You CAN Get A Cheap Windshield To Fit

[Amskeptic]

I yanked my too-big-incorrectly-formed Chinese windshield after only a week because the seal was pulled away at the upper edges (I hate that) and the new TMI headliner was way too close to the ceiling with that support bow jammed too far forward because of the TMI headliner had incorrect dimensions between each panel:

Here's the BobD. Note that the seam is in full view behind the visors (i.e. closer to the driver), which themselves are fairly close to the headliner. Heck, note the windshield seal in its full seated glory:

Now look at this poor Chloe. The windshield seal is about to pop free on the upper left corner (and the right corner), the headliner seam is hidden above the visors and its bow is crammed against the roof and the visors levitate in space:

I did trim the headliner bow too short in my effort to get it unjammed from the roof in its new TMI-mandated spot. Without any tension, now it would not stay up at all.

I came up with a work-around.
Sawed two little blocks of wood that could fit in the headliner bow channel and drilled little headliner bow holes to exactly the depth I want for just the right bow tension so I could pull the headliner down to the windshield opening just as much as I wanted to get the space over the visors to BobD perfection. Damn if I didn't, either. Only took a DAY of tedious wood block drilling, and some new stapling (!) of the headliner seams where the shoddy TMI stitching kept unravelling.

Did you notice that the windshield seal in the above photograph is now fully seated? I see so many buses with outer corners of the windshield pulling the seal away from the body on the outside and barely over the pinchweld on the inside. I wasn't going to have that! I sanded that Chinese windshield from 5:00PM to 11:45 PM last night. First, I set an original VW Audi Sigla windshield in the aperture of Chloe. Perfect spacing and arc . . . :

Then I placed my $123.99 Chinese windshield in the aperture. Tight on both upper corners:

It was also incorrectly curved, pushed out on the outside upper corners:

If I only sanded the windshield at the upper corners, I would be exacerbating the insufficient curve problem. If I sanded the along the bottom, I could drop the whole thing for space, at the upper corners, but too much work. So I did too much work. Six hours of hand-sanding with a reject sander belt from the local glass shop:

(good thing that TMI box doesn't have it's webpage advertising bullet "better than OEM!", I would have stepped on the windshield, Mario, I kid, I kid)

A fresh deluxe aluminum trim windshield seal is a real pain in the neck to install. Last time it took two of us a good thirty minutes and the bottom of the seal kept folding under so we couldn't press in the top run. This time, I was alone, me and my little helper:

Went right in, fits great! See how the rubber now fills the corners?

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[aeromech]

Remind me to just buy good quality glass.
_________________
Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
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VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
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Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound

[eche_bus]

Remarkable persistence ... and quality results!

How is it you had to use the lousy Chinese glass?

[Brian]

haha nice

I got quoted $80 + "install" for a new one down in otay.
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Wash your hands

'69 Bug
'68 Baja Truck
'71 Bug
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Only losers litter

[bigdan.theplumber]

i was quoted $120 out the door a few years ago in otay. but I don't remember where exactly. it was some place that only did glass.

[obnoxiousblue]

Funny, I've been fighting with a PGW window for about two years. Seals look good all the way around, but if it rains I seem to get water coming in between the seal and the glass. Was going to try a thin bead of urethane in the groove.

Any ideas, Colin?
_________________
Mike
1964 Beetle
2001 Eurovan Camper

[skills@eurocarsplus]

mike~

I will have to look, but I think I have used the FYG and PGW glass. the issue is, the glass is thinner than the OE. I actually took a micrometer to both when my glass guy was here.

that, and the crappy corners make these a treat to install
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[grandpa pete]

NOTE ;bug OR bus.. A rachet strap works great to hold pressure on windshield while working alone if you don't have a garage and a 2x4

bunched up towels disburse the pressure evenly .
pink string holds rubber onto glass ; orange weed wacker line instead of string
_________________
63 two fold rag
66 sedan delivery Type 6

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569619&highlight=sedan+delivery

[babysnakes]

No advice. I just love the color and finish on the bus. Nice motivating shot.

[Amskeptic]

[Amskeptic]

[Lil Lulu]

When I bought the blue bus, all it's window seals were done with silicone or some other flexible sealant and I figured there would be leaks and seal deterioration. Surprisingly, there is no deterioration of the seals or leaks and I live in the worst climate for leaks; often 5" of rain in a day with 50-75 m winds for days. The North Pacific is brutal on vehicles. I believe this has made it possible for the windshield channel to be rust free, no evidence of rust.

Gonna be a bitch to get that crap off when the time comes.This is something I would not do on a re-install unless I had to but if circumstances warranted it I would not hesitate.

There must be thousands of "silicone type" sealants out there. Who can decide which is the best for this application? Maybe we can get a chime-in from a sealant engineer.
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'65 Beetle "Lil' Lulu"- Ruby Red
1600 stock from '71 bus

'72 Deluxe - Niagara Blue w/pastelwiess Camper Special 2L dual 40 Webers 002

'74 Hightop Weekender "Dixie" 1800 34 Del singles

[SGKent]

Colin - What is your time worth? I see a pattern here with your Chloe problems.

Skills - even back in 1980 the replacement windshields were thinner than originals. I bought an American made replacement about 1979 for my 1971 bus. It was thinner, noisier, and the first small pebble that hit it took it out. A friend who worked at the VW dealer got a factory one for me at cost. It was thicker like the original. This is not a new problem.

I've posted the PPG/PPW part number many times and where to get one. Ours fit perfectly and took about 10 minutes to put it in. Almost all windshields are made in China today other than a few that are made in Japan and Korea. It is the brand quality that varies.
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[scrivyscriv]

[airschooled]

Do you have the Fuyao brand glass? That's what I have, and it seems to fit well. Maybe I just don't know any better.

Robbie
_________________
Learn how your vintage VW works. And why it doesn't!
One-on-one tech help for your Volkswagen:
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[1967250s]

Shiver me bones. I just today found an OG Sigla windshield at the junkyard,boy, this thread makes mehappy!
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'72 Elm Green Deluxe

[Amskeptic]

[kreemoweet]

Is there any reason that a powered tool, such as a belt sander, should not be used to "recontour" a piece of glass?
I've sometimes had to reshape a piece of ceramic tile, mirror glass, or plumbing fixture, and the thought of doing it by
hand sanding simply boggles the mind.
_________________
'67 bug: seized by the authorities
'68 bug: seized by the authorities
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Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

[Amskeptic]

[SGKent]