (cut or grind) the moulding only in the area of the leak and then cut a small piece to cover it after the adhesive underneath has been repaired.

I really appreciate the input… it gives me a lot to think about.

- Jimmy


its possible and can be done, cut the top part off a 1/2" off the part of the molding that is still stuck in, carefully. then cut a new peace of molding the right size and cut the lower part of the molding so that you will have a cap to cover the part of the molding you cut the top off, then do the same to the other side get a small tube of urethane and squirt a small amount into the gap between the windshield and the roof. then a tiny bit on the bottom of the cap you made by cutting the lower section of the molding out. you will need to make precise cuts on both peace's though so be careful. But if the entire molding is falling out you may be better off replacing the entire thing, if it will all come out without to much trouble, if it does. some will some won't. But if it does all come out I would rather put the entire molding in with a new one. if you can afford it and can get it all out without ripping it apart. some do come out easily but after years of being compressed don't hold in as well after being removed.

if it is around the corners it will be more difficult to get it to stay in place and you will want to tape the molding down for an hour or so till the urethane sets.

if you can understand what I said. Short term memory loss sometimes makes what I write hard to understand even for me, because I forget what I just wrote and even what I read I may say something's more than once and others not at all and think I did.

Steve

[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 07-15-2014).]

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Tha Driver
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Report this Post07-15-2014 08:36 PM Click Here to See the Profile for Tha DriverClick Here to visit Tha Driver's HomePageSend a Private Message to Tha DriverEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
 
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Originally posted by 84fiero123:

lets see when I did the job on the line when one of the guys was out I personally put in over 350 windshields or backlights when that guy was out, per shift. when they changed the backlight of the Oldsmobile ciera to an almost 90 degree bend in the glass I was on the repair station on the line as my permanent job. Finally after over 5 years as utility absentee plant wide. the new backlight didn't fit because of a 75+% rejection rate at the glass factory and jig problems in the body shop for the steel around the backlight. we had glass falling into the interior of the car, glass not fitting in so many ways that we actually could not cover the area around the glass with even the widest repair molding. to the point that because of the distance between body shop and trim department where we put the glass in that we literally had thousands of cars that we had to send to final repair and literally remove all the backlight glass and send the car back to the body shop to have the opening re aligned so that the glass would fit. I spent the first 2 months of that model run working 8 hours a day on the line and another 4 hour at final repair after that pulling and replacing those backlights and windshields.

I dare to say I have more experience installing and replacing and cutting glass out in just one night than you do in your entire lifetime Bloozberry. You had no idea what you were talking about in your first post, remember you said,

"It's stuck in there pretty well with the old butyl rope goo that's used to hold the windshield in place."

It is put in with urethane not rope no matter what the car was made of, whether it was the Oldsmobile with a steel roof or the Corvette or Fiero with the fiberglass body panels. I dare say I have put in more replacement glass in more cars after working for GM than you have your entire life as I also worked for a friend who owned a corvette restoration shop and was the only one he ever allowed to cut out and replace or just remove the glass for work on all the classic corvettes he ever pulled the glass on. mater of fact I have used every method of removing auto glass from cold knifes to hot knives to windshield removal wire to guitar strings. the latter 2 I recommend for anyone trying to cut out a windshield in any car as the safest way to cut out a windshield or back light without braking it. Just take your time when doing it and you will do just fine, don't try to do it to fast as most people do or you could brake the glass.

now still say I don't know what I am doing or talking about Bloozberry?

Just how many windshields have you cut out and put in in your lifetime?

Steve



All irrelevant to the Fiero... How many FIERO windshields have you cut out in your lifetime?
I've never seen a FACTORY installed Fiero windshield that had the molding that goes under the glass.
I wouldn't try to piece the molding together. I don't think you'll ever get it to look right.
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

Custom Fiberglass Parts

[This message has been edited by Tha Driver (edited 07-15-2014).]

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84fiero123
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Report this Post07-15-2014 11:14 PM Click Here to See the Profile for 84fiero123Send a Private Message to 84fiero123Edit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
 
quote
Originally posted by Tha Driver:


All irrelevant to the Fiero... How many FIERO windshields have you cut out in your lifetime?
I've never seen a FACTORY installed Fiero windshield that had the molding that goes under the glass.
I wouldn't try to piece the molding together. I don't think you'll ever get it to look right.
~ Paul
aka "Tha Driver"

Custom Fiberglass Parts



I have removed 4 and installed 4 Fiero windshields and 17 Classic 60s corvette windshields. They all use urethane as their bonding agent, all of them.

No getting the reveal to look right is very difficult hence the reason I said he should try and remove the entire thing and replace it with a new one, at least I think I did, STML sucks when I write, post or read things and sometimes I repeat myself when posting in threads here and on other forums as well as thinking I wrote something when I didn't. The old ones, now what 25 years old get brittle with age and tend to brake into peace's if the urethane has stuck to them or if it is the style that wraps around the glass. Sure you can get lucky sometimes and get them out in one peace but that doesn't mean its a good idea to reuse them.

And I said in an earlier post that the windshield reveals were changed in the mid 80s to that style at my factory in Framingham, MA but no one here seems to believe that they were ever used on the Fiero. Well except Roger I think it was anyway. fiberglass cars like the corvette and the top parts on the Fiero do present their own set of problems when removing a windshield as they are easier to damage the fiberglass parts the glass is urethane to. But I was as I said utility repair at GM and had to learn one hell of a lot of different jobs, matter of fact one of the department superintendents who knew me told me if I ever wanted to work at the Oklahoma plant they were shipping him off to just call him and I wouldn't even have to go threw the regular hiring process. He said and I quote,

"You have the best set of hands I have ever seen." That was when we just learned that they were closing our plant in MA permanently and we could apply to other plants. I asked Melanie and she had lived in Oklahoma and said in no uncertain terms she was never going back there, not even to visit. So we went down to TN and I worked at Saturn. Until we found out our daughter Amanda was allergic to the entire state of TN. So we moved back up here to Maine and I worked as a welder in heavy industrial construction, as during my last year at GM I went into the body shop and learned how to weld.

I do know a lot about removing and installing windshields glass and reveals including the older chrome ones that require a special tool to release the clips, I also did that job at GM several time installing the clips that held the chrome reveals in and later plastic clips that held the old chrome style ones in as well as the rubber ones used now days. They changed over to the rubber ones for several reasons. The old chrome type ones actually created a rusting situation around where they came in contact with the steel body of the cars and they wanted to try to stop that. The chrome ones were easily damaged and expensive compared to a peace of rubber. They used the friction Christmas tree type rubber ones for a few years and found that unless the urethane adhered to them they would pop out in corners and that's why they went to the style that they put on the windshield before they put the glass in. That was one of the reasons they tried using more urethane to keep them glued to the windshield so they didn't have to depend on the friction of the barbs on the reveal.

I learned to remove windshields and the reveals at the GM factory back when we used cold knives from an older dude who had been doing glass removal and replacement for a decade. I don't recommend using a cold knife for anyone unless they have had a lot of practice with it. the urethane get so hard over the years it is really hard to get one out unless you have a sharp blade and a steady hand. I have a cold knife, a hot knife, windshield removal wire, sawsall and many other tools I have accumulated over the decades that I am quite good with and would be more than happy to teach anyone how to do a windshield removal and replacement. the new style encapsulated windshields are a pain in the ass as you need even another tool I forget the name but it is the only windshield tool I don't have. I even have a set of pro suction cups like we used at GM for putting the windshields in and removing them. I have one entire toolbox filled with nothing but glass removal tools. I even learned how to put the rubber gasket style windshield in and out with a roll of string.

So as I said I do know what I am talking about when it comes to windshields and reveals. Did you know in a pinch you can use guitar string to remove a windshield? But you better have a few laying around because they aren't that strong.

Anything else you want to know about my experience at glass repair? Or would you prefer to have me do one for you just to prove I know what I am doing? I have posted before how to remove windshields and backlights here on the forum in detail. it is a slow and painstaking job that there is no room for mistakes but if you take your time it can be done if you just follow the instructions I posted in the other thread. For the life of me it has been so long I can't remember where it is or what the name of the thread was but if you do a search in the archives I am sure you will find it.

Steve

and oh ya something else I forgot to say, I have only ever broken one windshield/glass I was pulling that was good, one and that was when I was at GM using the cold knife I don't recommend anyone using. And that was one of those damed Ciera backlights around 3 AM after 9 hours on the line repairing them and 3 hours on final line pulling them for the body shop to repair the opening.

[This message has been edited by 84fiero123 (edited 07-15-2014).]

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Adjustso3
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Report this Post05-04-2015 04:50 AM Click Here to See the Profile for Adjustso3Send a Private Message to Adjustso3Edit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
Ok guys, you have me totally confused. I have an 87 GT that has a windshield moulding that has shrunk on the top corners. The previous owner put some black sealer on the corners and it looks like crap and the windshield moulding is not connected to the windshield. I purchased a new windshield moulding from the Fiero store. Do I have to try to remove the windshield or can I just try to remove the old moulding and clean it up, put a small bead of black urethane and press the new moulding back in ? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
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