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Classic/Antique Car Repair/windshield replacement 55 chevy 210 2dr

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Expert: Paul Wilczynski - 1/12/2009


Question
I am told that when replacing the windshield that the chrome and gasket and windshield all go into the windshield frame in one shot is this correct or do you install the gasket and glass and then the chrome moulding afterwards
              thanks and waiting for your reply

Answer
Rick:

Install the gasket on the glass first, with a pull cord around the pinchweld lip slot in the perimeter. This cord needs to be STRONG--I typically use nylon cord, about 3/32" diameter.

Lube everything up real nice and keep a bottle of rubber lube handy. You'll need a helper, too. Set the glass in place and locate the cords so you're pulling from inside the car. The two ends of the cords should cross over in the top center--this is where you'll start.

Have the helper push evenly on the glass, as you pull the cords a few inches at a time, making sure the rubber pulls to the inside of the body lip. The groove in the rubber will fit over the body lip.

This gets tricky as you negotiate the curves at either end, but you'll find it will need more and more pressure as you are jamming on the last few inches at the bottom.

Go slowly, because once the cord is out, you can't backtrack.

DON'T pry the rubber or, God forbid, use a screwdriver or chisel. That's a sure way to crack the glass.

Pros sometimes use a rubber mallet to help seating. Don't try it unless you are willing to buy another windshield and invent some new cusswords, too!

Good luck--this is a toughie but very gratifying when it goes correctly.

Me? I hire a glass service that comes out in a truck, these days.

--Paul

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Paul Wilczynski

Expertise

Most questions involving vintage car restoration, mechanical and body, paint and upholstery. Parts sourcing. Extensive experience in wood-bodied station wagons, British and French cars of the '40s through '70s. Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger, Citroen Maserati, VW Beetle, 1955-65 Chevrolet (especially Nomad station wagons), Corvair.

Experience

Wide-ranging and long-term. I owned a restoration shop in the 1970s, continue to dabble in vintage exotics. At one time, had a seven-car collection of contemporary exotics which I had restored and maintained myself. When I was 18 years old, I designed a woodie kit for the VW Beetle, which I developed into a product which was featured on television and in over 100 magazines and 25 books at last count. I still own and drive one of my creations. I owned a design and fabrication consultancy from 1982-2002, specializing in show car fabrication for manufacturers including Ford, Mazda, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, etc. Since 2003, I have been a department manager in Industrial Design, and a full-time instructor in automotive design and fabrication at the university level. My students go on to design automobiles as staff designers for major auto manufacturers worldwide.

Organizations
Western Automotive Journalists, Industrial Design Society of America.

Publications
Long list of magazines and books, including Playboy, VW Trends, VW Greats, Hot VWs, and European automotive magazines.

Education/Credentials
I teach design and fabrication at university level. My education is in Industrial Design, University of Illinois (1966-1970).

Awards and Honors
Many awards for restorations in local concours and shows.

Past/Present Clients
Mazda, Ford, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Honda, Toyota, Chrysler, Mercedes, Porsche.

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