Windshield Install/Remove/Clips/Details

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A340

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Well after 3 weeks of messing with my windshield on my 70 Duster I can honestly say it was the W/S from He!!!! After searching on this forum, working with a 23 year vetern Windshield installer, and talking with different vendors, I felt I needed to post some straight honest opinions and answers here for future self installers.

First of all, go to NAPA and purchase the $16.00 windshield trim removal tool. While you are there, also get a tube of BUTYL windshield sealant that fits in your caulking gun. Do NOT buy any UREATHANE or let another installer talk you into using it, you will be sorry down the road!

Next purchase a good quality windshield gasket. There are lots of vendors out there and different gaskets. I took a chance and purchased mine from Dante's Mopar parts. This happened to be a PRECISION brand gasket. You will also need to purchase a new locking strip which is separate from the gasket, purchase one of these also. (About $10-$12)

Now Dante also sells the front Windshield clips. In that package there are five clips that are a little taller than the rest. Find those 5 tall ones and purchase 18 more just like them, you won't be sorry. You need 23 of those tall clips.

To remove the old gasket from the windshield, once you have the stainless steel trim removed with you NAPA tool, just cut around the windshield, then remove the old locking strip, you should be able to push from the inside at the top and remove the glass then peel away the old gasket.

If your old gasket is not that old and in good shape, take window cleaner and spray around gasket and glass, remove the locking strip. Have a friend pry back on the top driverside corner gasket with his fingers, while you easily push out on the glass in that same corner from the inside. You can also use a couple of plastic pry sticks to stick in between the glass and gasket as you work your way across the top. Do the same on the other top corner and slowy go down the sides. At this point you should be able to lift the glass out of the windshield channel.

Inspect and clean the channel all around the windshield opening. Paint if necessary. Now install your new clips. Take your tube of BUTYL and place a small 1/4 inch bead along the dash where the gasket lies. A little heavier in the corners and 1/4 inch along the sides and top on the metal windshield frame. Now place your gasket in the cut groove of the windshield frame and lay along the dash groove. Your sealant may ooze out, but not too bad.

Now lay the bottom of the windshield close to the bottom passenger side corner. Take plenty of windex and spray along the gasket and glass. Slide it into the corner and along the bottom. When you get to the other side, use your plastic pry to work the gasket up around the glass. Work up the side toward the top. When you get to the top corner slowly work the gasket and take the palm of your hand and tap the glass into the gasket as you are working the gasket around it. Eventually it will fall in place. Place your locking strip in place starting at the bottom center and working around the windshield. I used a small 1/4" socket on an extension and pushed it in place after first squirting silicone on the strip and into the groove.

Place your top, side and corner pieces of stainless back into the clips and push down. Before snapping the side pieces into place you will need to install the bottom piece into each corner, Now in my case, the gasket also had a piece of rubber that stuck out on the bottom portion of the gasket. I had to take a razor blade and cut this off in order for my bottom piece to fit.

Now how did I learn all this in 3 weeks?? After discovering a 3 year old leak in the bottom corner of the windshield, glass tech first filled the area between the glass and gasket with ureathane. Still leaked. Came back week later and filled area under gasket between body and gasket, (Where the clips are). Still leaked. Spent following week removing stainless which was very hard, removed glass and gasket and spent many hours cleaning up ureathane mess in window channel. Found that gasket had slit in bottom channel where the glass sits that caused the leak.

Next installed new clip set that was sent to me. 18 regular clips, 5 tall ones. (by the way, all my old clips were the same as the tall ones in new package). Next installed gasket without any sealant of any kind since I read this was the way the factory did it. LEAKED! Removed windshield again. Placed 5/16" Butyl tape alond windshield dash only. Installed windshield. LEAKED not at the bottom of the dash but along the sides. Squirted Butyl from the caulking tube along the sides between the glass and frame. Tested. NO LEAK!

But !! The 5/16" Butyl apparently was to thick along the bottom and I could not get the bottom stainless steel trim to push in enough! Also I then found out the clips were not tall enough and upper trim would not catch either.

Removed windshield once again. Replaced all small clips with my older tall ones. Removed butyl tape along dash and squirted about a 1/4" along bottom and sides once again. Replaced windshield, locking strip, and stainless. No water LEAK and everything finally fit!

Hope you have better luck than I did, and hope this bit of information helps you also.

A340
 
Thanks for your insights. I'm going to change the windshield on my ride and after reading your ordeal...I'm not looking forward to it. #-o
 
Wow, thanks for posting your tribulations so that someone else benefits!
 
Great info! Thanks for posting all that. I have some windshield/rear window removal in my future and this will really help out.
 
Now in my case, the gasket also had a piece of rubber that stuck out on the bottom portion of the gasket. I had to take a razor blade and cut this off in order for my bottom piece to fit.
Oops! You should not have had to cut that piece off. It is a flap that is supposed to fold and tuck up under the opposite edge of the groove. The groove in the gasket along the bottom of the window looks like it should have a locking strip, right? Not so, the flap tucks under along the bottom edge, and the locking strip begins where the flap stops. There is not enough room in the groove for both locking strip and flap.

Aaron and I just did his Duster's windshield this weekend (see my other post for photos). We also did his Dart Sport about three years ago and had it as a reference to look at (my 51-year old memory isn't what is used to be).

It sounds like you used plenty of sealant under the gasket along that lower edge, so I wouldn't think you should have a problem with leaks. We need to wait for some of our squeezed-out sealant to cure so we can clean up a bit of the channel before installing the stainless trim. We used the Precision set of 18 small / 5 large clips, so I'll let you know how the trim fits. However, it's the same set we used three years ago on the Dart (except that I don't remember the 5 clips being different).

Jerry
 
Jerry:

Appreciate the feedback. The flap I cut along the bottom was very very stiff along both ends to about 6 -8 inches in, then softened up. There was no place for that thing to bend anywhere. At first I cut just the stiff ends off and tried to bend the rest against the stainless trim, but no go. If it did go somewhere, I certainally missed it. The trim lays flat and tight against the rubber and the body, looks good, and no leaks. What else can I say!

By the way, putting the dash back together, I managed to break the glove box latch catch. It looks like a single solid wire U shaped. A fellow is sending me one from a 73 Duster that is flatter and wider around the edges. Looks like it should fit, do you know if it will or not?

Thanks
A340

Oops! You should not have had to cut that piece off. It is a flap that is supposed to fold and tuck up under the opposite edge of the groove. The groove in the gasket along the bottom of the window looks like it should have a locking strip, right? Not so, the flap tucks under along the bottom edge, and the locking strip begins where the flap stops. There is not enough room in the groove for both locking strip and flap.
 
Here is the label for our '74 Duster windshield gasket. You can see in the second pic how flexible the flap is along the lower edge I was talking about. You can also see that the locking strip starts at the end of the flap. The next pic is the label for the locking strip.

As for the glove box latch and loop, if they look like these on a '74 Duster, I can't see it being a problem. As long as they mount in the same way.

Precision Windshield Gasket.JPG


Precision Seal Flap.JPG


Precision Lock Strip.JPG


Glove Box Latch Loop.JPG


Glove Box Latch.JPG
 
Jerry: Thanks for the pictures and update. Our windshield gasket is # WCRD759 which specifies for Duster/Demon only. The flap along the bottom is entirely different than the one you show in your picture. Or locking strip starts in the bottom center also. The number you show on your gasket is the number of our locking strip. My glove box latch is different than your 74 but I'm going to give it a try anyway!
A340
 
The number you show on your gasket is the number of our locking strip.
You're absolutely correct, my bad. I revised my previous post to fix that.

That's odd, our gasket is the same part number you used...
 
Does anyone know if '71 Darts/Scamps have a lockstrip? I don't remember there being one on mine when I took it out, but that was about 5 years ago.
 
Hi

Thanks for the info, I have only 2 questions. My 72 demon seem to have good gaskets with no apparent leaks, but there are a few small rust holes. Should I remove the windows make the repairs or can you use some por 15 and than fill the holes with UV epoxy putty.

The next on is if I pull the windows where do I buy the gaskets.

Thanx for all your help and wisdom

Rick
 
That's a hard call to make, without knowing how bad the rust is under the old gasket. If you are able to lift up the bottom of the gasket and feel certain that the rust is not under it, you might consider doing what you suggested. Since I was replacing the gasket anyway, I made repairs on a few small rusted out spots in the window channel and A-pillars. I made the repairs with "kitty hair fiberglass". I've even made small repairs with JB Weld epoxy putty.

If you need to replace the gasket, you can probably get one from here:Just Mopar

Good luck,
Jerry
 
This may be all good for Duster/Demon/Dart Sport but others beware. Many trim clips are too tall for some other models, especially 67,8,9, B'cuda ( where my experience is ). Taller clips will hold the trim higher from body contour and leave space between trim and the one piece self locking gaskets. I want others admiring my ride, not looking at it because its trim is whistling in the wind.
 
Is there any info on where these large and small clips go on a 69? I have a car that had no windshield or clips when I got it. so I am now curious as to the correct locations.
 
IF you have purchased a correct set of clips that are specifically for your car and not a more generic set from ebay, the set would include 4 clips shorter than all others. Those go on the A-pillar posts.
 
Thanks

I get the kit from Classic Industries, but not home to look at it more closely
 
A couple of questions on the clips. I am getting ready to install the windshield on my 74 Duster. You mentioned that the 5 clips in your set were like the original ones that you took off the car. I looked at my originals, and they look like the other 18 in the set. Not sure if I should proceed to order 18 of the others. Had a nice talk with a guy from Precision yesterday. He wondered if your trim was original or not. He said I could check the trim by putting a piece on before installing the windshield with a few clips installed and see how it lies on the body. Much easier to remove it with no gasket in the way. He said the gasket shouldn't interfere with the fit of the clips. Thinking of ordering the extra clips anyway just so I have them in case things don't go smoothly. Called a couple other places like Detroit Muscle and RT. They didn't have anything to say about the clip issue. Thoughts on this??
 
A couple of questions on the clips. I am getting ready to install the windshield on my 74 Duster. You mentioned that the 5 clips in your set were like the original ones that you took off the car. I looked at my originals, and they look like the other 18 in the set. Not sure if I should proceed to order 18 of the others. Had a nice talk with a guy from Precision yesterday. He wondered if your trim was original or not. He said I could check the trim by putting a piece on before installing the windshield with a few clips installed and see how it lies on the body. Much easier to remove it with no gasket in the way. He said the gasket shouldn't interfere with the fit of the clips. Thinking of ordering the extra clips anyway just so I have them in case things don't go smoothly. Called a couple other places like Detroit Muscle and RT. They didn't have anything to say about the clip issue. Thoughts on this??
 
David:
My trim was original. With the new gasket is where I ran into problems. I would have the extra clips for " just in case" but that's just me! Not sure if there is any difference with mine being a 70 Duster and yours a 74. Good Luck!
Rondog
 
The stainless reveal molding should lay like a continuation of the adjacent sheet metal. So a clip that sits beneath the trim has to be below that plane.
I don't know why Chrysler products had a clip that is shorter and wider than the more common clip Ford, GM, and others used. I don't know why there was a mixed clip height period either. They finally did change them all to the taller, typical, more generic or standard clip but I don't know what year model that was.
The only good news is the taller clips can be shortened if necessary. Clamp in vise grips, to the grinder and remove about 3/32 from their bottom edge. Been there done that.
 
How much risk is there in the windshield breaking due to age? I was looking to attempt this but the local glass shop said it would be RISKY because the glass would be SO brittle being on a 74 model car. Even said it may cost 4x as much since they will need to be extra careful.

Thoughts?
 
How much risk is there in the windshield breaking due to age? I was looking to attempt this but the local glass shop said it would be RISKY because the glass would be SO brittle being on a 74 model car. Even said it may cost 4x as much since they will need to be extra careful.

Thoughts?

It is easier to break older windshields, the glue layer between the glass dries up and they get less flexible.

But charging 4x as much is BS.
 
I have searched the forums looking for more information on installing a windshield in a 70 Plymouth Duster and this was one of the better threads that I found. This thread started 11 years ago and was wondering if anyone had more experience they could provide

My problem:
1. I have a precision gasket and was having problems with installing the trim so I read at the beginning of the thread about cutting the tab/strip on the bottom of the gasket off, which I did. After reading farther it looks like I should have used that tab as a lock strip in the center bottom of the gasket and lockstep the rest of the way (from the bottom corner around the top to the other bottom corner). I have lockstrip all the way around currently.

2. I cannot get the trim, to snap into the clips. I bought a set of new clips off eBay for a Duster. The clips seem to be the same size as the ones that came off the car with 5 longer ones and the other shorter. I did have to bend some of the clips, especially on the A pillars so that there was a little gap where the trim would be able to go into (this probably should have been a sign but it wasn't at the time).

Do I need to get a new gasket and start over (it doesn't seem like the bottom trim fits as tight as it should (assuming this is what that tab is there in the first place)? If so what brand gasket do I want to use? Assuming I should get new clips, if so what brand works with whatever windshield gasket? Finally how do I get all of the black gooey, non hardening sealant out of there if I do need to start over with a new gasket? That stuff is awful and gets on everything. Also is there a good trim removal tool out there because it is a pain to remove once it clips into place.

Thanks I am assuming that I am not the only one that has run across this problem and ironically the windshield is in place and seems to be watertight but I need to be able to get the moulding on.
 
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