new windows and all new rubber, anyone have any tips or how to get this windshield chrome back on.
1951 f3
thx
al meyer

 

I'm not familiar with your year of truck but if it's anything like the 56 and likely is. You start by putting the rubber on the glass and the chrome trim in the rubber then installing it on the truck..that's how it's locked in place..

 

First you have to make sure you have the rubber that's made for the trim. There's two types, with and without stainless trim. Then, like John said, it has to be installed in the rubber as an assembly with the glass before installing in the truck.

 

I installed the trim on my truck at least twice.

First, don't pay full attention to what the shop manual tells you about installing the glass and trim.
Second, trim off the four metal tabs in the windshield frame, you don't need them, the manual will tell you to cut them off if installing the trim but you don't need them even if you're not installing the trim. The best I can figure is Ford put them there so you break your windshield when you're removing and installing your windshield and then have to buy a new window.
Third, get an extra set of hands, a spray bottle with a lot of soapy water and a strong cord to wrap around the window rubber.
Now this is where you ignore the instructions in the shop manual. Install the window in the rubber gasket, insert the trim piece around the window in the grove in the rubber for the trim but do not install the entire trim in the grove, leave bottom of the trim hang loose, the two ends at the bottom until you have the windshield installed and then install the rest of the trim into the groove using a nylon trim tool or some other homemade tool made of something that is strong but won't scratch the paint or glass, and place the seam cover over the seam in the bottom of the trim. I've tried following the manual but it just won't work.

BTW, the seam cover is the same profile as the "U" hood trim on the '48-50 trucks. I lost mine and cut a piece out of an extra "U" I had.

 

Hey Al. I paid a local auto glass shop that does a lot of classic cars to install my front glass and trim. They made it look easy. Best $100 I spent on the entire 52 build. I didn’t have the fenders on so they had good access. They came out and did it, took them about 30 minutes.

I may have paid $200 with tip, but regardless it was totally worth it.

JB

 

Oh come where is the fun in doing that?!!😁. You didn't get to use your full vocabulary of four and five letter words or spend valuable quality time with your truck and after spending hours doing it sitting back and being able to say "I did that."

My problem around here it seems none of the "auto glass" place don't really do anything other than install new package glass in new cars and trucks. I live just north of Milwaukee so I'm not in the boonies somewhere.

 

When I had the glass installed on my panel by a professional shop that said they had lots of experience with older vehicles I had to tell them the rear window goes in from the inside and they were going to install it with the rubber facing the wrong way. They chipped the paint in two places and cracked the windshield which I had to argue with them to replace and they wouldn't install it a second time. I had another guy try 3 times to install the windshield in my pickup that has the stainless trim. Ended up that I had to remove it the next morning and me and my wife installed it. Getting the trim in place was the longest part of the job and don't be afraid to use tape to hold it all together. With all the soapy water used to install the glass in the window frame the tape slides right out..

 

When I got my F350 flatbed painted I told my bodyman to take out the rear window to paint the cab. It was original to the truck and still had the FoMoCo etching on it. I gave him new rubber for it. I copied the directions from the shop manual on how to install the glass. I guess he didn't read it. He broke the original glass trying to install it from the outside. And the new rubber got chewed up. He bought the new glass after I told him it goes in from the inside.

 

thanks for all the replies, i guess i should have inquired before. i was thinking or not thinking that the chrome would go on after. so for now it is without the chrome as it is already installed. have to remove it and change it later. i do have the shop manuel and did not see anything under winshield replacement where it says to first iinsert the chrome , unless i did overlook it.
thanks al

 

This is a good example of why you should have a shop manual. Even though I don't believe in some the instructions for installing the trim the one thing the manual will tell you is to install the trim before installing the windshield into the truck.

Before Youtube there were shop manuals.