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Thu Oct 05, 2006 10:31 am

I ordered some new rubber for the front windshield of my 61 VW beetle. Rains are coming and it leaks a bit. How easy is it to replace? Should I get a new windshield also in case i break it? Wheres a good place online that I can get one?
Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks

Thu Oct 05, 2006 10:43 am

Here you go... good info here...

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=60843&highlight=rubber

Thu Oct 05, 2006 11:40 am

Use a utility knife to carefully cut the rubber lip away on the inside portion of the car. Don't bang on the glass if it seems stuck after cutting the lip away. Push the glass out from inside the car. This should prevent broken windshield.

Clean the seating area thoroughly.

I use a length of cotton cord, I think that it's sold for like a clothesline and it's about 1/4 in. thick. It's also about 50 feet long so I can wrap it around the groove like two times.

Make sure the rubber is warm, let it sit in the sun for a while before and after you set it on the edge of the glass.

Don't bang on the glass - apply steady pressure.

This last is a personal preference - I saw a guy at a glass shop one time using a tool that looked like a bent over screwdriver to get under the lip of the rubber on a domestic car and pull it out where it was folded under. I made one from an old screwdriver that I heated with a torch and bent around until it resembled what I saw. I finished it off by filing the edges off the tip until it was smooth in order to prevent scratching the paint. They were sold professionally at the time around twenty years ago. It works great.

Thu Oct 05, 2006 12:16 pm

Spray on silicone is your friend too.

Thu Oct 05, 2006 12:44 pm

Front windows are very easy since they are flat. It's the one and only thing that went easily in my resto.

Thu Oct 05, 2006 4:12 pm

keifernet wrote: Here you go... good info here...

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=60843&highlight=rubber

Ahhh. Thanks

Thu Oct 05, 2006 4:14 pm

scottvw wrote: Spray on silicone is your friend too.
That came to mind. Then I read this article. Specifically this

I got a good note from Randy who writes that silicon spray is a bad thing to use when installing a windshield. Silicon never dries out, and as a result it is possible that in a crash the windshield could pop out (that's a bad thing). This sounds possible to me, and Randy is a professional autoglass installer. So, use soapy water to lube the gasket. I've used soapy water on other rubber installations (especially bicycle handgrips) and it works great.

Thu Oct 05, 2006 9:27 pm

KY Jelly works really well also. The quality of the seals plays a big part in the ease of installation. I learned this the hard way.

Thu Oct 05, 2006 9:30 pm

I just use dish soap

Fri Oct 06, 2006 2:47 am

wisconsinbug wrote: Front windows are very easy since they are flat. It's the one and only thing that went easily in my resto.

I'm glad it went well for you,I just cracked two windshields trying to put them in. The rest of the windows went in perfect.

Fri Oct 06, 2006 8:40 am

One problem I have found with dish soap is it bleeding brown cruddy residue from under the seals staining the headliner.

IMO and experience the "clear guard" type silicone tire shine stuff I have been using soaks into the rubber and if you wipe off the excess right away and again after a day or so and regular window/interior cleaning you do not have this issue.

I have a tool as described in the post above. But I just tryed to look up the # CP-38 on Snap On's website.. they must have changed the numbers as this tool is quite old I have used it many years.

I will take a pic and post it.

Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:23 am

I ordered the seal from wolfsburgwest and it had the slit for the chrome strip. I really didnt want the chrome. I called and they said its the only type they carry now. From my understanding it will still work, but I really dont want that extra slit showing. I ordered the chrome strip and clips. If its going to get done I might as well do it correctly.

Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:58 am

Be advised that the 'chrome' trim has to be installed in the seal before you attempt to install the glass in the car. I'm sure there may be some out but I know of no one who has been successful in installing the trim after the glass was installed. Just my 2 ¢

Thu Oct 12, 2006 12:39 pm

Hi Volks,
Check out the info in the "Damage Numbers" manual @
http://failsure.net/oacdp/damage.html
Two sections in there cover the type 1&3 for keeping water out of your VW. If you live outside of a desert area you need a windshield sealant along with the new rubber. We have used roofing tar to do this or there are many products designed for this at any auto body supply shops. We even put a bead of sealant between the seal and glass to prevent the lower edge of plastic inside the laminated glass from turning white.
If you do not use a sealant after at most six months dirt/dust works into between the seal and body and this allows the water to wick in. The water in turn drips through the holes in the body frame that were for draining the primer at the factory. Then this drip ends up into the front door pillars where it builds up and leaks through the defrost tubes. Which in turn the water works its way through the heater channels and onto the floor. Causing rust all along the way.

Thu Oct 12, 2006 1:50 pm

Eric and Barb: WOW!! Very Interesting!! I thought those holes in the lower corners of the windshield frame were there to drain any water which might have made it past the rubber seal....I had no idea that they were actually paint drain holes (Page 8-505) and could be "officially" sealed off. :o :o Fortunately, I have never experienced the rust in this area that so many encounter....knock on wood.

I guess I had never gotten that far into the "Damage Numbers" document on the 'obsolete' site. I glanced once and thought it dealt more with body damage like for body shop estimates.....Thanks for making my day and keeping my education going! Wow, do I ever have a lot more reading to do..... :D

Thu Oct 12, 2006 3:28 pm

Again with the Roofing Tar!!!!!!!!!

Thu Oct 12, 2006 4:07 pm

I heard it is a good contraceptive too.

Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:38 pm

Hi Everyone, We recommend that you do not use roofing tar for windows . Soak the rubber with windex and install it on the glass. Soak the rope up too and wrap it twice. It's alcahol based and will dry nice. Don't use soap or you will have bubbles every time it rains for months. If it cheapo rubber then it has a vinyl mixture in it and will shrink in the corners over time. With good rubber 9 times out of 10 you won't have a leak. If you do, a glass shop has a hot silicone needle injector and can put the proper amount to cure it. Go to the hardware store for the cord and stay out of the roofing section. Me, Myself, & I

Thu Oct 12, 2006 10:03 pm

I noticed that when I used dish soap I had rust under the rubber after a month or so. This happened on a couple different cars.
Maybe it was the brand (Dawn) , but I'm looking for something different next time.

Fri Oct 13, 2006 7:18 am

Eric&Barb wrote: Hi Volks,
Check out the info in the "Damage Numbers" manual @
http://failsure.net/oacdp/damage.html
Two sections in there cover the type 1&3 for keeping water out of your VW. If you live outside of a desert area you need a windshield sealant along with the new rubber. We have used roofing tar to do this or there are many products designed for this at any auto body supply shops. We even put a bead of sealant between the seal and glass to prevent the lower edge of plastic inside the laminated glass from turning white.
If you do not use a sealant after at most six months dirt/dust works into between the seal and body and this allows the water to wick in. The water in turn drips through the holes in the body frame that were for draining the primer at the factory. Then this drip ends up into the front door pillars where it builds up and leaks through the defrost tubes. Which in turn the water works its way through the heater channels and onto the floor. Causing rust all along the way.

Interesting. Have you found any other uses for roofing tar?