Windshield removal advice needed

[Pauliediesel]

Hello everyone, Project '74 roadrunner has been gutted and almost ready for bodywork.I have never removed a windshield before and am concerned about breaking it. I bought an arrow shaped trim removal tool from Harbor freight and a windshield "knife blade" to cut the caulk, Having a hard time removing the trim. Can anyone give me some advice on how to remove this?
Thanks in advance
Pauliediesel

 

[razreddobie]

Removin the trim is just a bitch. Just gotta take your time, find the clips, and give the tool a little twist to pop the trim off the clip. As for the windshield I would find some piano wire, carefully start a small opening in the caulk, start the wire under the glass, get a buddy, and use the wire like a saw blade slowly not to heat the wire up. That's how I do it.

 

[eric383]

X2 on that razreddobie. I think someone makes that piano wire lookin stuff that has handles on each end to make that sawing a little easier. And take it easy on that trim, nuttin worse than trying to fix beat up trim.

 

[ma mopar nutz]

X2 on the piano wire works slick and you have the right tool to remove the trim just try and keep the tool as parallel as you can to the trim and keep it close to the glass and use a twisting motion once you have located the clips ! Is your windshield glue in or zip strip guess we kinda need to know that I'm guessing its glued in but if its zip strip get your trim off take an o-ring hook tool go around the glass and get some help and have them push on it from the inside of the car using your feet works best but be careful if you want to save the glass !

 

[Photon440]

Removin the trim is just a bitch. Just gotta take your time, find the clips, and give the tool a little twist to pop the trim off the clip. As for the windshield I would find some piano wire, carefully start a small opening in the caulk, start the wire under the glass, get a buddy, and use the wire like a saw blade slowly not to heat the wire up. That's how I do it.

That's also how the factory manual shows how to do it.

 

[satman72]

Trim is a pain. It's hard to explain, but once you get the first one, the rest are easy. You just need to get in there and pop one, then you'll understand.

 

[Pauliediesel]

Thanks guys. It's definitely glued in. Gonna try tonight. I've just gotta get in there and do it

 

[Chargerjase]

What I found with mine (73 Charger) is that the front windshield clips were pretty corroded. The main body is solid but just the clips had rotted. In the absence of the proper tool, I just used a wide bicycle tire tool and very gently popped them up. Because they were rusty they just gave way with slight pressure. I did not put any pressure on the glass of course. My rear window had mostly good strong clips. I managed to pop the bottom ones which were also rotten, then that allowed me a good look at the rest. I used a small electrical terminal screwdriver and gently un-clipped them. I did not damage my trim, but I cant emphasis enough the importance of slow and steady. And make sure you don't put any pressure on the glass. I know its not exactly 'textbook' but it works.
I agree with Satman 72, you will understand once you have popped a couple and you can see what you are doing.
Good luck

 

[HawkRod]

See if this helps for the trim removal:
http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showthread.php?65938-Windshield-Trim-Removal-Help

When I removed my windshield, I took one of my son's guitar strings. Take a coat hanger and sharpen one end. Poke it through the gasket from the outside to the inside. Then pass the guitar string (or any strong wire) through the hole. Wrap a block of wood around each end and with a buddy, "saw" through the gasket at sharp angles in the direction you want to cut. That it what I did and it worked great.

Hawk

 

[BIGSHCLUNK]

As I recycler of 30+ years my first recommendation is TAKE YOUR TIME!! I've seen more glass broken because people were n a hurry. Recommendation #2 the tools on the market for windshield removal were designed to remove BROKEN ones not good ones. A small sharp knife and some windshield wire works best. Patience young Skywalker!

Also the angle of you cut/wire pull can make all the difference. And rust is not your friend and will break your wire. that's ok just reload and keep going. Personally I like doing this by myself. We will often cut old seat belts to tie the wire to and use the seat belts as handles per se. It gives you a longer reach and much easier on your hands