Re:1957-1965 windshield removal Instructions LONG READ!

[Jeff Ingraham <jeff_ingraham@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Joe,
Luckily I and my brother have probably removed around
10 57-66 windshields in the past few years so I think
I can guide you pretty accurately.... (Only broke 1!)
First.
   It is REALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
easy to brake the windshield as it is after all 40
year old glass and often very brittle.
So....
Use EXTREME care taking it out and wear gloves and a
long sleeve shirt so if it does break, it will not
take your hand with it.
That said, it is a relatively easy process aside from
the brittle glass if you use EXTREME care and GO SLOW
SLOW SLOW!

Basically you take all the interior and exterior
chrome off around the windshield including the wipers.
 Most is held on with screws, a few pieces are held on
with clips noteably the long curved piece below the
windshield. It kind of slides out of the clips around
the side of the windshield.
The Windshield wiper arms have a clip on the bottom
which you have to pry off after holding the clip that
holds it on back.
Start by taking off the chrome by the front doors on
the outside A Pillar.  i think 5 phillips screws hold
it on.   One is hidden under the rubber and accessible
after you open the door wide.
Now the gasket is an engineering marvel!
Plan to treat it gingerly and save it as they are
getting rare/expensive and they do eventually dry out
and leak.
On new cars the only way they keep the windshield in
is with a bucket of gooey black tar!  
NOT ON AN IMPERIAL!
The Gasket is an interlocking gasket that holds the
windshield in place by pressure from the center of the
gasket toward the glass.
TRULY FANTASTIC!!!

I will do my best to describe it although it is tough
without pictures.
Anyway once you get the chrome off on the outside, the
gasket has a line going down near the center of the
rubber.  Using a small dull screw driver or stout
butter knife, pry up on the lip in the center of the
gasket. Then follow it around the windshield.

Glass
Inner edge of Gasket
_________ lip/Line in center of gasket pry up GENTLY
outer edge of gasket
Outside of car

Once you get the lip started up, go around the entire
windshield and get the lip pulled out.  In effect this
lip holds the inner edge of the gasket tight against
the glass like a lock.  
Once the pressure from the center is relieved/unlocked
if you will, the gasket is almost loose against the
glass.  Sometimes they use a bit of glue/tar against
the glass although I have only seen this on one of the
cars I did. I would guess the factory did not use tar
only if it leaked or if it was replaced by the dealer.
 The rest were dry rubber against the glass inside and
outside.

Next take a rounded end butter knife and go around the
glass sliding the butter knife down the glass around
the windshield. This will seperate the glass from the
gasket. Go all the way around the glass on the outside
seperating rubber from glass. 
Now move inside and after removing all the chrome
around the windshield do the butter knife again all
the way around.  On the curved sides of the glass the
butter knife may be too long so a shorter small screw
driver may be a good thing here. 

WARNING At no time should you apply any pressure
against the glass with the butter knife until you have
the gasket pulled away from the glass both inide and
out.

At this point you have all chrome removed, and you
have gone around the glass both inside and outside and
loosened the grip of the gasket from the glass where
it has been attached for 40 years..

NOW COMES THE DANGEROUS PART!
There are 2 techniques.  One brings the glass out of
the gasket, the 2nd brings the gasket with the
windshield.  Either is fine just see how it comes once
you start pressing outward.

a third and or fourth helper is good to have here.
In the best situation, I would have 2-3 folks sit on
the front seat of the car and press out inseveral
spots
GENTLY GENTLY GENTLY GENTLY GENTLY GENTLY GENTLY.
Press out from the inside NEVER APPLYING TOO MUCH
PRESSURE IN ANY ONE OR TWO SPOTS as that will crack
it!
A Flat Palm WITH GLOVES PRESSING AGAINST A RAG TO
CUSHION THE GLASS and 3 pairs of hands  is a good way
to press from the inside so you apply even pressure at
many points.  With luck it will literally slide right
out now.  If it does not come easily, redo the butter
knife trick to make sure the gasket is not stuck to
the glass anywhere inside or out.
Once it starts coming out most of the way, have one or
2 people stay inside and press out gently in at least
2-4 spots while the other helper(s) move out side to
start pulling it out from the outside.
It should now be loose and heavy!   I would leave or
put the gasket back on  the glass once it is out
(Depending on how it came out of the car) as it
protects the edges of the glass which chip easily and
are SHARP.  Then wrap the whole thing in a blanket or
2.  Foam and more blankets and or pillows would make
me feel more comfortable on a long ride back with such
a prize!

Now that I have experienced it so many times, it is
relatively easy for my brother and I to remove or
install a windshield in 45 minutes tops.  The tricky
part is the pushing gently from the inside with enough
force to get it out but not so much force that it
cracks.

I am CC'ing this to the IML for the archives as I
don't recall it being explained in detail before.

In closing that gasket is a fantastic thing how it is
so easy to get off but how it holds the glass so tight
and water proof.  very cool!

Let me know if you have further questions and I will
try and explain better.
If this car is going to be crushed or derbied, I would
pick it as clean as possible and get the window
switches/motors/handles etc. A cordless screw
driver/drill with a few phillips bits is a beautiful
thing to have! 
Remember...
The Imp you save with these extra parts, could you
your own! ;-)
Happy parts hunting!
Jeff Ingraham
(Happily using about 5 of the windshields we have
removed to repair broken glass in my other imps.)


--- JOEHOLSOM@xxxxxxx wrote:
> Jeff, I found a donar car for the windshield for my
> 65 and the owner and I 
> neither one have any idea how to get it out without
> breaking it. Any helpful 
> hints? I will be going to Illinois from my home in
> Ohio to pick it up along 
> with a few other parts (spare headlight
> buckets/lenses, a few chrome pieces, 
> and whatever I can find that might come in handy). I
> will be heading that way 
> in a couple of weeks so any help would be
> appreciated. 
> Joe
> 
> PS I have a large piece of foam rubber and a bunch
> of uhaul blankets for 
> transport. that should be enough shouldn't it?


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