Can a Windshield Bend?
Thread Starter
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More Turbo
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 689
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From: British Columbia
Can a Windshield Bend?
Hi all. Have a '79 F-350 that I've removed the windshield for rust work. That was a year ago. Threw the windshield in the back of the box, wrapped, but upside down. I've seen them stored upright, probably for a reason? Do I need to worry about this? Am I going to have issues when I try and reinstall it?
Thread Starter
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More Turbo
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 689
Likes: 44
From: British Columbia
Well its not the original windshield. This one is about 8-10 years old. So maybe I'll be okay.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 991
Likes: 114
From: Dallas, OR
I have heard that storing them laying down flat can lead to them bending/ decurving some, especially in the heat. After reading this information, I moved the windshield for my wife's 65 and it is now upright. I'm with you, hoping it is a non-issue.
More Turbo
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 547
Likes: 11
Hi all. Have a '79 F-350 that I've removed the windshield for rust work. That was a year ago. Threw the windshield in the back of the box, wrapped, but upside down. I've seen them stored upright, probably for a reason? Do I need to worry about this? Am I going to have issues when I try and reinstall it?
P.S. The reason they are usually stored upright is they take less space that way and you cannot stack many windshields on top of each other laying down. They would get scratched like that.
Dennis
Cargo Master
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 2,238
Likes: 475
You'd think if they could there'd be a bunch of vehicles with sagging windshields after sitting in the hot sun all day. I wouldn't worry about it. Storing upright is just safer for the windshield.
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More Turbo
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 516
Likes: 27
Well it took the glass company three tries to get the new windshield into my '77 without cracking. So if you haven't done one before, get a good glass man to install it for you. You will probably have to buy a new one as they don't like old glass. Mine cost $255 out the door. I didn't get charged extra for the windshields they broke, I bet they lost money on my job.
If you decide to do it yourself, get a good manual and study it. Then take your time. Good Luck!
R.
If you decide to do it yourself, get a good manual and study it. Then take your time. Good Luck!
R.
Last edited by dogdays; Nov 19, 2018 at 12:24 PM. Reason: add more info
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More Turbo
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 547
Likes: 11
Well it took the glass company three tries to get the new windshield into my '77 without cracking. So if you haven't done one before, get a good glass man to install it for you. You will probably have to buy a new one as they don't like old glass. Mine cost $255 out the door. I didn't get charged extra for the windshields they broke, I bet they lost money on my job.
If you decide to do it yourself, get a good manual and study it. Then take your time. Good Luck!
R.
If you decide to do it yourself, get a good manual and study it. Then take your time. Good Luck!
R.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 1,244
Likes: 12
Fun fact, glass is not a solid, but amorphous liquid. At room temperature it flows, though very very slowly like a incredibly thick syrup. Raising the temperature, adding stress in different directions (like setting it in a way it wasn't meant to sit) will cause it to deform since the material itself is moving.
Hotshot
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 10,764
Likes: 39
Well it took the glass company three tries to get the new windshield into my '77 without cracking. So if you haven't done one before, get a good glass man to install it for you. You will probably have to buy a new one as they don't like old glass. Mine cost $255 out the door. I didn't get charged extra for the windshields they broke, I bet they lost money on my job.
If you decide to do it yourself, get a good manual and study it. Then take your time. Good Luck!
R.
If you decide to do it yourself, get a good manual and study it. Then take your time. Good Luck!
R.
More Turbo
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 516
Likes: 27
On the "glass is a liquid" issue, I imagine if it sat for many, many years it may change shape. BUT, the original glass in my '64Dog shows no signs of change after 54 years!
R.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 4,217
Likes: 154
I did mine. My old cab was so rusted that I got the glass and the seal out intact! I left it sitting on face-down on my hood overnight, and the next day I put it into my new cab with no problems.
Use some good lube - I used lithium grease which seemed to work well, but there are better products you could use - and take your time and don't force anything.
I don't think that the string wrapped around the seal is enough to do the job. The biggest difficulties were going around the corners. For the difficult parts, I used things like a butter knife and a hook implement to pull the seal into the cab.
You also want to seal the seal. But rubber seals don't take the same sealant as the newer glued-in windows. It's more of a tar-like substance, and applied with a caulk gun. And you might have to order it or find you a real good parts store, as most modern McParts stores don't carry the stuff. Although I was able to get mine at O'Reillys, but they had to ship it in from another distant store. Seal the seal to the cab, and the seal to the glass.
Use some good lube - I used lithium grease which seemed to work well, but there are better products you could use - and take your time and don't force anything.
I don't think that the string wrapped around the seal is enough to do the job. The biggest difficulties were going around the corners. For the difficult parts, I used things like a butter knife and a hook implement to pull the seal into the cab.
You also want to seal the seal. But rubber seals don't take the same sealant as the newer glued-in windows. It's more of a tar-like substance, and applied with a caulk gun. And you might have to order it or find you a real good parts store, as most modern McParts stores don't carry the stuff. Although I was able to get mine at O'Reillys, but they had to ship it in from another distant store. Seal the seal to the cab, and the seal to the glass.