*1937 Pickup Windshield Regulator*

[zippi]

All the windshield screws are a *****! I broke off half of them, then had to drill. You might try a impact driver like a 12 volt Milwaukee. They seem to work sometimes, but if they don't they seem to break them off. I did remove my windshield with part of the top hinges in place, but it is tight.

Yeah I know Ive got my work cut out for me on getting the screws out. Just knowing that the hinge mechanism can pass through the opening in the upper panel cheers me up a lot. Got a few cruise-ins coming up so don't want to really tear into it just yet but can wait to get the new glass and seal installed.

 

[SofaKing]

Zippi, By the time you get the frame out of the car, you will have all the expertise you need to do the whole thing yourself. Everything is rusty so it takes patience and finesse, something in short supply at most shops trying to make a buck. I'd be more concerned that a shop would either give-up after destroying my frame or they would charge shop rates for dozens of hours of labor. Once everything is apart, putting the glass in the frame is quite simple.

 

[zippi]

Zippi, By the time you get the frame out of the car, you will have all the expertise you need to do the whole thing yourself. Everything is rusty so it takes patience and finesse, something in short supply at most shops trying to make a buck. I'd be more concerned that a shop would either give-up after destroying my frame or they would charge shop rates for dozens of hours of labor. Once everything is apart, putting the glass in the frame is quite simple.

I was planning on getting the frame all apart and painted before I took it to the glass shop. I've read that it's a real pain getting the gasket on correctly. What is your take on this?

 

[V8COOPMAN]

I was planning on getting the frame all apart and painted before I took it to the glass shop. I've read that it's a real pain getting the gasket on correctly. What is your take on this?

These guys don't have the expertise to replace gaskets on an 80-year-old truck. They've likely never worked with this technology. Just because they advertise as a "glass shop" does not mean that they have the experience and patience you are looking (and paying) for. BE CAREFUL!!! DD

 

[40cpe]

Gasket installation: It really isn't that hard, the first and most important step is getting the slot/groove that the gasket rides in clean. Find, make, improvise what you must to get all the old rubber out and clean the slot. Then some dishwater soap solution or rubber lube to lube the new gasket. Don't stretch the gasket, just feed it into the slot. You might have to adjust to get the ends to meet correctly.

 

[SofaKing]

I was planning on getting the frame all apart and painted before I took it to the glass shop. I've read that it's a real pain getting the gasket on correctly. What is your take on this?

The gasket/ seal installation is not difficult, do it exactly like 40Cpe directed, especially getting the seal groove clean. Whatever you do, when you have the frame ready to install the glass, make sure that when the screws are torqued the channel for the glass is smooth and even at the joint line with no burrs or mismatch, the channel is straight along the plane of the glass and no screw protrudes into the channel. I cracked a pane due to a small burr at the joint line, $100 mistake. The most difficult part of the entire project is separating the frame halves without bending them, because of rust.

 

[zippi]

Thanks for the help guys. I called a restoration shop some time back about having the glass replaced and they are the ones that referred me to the glass shop. They told me that most of the restoration shops around here send there glass work to this glass shop as they have the older guys that have been doing it for years and they have the patterns for all the old cars and trucks. Actually to have them cut the glass is cheaper than buying it somewhere online. I called the glass shop and talked to one of the guys and he said just bring the frame in and he told me where to buy the rubber seal (www.steelerubber.com) as it has a better fit than most. He said its better if I get the rubber seal because if the glass shop has to order it there will be an extra charge. At least I know I have someone to fall back on if I can't get it done.

 

[zippi]

Ok...I think I have a game plan now. I'm going to wait on pulling the windshield til after later August as we have our annual "Frog Follies" 3 day event and I want to be able to take my pickup. Once the event is over I'm going to pull all the screws on the top hinges and hope that the mechanism will pass through the opening. I'll remove the two bolts that hold the regulator in place and I should be able to get the windshield frame off. Once on the workbench I'll soak all the screws and remove what will come out and drill the others out. I noticed there is some cloth under the regulator where the bolts go through. Was this used as a washer? Once I get everything removed from the frame, what is the best way to get the old rubber seal out?