The installer started out by testing the gasket on the windshield.
He then painted the edge with a black primer to help with adhesion of the urethane glue and give a nice consistent edge to the viewing area of the glass.
He scuffed the paint around the edge of the window frame and painted it with the black primer.
He filled each of the 19 clip holes with urethane to seal them from water getting in and out.
He pressed the dashboard/windshield gasket into place that I picked up from 914 Rubber.
He applied the gasket to the windshield.
He then ran a bead of urethane adhesive around the edge of the glass.
He ran a matching bead of urethane adhesive around the inside of the window frame.
The shape of the notch in the gun gives the adhesive a tall triangular shape.
The installer and the office manager Scott then placed the glass into place and pressed it down.
It looks great and fits the black motif perfectly.
Painters tape helps the gasket seal down tightly as the adhesive cures.
They offered to take the old windshield off to the glass graveyard. Note the terrible butyl install job done by a previous owner. The crack is my fault during teardown, but it lived a hard life and needed to be replaced.
It's a little cliche' but later in the day, we got a rare rain shower and a huge rainbow popped up over the car and the solar array that makes the electricity that the car gets charged from.
Wow Mike. Very thorough. I was under the impression that urethane didn't provide enough thickness for the windshield to match the level of the frame for the trim to fit properly, which is why I used the original butyl (http://914electric.wordpress.com/2011/06/03/glass-action/). But it looks that you have enough of a bead to do the job and drive underwater.
ReplyDeleteBTW - Is there a way to get email notifications of your blog posts? I subscribed, but I will only see new posts if I check my blog reader.
Best,
Chuckles
Mark,
DeleteThe bead of urethane is about 3/4" high in the frame and on the back of the glass, so it did a fine job filling the gap. The installers told me that butyl is illegal for use in front windshields (maybe only in California) due to instability of the glass in the frame during a crash. I initially thought they were going to use butyl but they explained it all to me at the start.
Sorry about the post notification. I don't have any experience but I'll check the blog settings to make sure notifications are being sent properly.