This is sorta OT but not.


I had been debating using urethane to install my 56 windshield with instead of the seal. Which is why this is somewhat relative.


Well we use my dads old Ni$$an as our experiment for a lot of stuff. Some *******s broke all four windows out, and slit the tires a few weeks back. Had left it at a Park-n-ride as he carpools with some other guys to work. The hit two vehicles that night and more since then.


We decided to attempt the windshield replacement ourselves, as well as the sides and rear. The rear was a failure, we attempted to reuse the 30 yearold seal, it was to brittle and just tore.
The windshield is where I am a bit baffled. We bought 2 tubes of the 3M High Viscosity, quick cure, Urethane. We attempted to use a regular caulking gun which I thought was acceptable. Well it wouldn't come out. The tube just swelled up. I checked the date, it expired in DEC 2013. 2 years out of date. I think NAPA will take it back.


Was it so thick because of the age or is it naturally that thick? I was expecting something stiffer than silicone, but this was thicker than peanut butter.

 

you will need a really good caulk gun and need to set the glass right the first time as there are no do overs without starting all over. be sure to use some primer, not paint but special primer you put on the glass. the metal needs to be really clean. urethane for windshields is very sticky so be careful not to get any where you do not want it. i would suggest calling a glass company to install as if they screw up you don't pay and it an be surprisingly cheap.

 

It was that thick due to age. It's also best to use at room temp. It should flow a little thicker than silicone. Also do as Dan says regarding the primer, and everything else. The urethane is very messy, but will clean up with denatured alcohol. Good luck.

 

I had a windshield installed in a 1997 International truck . They come new with a rubber gasket ,no urethane, the glass sits in a grove in the gasket. The guy used urethane in the grove and told me it would not leak that way. Well he was right ,it doesn't leak but the first time the weather changed it broke in four pieces . I would suggest using the rubber gasket for the truck with no urethane. The glass,rubber, and the metal contract and expand at different rates. I had another glass company tell me that is why my glass broke, should have been just put in the rubber gasket. Hope that helps.

 

Do NOT urethane the windshield in. As was mentioned earlier, the glass needs a bit of room to move. There are products you can use with a butyl base that will seal things up but will not hardened like urethane. Also, stay away from products with silicone as they can mess with painting.

 

I take it your dad's insurance didn't have any coverage for glass breakage.

 

I haven't gotten to the windows of my truck yet, and I will need to replace all of them, even the batwings. I was going to simply set the front and rear in the rubber seals after lubing the seals with WD40. Any recommendation for a sealer, or would how I planned to do it work fine?

 

I installed a rear with just the seal and some soapy water for lube. Worked great. The WD40 is a poor choice for the application. It will greatly complicate the install and do you no good for the life of the seal. I watched some pros install the windshield on a '70 Ford truck recently - no adhesive anywhere.

The notion that you need to glue the glass in place isn't correct. At most, you want the gasket to hold position and the glass to float in place on the gasket.

 

A thin rope around the outside or the window in the rubber seal channel will make the seal go over the edge of the truck as you pull the rope out slowly. It helps keep the seal from getting cut

 

Do not try to put a windshield or back glass in your 56 with urethane. The pinch weld is not designed to install a glass with adhesive. It is designed to use a gasket. If you use adhesive you will probably wind up buying new glass and also have a very labor intensive cleanup of the sheet metal.
The urethane requires a compound leverage gun. The bead should be an inverted v shape for proper sealing. The old bead should be cut down to a flat shape about the thickness of a dime and very clean. Any bare metal should be covered with a special primer available from auto glass suppliers.
You will be money ahead to have your glass in the car installed by an auto glass shop. Usually glass installed by inexperienced people leaks and stress breaks. It takes specialized tools to install glue in glass satisfactorily.
I owned a auto glass business and have installed glass in just about any vehicle that you can think of.
The gasket on your 56, if in good shape, needs no sealer of any kind.
Elmo

 

Do not use WD40 on your gasket. It will just make a really big mess, now and in the future. Mild soapy water is all you need to lube the rubber for the rope to pull out and the seal to slip around the pinch weld. It cleans up a lot easier, too.

 

If you need lube to install the windshield rubber into the pinch weld ,use silicone spray . You won't trap moisture under the rubber gasket.

 

Very good advise!
Elmo

 

That's just crazy talk. Never, never use silicone lube anywhere near anything you may one day want to paint. It is especially not for use in window installation. You will not trap moisture under the rubber. It will dry, no different than driving in the rain or washing your car.

 

A trick I learned on a motorcycle forum (for mounting tires) is to put bar soap shavings in a cup, and add very little water. Mix it up thoroughly and apply with a paint brush. It is much slicker than liquid soaps, because it is made using fats and oils. I prefer Irish Spring myself...