Windshield gasket question

[70SwingerGuy]

So Im looking for opinions, Im replacing the glass in my 70 Swinger and Im wondering how critical it is to replace the gasket at the same time if Im not experiencing any problems with it.
Any thoughts about reusing the gasket?

 

[Professor Fate]

Depends what kind of shape the rubber is in.
If it's starting to get hard, chances of it sealing well with the new glass without a crapload of sealer goes way down, plus generally you may have to cut the seal to get the old glass out...
If you're spending the money to put in good quality glass (ie not the thin chinese reproduction glass) I don't know why you'd want to put it in without a new seal.
It's a different ballgame if the seal is NS1 and not available as a repop- Then your choices are limited to reusing the old seal or making/having made one out of bulk material. If reusing, make sure you can still get the proper size lockstrip to fit the factory seal- but that shouldn't be an issue with your '70.

 

[70SwingerGuy]

If you're spending the money to put in good quality glass (ie not the thin chinese reproduction glass) I don't know why you'd want to put it in without a new seal.

Any idea about the thickness comparisons? Might not be a bad idea to check with my supplier before purchase to make sure it is of proper thickness

If reusing, make sure you can still get the proper size lockstrip to fit the factory seal- but that shouldn't be an issue with your '70.

True, no lock strip needed.

 

[Professor Fate]

OEM glass (for the years this site deals with) is generally around 1/4" overall- I have heard of some repros that are much less, resulting in sealing issues and fitment of the windshield trim... and you really don't want to make up the difference with sealer or rope caulk (yes, I've heard of people doing this...).
Some repro glass gets around this by using a thicker plastic layer between the two thin glass pieces, better but not great...
See what brand your supplier is getting. OEM suppliers still make glass but under different names; for instance, PPG is now PGW and LOF (Libby Owens Ford) is now Pilkington.
I just put a Pilkington in my '66 and my buddy who helped (okay, I helped him- he's a retired glass installer of close to 50 years) was impressed with it compared to some he's seen.

 

[70SwingerGuy]

@Professor Fate thanks for the good information, I will definitely make sure to do that