Removing Wind Shield

I have to pull the wind shield out with out breaking it.

Its hard enough job when they are broken.(messy)

Does anyone have some tips on the proper method for removing them?

What can you do to keep the butyl rubber from messing up the wind shield?

I have to pull the wind shield out with out breaking it.

Its hard enough job when they are broken.(messy)

Does anyone have some tips on the proper method for removing them?

What can you do to keep the butyl rubber from messing up the wind shield?

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I have tried it all.

I think my record 10 wins out of 75 tries

I have the window tool but it is not much better that a razor knife.

The only time I have gotten them out in tact is.

Keep cutting gently and deeper each pass GO SLOW

Do the top and sides, once your through on the top and sides you can get some paint sticks slid in various places.

Use a old steak knife on the bottom seal.

Alternate going about a foot on each side. working the outside edges into the middle.

The farther in you get the more stick wedges you can stack, tilting the windshield up.

Good luck, the warmer the shop the better.

I have tried warming the glass with a blow dryer, it just make it stick back together

Piano wire. Slide it thru so you can pull from each side and gently work your way around it. I coul"nt find any lately and needed to pull one so I tried some of the smallest wire I could find with a 65 lb. test, and it worked but the one I pulled wasnt real tight so that might have helped. Just make sure you pull as flat as possible and not up on the glass.

This is what you want

http://www.amazon.com/CRL-Triple-Braided-Windshield-Cut-Out/dp/B000MQYPN0

Tie one end to a short length of broom stick...poke through the seal..Tie the other end to a piece of broom handle..The braided wire acts as a saw which makes it much easier to cut the seal..USE more than one piece !! In other words as soon as the wire gets gummed up doesn't cut like butter..Put a new piece on..I've used as many as 6 pieces to get a windshield out. It also helps to have 2 people one inside the car & one outside.

I had good luck with the removal kit I got at Harbor Freight... similar concept with the braided wire.

Once you have the top and sides "cut thru" try warming the bottom seal and working the windshield up then down---the bottom seal is the betch---if you work it up and down you can stretch the bottom seal enough to easeeee the top of the windshield out a bit at and actually get something down in there to start cutting the seal--then work it up and down more

And by up and down I mean keeping it fairly flat and just inching it (sliding almost) up toward the top of the channel and then down the channel===

This is what you want

http://www.amazon.com/CRL-Triple-Braided-Windshield-Cut-Out/dp/B000MQYPN0

Tie one end to a short length of broom stick...poke through the seal..Tie the other end to a piece of broom handle..The braided wire acts as a saw which makes it much easier to cut the seal..USE more than one piece !! In other words as soon as the wire gets gummed up doesn't cut like butter..Put a new piece on..I've used as many as 6 pieces to get a windshield out. It also helps to have 2 people one inside the car & one outside.

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+1 on this approach used to do this in my younger days, can be done by cutting a 6-8 foot piece and feed one end inside car at top center of windshield then go inside car pull through and feed back through bottom center ( or come in through bottom and out top ) leaving wire exposed on the outside ( top and bottom )twist then secure to 8 inch broom handle or equivalent on each end and SLOWLY pull back and forth. Have done many this way, BUT would recommend like Scott said have someone on the inside to help without looping wire through windshield since you want to get it out with out breaking. can be done either way but chances go up of breaking by looping

Hi Marc. The wind shield on my Mach 1 is perfect. So I in no way wanted to break it. The way I removed mine was a little messy but worth the clean up. My opinion the bottom is the hardest part to get loose. For about a week I sprayed WD40 all around the wind shield. Once I saw the WD40 leak out the bottom of the wind shield along cowl I knew it was ready to come out. Then the wife and I used the piano wire to saw the wind shield out. The WD40 melted the butyl so the wire slid threw with ezz. I almost think that I didn't have to use the wire it came out so easy. Once the wind shield was out I took a razor blade and more WD40 and scraped the butyl off the glass. Then I washed the wind shield with dawn dish soap. I cleaned the wind shield jam break clean/parts wash. The clean up was worth not breaking the glass. The parts car the wind shield was broken so I WD40 it for a hour or two and used a putty knife because I had no one to help with the piano wire. That was messy because the WD40 didn't have time to melt the butyl. Good luck. Mike

If you can remove one of these old brittle windshields without breaking it, you are VERY lucky

OK, i got the wind shield out without breaking it.

Used the pull knife on the top and sides, short blade first, then used the long blade.



The i shoved paper towel all around the cut to keep it from sticking back together.

the hardest part was the bottom

I used a long drywall knife, starting at each corner and working to the middle.

Again i stuffed paper towel in the cut as i when.



Definitely not how a pro would do it but it worked.

Thanks for the help guys

Man sounds like loads of fun i am going to be into. Mine needs to have the window re-sealed. In heavy rain water comes in under the passenger side so it has to be done. I will remember all the good advice when i try.

Man sounds like loads of fun i am going to be into. Mine needs to have the window re-sealed. In heavy rain water comes in under the passenger side so it has to be done. I will remember all the good advice when i try.

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Are you sure it's the windshield. 71-73 Mustangs are prone for rusty cowls. The water will come in by the heater box. I have 2 Mach 1s that lived most their lives here in So-Cal and they both have rust around the cowl heater baffle.There is a good chance it's not your windshield.

Well thats a whole lot easier than taking out the windshield so will have to check that first. Great info thanks alot.

Well thats a whole lot easier than taking out the windshield so will have to check that first. Great info thanks alot.

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:huh:

Not really...I'd rather take out a windshield any day of the week vs doing a cowl repair !

Yeah, the windshield is only the beginning, isn't it?

Man sounds like loads of fun i am going to be into. Mine needs to have the window re-sealed. In heavy rain water comes in under the passenger side so it has to be done. I will remember all the good advice when i try.

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Either way, windshield or cowl leaking the windshield need to come out!.

Don't be scared of the windshield removal, just take your time.

I would bet its the cowl leaking.

I would try to get a light and my phone above the cowl top hat to take a picture and find out.