rear window removal for paint job

[Milt]

Finally am ready to paint my car.  It has been painted before.  It is obvious that during that paint job that the rear window was not taken out.

How hard is it to remove and more importantly replace the window.  I have not found any links to someone doing this.  I do have the shop manual, but some better pictures would help.  I have read threads about people getting mis fitting new seals for the window, but nothing on the whole procedure.

 

Thanks

 

[Avanti83]

The workshop manual shows the screw locations that need to be accessed through the holes in the window seal. Take a look at it carefully, the drawing is pretty good. 

Luckily new window seals are available and there is also a top weatherstrip seal used. The description is quite good if you can locate the screws.

[Billy Shears]

20 hours ago, Milt said:

Finally am ready to paint my car.  It has been painted before.  It is obvious that during that paint job that the rear window was not taken out.

How hard is it to remove and more importantly replace the window.  I have not found any links to someone doing this.  I do have the shop manual, but some better pictures would help.  I have read threads about people getting mis fitting new seals for the window, but nothing on the whole procedure.

 

Thanks

 

Removing it is not hard; putting it back in is a pain in the butt.  I just recently reinstalled mine after getting the car painted.  Here is the procedure I followed.

Removal

You'll want to install a new rubber seal, so  cut the outer edge of the old rubber away with a sharp razor blade – don’t try running the razor blade along the rubber; grab the rubber with a pair of pliers and pull on it, pushing the razor blade against the rubber where you want to make the cut.  Cut the rubber across the top, then all the way down both sides, and then you can stop.  You will see a Phillips screw on the small, stainless joint piece on the top, or you will see three such joints, each with its own Phillips screw on later cars.  There will be nuts on the inside.  Either get a helper to hold a wrench on these nut(s), or take a pair of vice grips and fasten them onto the nut(s), and then turn the screw(s) from the outside.  Once the screw(s) is/are all out, then the window then pushes up and out.  Get in the back seat and put your hands in the center of the upper edge of the glass and push.  Move to the side and push, then move to the other side and push.  When the window is then raised up at the front edge, get out of the car, and lift it up and then pull out from the bottom, and lift it over.

Before pulling the stainless trim out of the rubber, take ¾ inch-wide masking tape, and put it on the glass wherever there is a splice of the stainless steel.  Take a ball point pen and mark where the edges of stainless splice pieces are.  This is very important when reinstalling the window; if you don't do this, the stainless trim will not be positioned just right, and you will not be able to get the window to seat.  When that has been marked, tap back and forth on the stainless to move the splice pieces; they will probably be stuck from years being in position.  Once you have them loose, slide them to one side, and  you can pull out the stainless.  Now you just have to clearn the old sealant off your window.

Reinstalling

Put your new rubber seal around the window.  Look for the seam that marks where a line in the mold was -- it will look almost like the rubber seal had two ends that were glued together.  I put that seam where the top splice piece, with the Phillips screw was (it will be the center screw if your car has three on the top).  After you get the rubber installed, put the stainless trim in its grove and get the splice pieces lined up with the marks you made on your tape.  If you try to reinstall the window now, the stainless will almost certainly try to pop out of the groove in the rubber seal as you work the window into position.  On the advice of Dan Booth, who has installed lots of these, I sprayed Gorilla glue on the stainless and rubber, and tore strips of Gorilla tape in half down the middle, stickting the tape to the rubber and the stainless trim to hold them together.  The tape by itself doesn't stick quite well enough, hence the spray glue.  Once that is all done, spray more Gorilla glue on top of that, and then put more tape (whole pieces, not torn in half this time) to tape the stainless and rubber to the glass.  This should keep everything together solidly so your stainless, rubber, and glass stay together in position during the installation.

Now, with the aid of a helper, or preferably two, do several dry-run installations to practice getting the window set and roping the seal into place with some 1/4 inch curtain cord.  The shop manual shows you how to do this.  Lay the window on the opening along the bottom and lower the top down to get it lined up.  Don't forget to use a little dish soap to lubricate rubber and make roping it in easier.  Once you have practiced and gotten it to go in a few times, you can tackle the real installation.  Get 3M Auto Bedding & Glazing Compound, black, 08509 (you will need a caulk gun, and may need two tubes, though probably not, if you don't have to pull the window up, clean everything off, and start again).  Put a bead about 1/4 inch wide all around the lip of the window opening, put your window in place, and rope it in.  You may also, to get everything seated, have to give the window a few whacks near the top with a dead blow rubber mallet to seat it in.  I did.  You hit the window, not the stainless (you'll dent it), and you can hit the window surprisingly hard without fear of breaking it, but don't try to pound on it John Henry the steel driving man.

After all this is done and your window is seated in the opening, peel your tape off the top splice(s), then take an awl and make a hole through the rubber where your screw(s) need to go, then install your screw(s).  Now your window is set in.  Remove the tape and clean up the residue.  It's a mess, but your stainless and rubber should be in place.  When you've cleaned all that off, there is one more sealing step to be done.  For this you will need a butyl rubber sealant.  I bought mine from Dan Booth, but you can find it online.  It is CR Laurence Windshield and Repair Sealant CRL1716, and along with it, you will need to purchase the CR Laurence Adhesive Pump 181AG.  You will use this to seal the rubber to the glass.  Run the tip of the adhesive pump nozzle under the edge of the rubber and apply it all around the window, and let it harden a couple of days, then use a razor blade to trim away the excess that squeezes out.  This stuff is pretty thick, so a helpful tip is to boil a large pot of water, then (after taking the pot off the boil) sit the can in it for 20 minutes to warm up.  The heat will make it thinner and much easier to pump.

Hope this helps.

Edited May 22, 2021 by Billy Shears

[Milt]

WOW!  What a great response.

Thanks

[Paul K.]

I purchased a new gasket for my car when painted and received one narrow that would not reach the outer body edge of the glass opening in certain areas leaving small gaps. The vendor said his gasket was correct and mentioned other vendors gaskets were incorrect, too wide and looked like a "truck gasket". I didn't pursue a refund becasue the vendor was "right"  but I had the facts - a properly installed gasket that didn't fit. I purchased one of the "incorrect" gaskets from another vendor and it fit and looked perfect. This was 20 years ago and I'm sure any poorly molded gaskets are now long gone so probably not an issue today. 

Good luck and if you accidently break your rear glass ( I hope not! ) I have one I'm tired of looking at and would like to sell. 

[brad]

You really do not want to install the rubber on the glass dry, and try to seal it up later. It just doesn't work well at all. Thee is a reason the factory recommended non hardening sealer when putting the rubber on the glass AND also when installing the assembly into the body opening. Follow shop manual procedures and you won't get bit.

[Billy Shears]

43 minutes ago, brad said:

You really do not want to install the rubber on the glass dry, and try to seal it up later. It just doesn't work well at all. Thee is a reason the factory recommended non hardening sealer when putting the rubber on the glass AND also when installing the assembly into the body opening. Follow shop manual procedures and you won't get bit.

The Avantis weren't always quite waterproof from the factory, from what I've read.  I followed the proceedure I used because it was precisely how I was advised to do it by Dan Booth, who's been doing these for decades.  So far it's worked, and I've had no leaks.  I think he follows that proceedure because it's what Avanti Motors did, and the Avanti IIs were waterproof from the factory.

[brad]

I'm glad you have faith, in him. I have faith in what works for me and my own experiences. I have never seen his work. Only HEARD about it. I HAVE had to fix many "dry" rear glass installs for leaks. 

[Avanti83]

Just to be sure we're all on the same page, Dan doesn't recommend a dry installation. As above he recommends 3M bedding compound prior to the installation and the Butyl rubber sealant afterwards.

[Billy Shears]

2 hours ago, Avanti83 said:

Just to be sure we're all on the same page, Dan doesn't recommend a dry installation. As above he recommends 3M bedding compound prior to the installation and the Butyl rubber sealant afterwards.

Yes, which is precisely how I did it (and which should be clear from my description).  It sounds to me though like Brad is referring to using the a bead of the 3M bedding compound (or some other non-hardening sealant) on the glass window itself before putting the rubber seal on (and then another bead of 3M bedding agent on the widow opening when you install the window into the opening).  After a few dry runs to make sure everything fit, I did indeed put the 3M bedding agent on the window opening.  But I did put the rubber seal ring onto the window glass dry, then put the stainless trim back on, then once that was installed in the window opening (using the 3M badding compound around the fiberglass windown opening), I used the butyl rubber sealant to seal the rubbers seal ring to the glass window itself.  Essentially the same procedure was used to install a new windshield as well.  As I said, my results have been quite good.

[mrfeez]

On my 63 Avanti the rear window had shattered, I have removed all small pieces of glass around edges, Removed single screw on top, put tape on body while marking location of stainless trim, I now have 3 sections of stainless trim with original rubber seal, There is no way I could have marked window,.   Is there anyway to try and reinstall all parts as is, as shown on previous statements ?