Windshield Leak Repair

ArnieJr

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Hello, I recently bought a 1969 Chrysler 300 Coupe and the seal around the windshield is all but gone, causing it to leak during heavy rains. I have tried to find out if it uses a gasket or ribbon seal and have not had much luck trying to find out via Google or a couple of Facebook groups. I get two answers.
A local shop is quoting 235 for the part (which seems about right; I saw that for a gasket seal but it did not specify year or make) plus $65/hour labor. If it's a gasket seal, I hear that's a fair price, but others are saying it's a ribbon seal that can be had for $25 or urethane out of a tube.
Can someone clear it up for me?
 
Chrysler went to Butyl tape (Sticky black tar kinda stuff) windshield seals on Fuseys.

Slabs had Rubber gaskets.
 
Hello, I recently bought a 1969 Chrysler 300 Coupe and the seal around the windshield is all but gone, causing it to leak during heavy rains. I have tried to find out if it uses a gasket or ribbon seal and have not had much luck trying to find out via Google or a couple of Facebook groups. I get two answers.
A local shop is quoting 235 for the part (which seems about right; I saw that for a gasket seal but it did not specify year or make) plus $65/hour labor. If it's a gasket seal, I hear that's a fair price, but others are saying it's a ribbon seal that can be had for $25 or urethane out of a tube.
Can someone clear it up for me?
I just completed my rear window with 3M Windo-Weld Ribbon Sealer, Auto Glass Replacement Kit, 5/16" x 15' part number 08611, worked well, read directions carefully, also need the 3M Primer, these items are reasonably expensive but not $235

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Is your windshield in good shape? To do the job properly the window needs to come out and re-set, also may need some rust repair once out. 235$ seems fair to do that, no rust repair included. Most window shops will simply fill any small rust holes with urethane just to get it out the door. So be aware of that.

Edit- just re-read your post 235 for the "part" plus labour? Considering the part is a tube of urethane or butyl tape, that is high. Most shops don't want to work on old car's. That doesn't seem like a "go away" price, more like a "we really don't want to do it" price. You've got to carefully remove the trim, risk breaking the window, potentially finding rust, holding up the job, then put it all back together.
 
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Is your windshield in good shape? To do the job properly the window needs to come out and re-set, also may need some rust repair once out. 235$ seems fair to do that, no rust repair included. Most window shops will simply fill any small rust holes with urethane just to get it out the door. So be aware of that.

Edit- just re-read your post 235 for the "part" plus labour? Considering the part is a tube of urethane or butyl tape, that is high. Most shops don't want to work on old car's. That doesn't seem like a "go away" price, more like a "we really don't want to do it" price. You've got to carefully remove the trim, risk breaking the window, potentially finding rust, holding up the job, then put it all back together.

Thanks for the reply. Judging by the replies here, sounds like it's not a gasket seal, but ribbon tape of some kind. The shop specializes in old car restorations and he's got more work than he can handle. He told me end of November two weeks ago, now it's January. I'm not that patient and part of the reason I bought it is as a project for my son and me. That said, is this a "one day in the driveway" job easily done with hand tools? I'm fairly handy with small tools and if I have a how-to sheet or video, I can do most minor repairs. I have an old 1969 Chrysler / Imperial repair manual scanned to CD-ROM and it has a decent enough walk-through, but any additional guidance is highly appreciated. My main concern is NOT BREAKING THE GLASS!
Also, if there are any alternatives, I'm open to them. I have no plans to do a full original restoration. I'm seeing this more as a daily driver with some minor modifications than a car show vehicle and if there is an easier way to seal it, I'm all ears.
 
Apart from breaking the glass, the most important thing is getting the trim off without mangling it. This can be tricky. Your windshield was 100% factory installed with butyl tape. Most shops will use urethane and that is perfectly acceptable. I once had one installed by a professional who likes to do things the correct way, and he used a combination of the two. He said the new glass isn't the exact curvature of the old, so he added urethane where needed. Depending on how bad the leak is, you may be able to remove the trim, cut away as much of the old butyl as you can, at that point you should be able to actually see where the void is, and squeeze some urethane in there, and then re-bead the entire thing. That can buy you some time. Take the bottom stainless trim off (a few screws) and poke along the bottom of the channel directly below the glass with a pick or screwdriver, if there's alot of rust or holes, it should come out, to fix the steel properly.
 
Just had a new windscreen fitted to my 69 300 vert and when the guy took the old glass out ( as it has the wiper scratches ) there were big holes at the bottom of the pillars. I sent him off and said I will do the repairs, he laughed and said "I will see you in 6 months! well I got stuck in to it and to do the job properly I had to remove the front bumper bar, the fenders and inners to get a clear area to work on. I gently cut all the rust out to good metal and with new steel shaped the patch panels with shrinkers, stretchers and dollies and shaping hammers. Took 4 days including taking all steel below windscreen back to bare metal, new welded in and treated, undercoated and painted, I rang the guy who came out and he said its the best job he had ever seen and put the new windshield in using the black butyl, did a great job. My wife wasn't as happy she thought I would be in the shed for another month HAHA. But if you look at it the cost at a shop would have been huge and would they have done as much as I did?
 
Ok this upcoming weekend a friend of mine and I will be attempting a windshield replacement in this 72 Monaco
20200616_125037.jpg
I've been told I'll probably need this trim removal tool
photo0.jpg

Reading the responses above it was mentioned that Urethane is suitable as a sealer. Does anyone have a preference to a brand, or are all windshield rated urethane pretty much the same?
 
Ok this upcoming weekend a friend of mine and I will be attempting a windshield replacement in this 72 Monaco View attachment 400695 I've been told I'll probably need this trim removal toolView attachment 400697
Reading the responses above it was mentioned that Urethane is suitable as a sealer. Does anyone have a preference to a brand, or are all windshield rated urethane pretty much the same?
IMHO, I'd use the butyl like this: https://www.amazon.com/08611-Window-Weld-Round-Ribbon-Sealer/dp/B000CQ4AOE and not screw around with the urethane.

People use different methods to remove the windshield, but what has worked for me (with the ribbon seal) is to take all the trim off inside and out, then take a long piece of music wire or one of those wire kits they sell for cutting out windshields and push it through the ribbon at the bottom of the windshield from the outside. Now get in the car and push the end through the top. Now it's a one man job to saw the windshield out because you don't need a guy inside the car to operate one end.
 
That's a neat piece of advice about using a longer wire, thanks for that and the heads up with the ribbon sealer
 
That's a neat piece of advice about using a longer wire, thanks for that and the heads up with the ribbon sealer
That tool is gonna piss you off. I have some thin metal wire made for cutting glass out from working at the salvage yard, that stuff and some vice grips always does the trick for me. Let it sit out in the sun with the trim off for a while to soften that crap up too.
 
Gotcha, thanks Wyatt. I have some thin wire too so I think I'm good...will be ordering the other stuff in a few minutes.
 
get the correct wire for the job. the windshield wire has ridges and will cut like a saw. anything else will just cause frustration.
https://www.amazon.com/Tool-Aid-874...windshield+cutting+wire&qid=1599603479&sr=8-1

wrap the wire around the jaws of the vice grips before you clamp it tightly. go slow , especially around the corners. make sure you are cutting only the butyl and not grinding on the glass. one little slip could cost you a windshield.
 
Thanks, I'm going to swing by the local parts store and purchase a windshield removal kit.
 
Ok this upcoming weekend a friend of mine and I will be attempting a windshield replacement in this 72 Monaco View attachment 400695 I've been told I'll probably need this trim removal toolView attachment 400697
Reading the responses above it was mentioned that Urethane is suitable as a sealer. Does anyone have a preference to a brand, or are all windshield rated urethane pretty much the same?
That’s exactly what you need to remove the stainless trim to release the clips without bending your trim.
Shot of the one my glass guy used for trim removal.
2C6E3A3F-F114-46B4-9606-7AB9BE59EA7A.jpeg
3FCC06AD-902F-457B-8D00-BB62112FCEE8.jpeg
 
I made one with a cheap 1/4" screwdriver. Clamped it in a vise, heated the end red hot with a propane torch and bent the tip over 90 degrees with a pair of vise grips. Slip it under the trim, slide it along until you contact one of the clips. Gently move the handle up and down until the clip releases.

Don't waste a quality screwdriver for this, a cheap harbor freight tool is best.
 
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