Well, I just got my seal from Carpenter's for the 35 windshield. Bad stuff. The rubber looks like a good grade and fits in the groove nicely but since the corners are not molded, the rubber at the bottom corners stretch and pulled in. This caused the rubber to not lay flat, making the windshield impossible to close. Back in the box to Carpenters and I will order one from Drake's. If his does not work I will just use the old one that came off and not drive in the rain.
35 windshield frame seal, bad choice
- Thread starter oldford
- Start date
DICK SPADARO
Well-known member
No that is not the problem. No one sells a molded windshield gasket anyway, they are all lengths bonded together to form a seal. If you are having a problem getting your seal to contour out in many cases the installation has stretched the seal and it is tensioned so it cannot relax. Pulling on the rubber during installation stretches it.
Just carefully remove the gasket and let it normalize in a a couple hours warm environment. Make sure that you have removed all the old gasket and rust from the track in the window frame channel. This track must be free of rust and scale.
To install the gasket swipe some liquid dish washing detergent from your kitchen area. To allow the gasket to move while installing and return to shape you need to provide a lubricant, so squeeze some detergent out on a paper towel and wipe down the trapped edge of the gasket so it is slippery, wipe down the windshield frame track with liquid soap also and with a popsicle stick reinstall the gasket starting at the top middle of the frame track being careful not to pull on the gasket to stretch it and work toward the edges. You cannot hurry the job. Follow corners and finish at the bottom. If you come up a litte long go to the corners and pull back gently to reduce the tension on the seal and the gasket should position itself correctly. You should not use WD 40 or rust blaster or any other penetrating oils to do this job they do not work as well as plain old liquid detergent. When you are finished just take the frame to the bathtub, turn on the shower and wash off the soap. Done deal.
Just carefully remove the gasket and let it normalize in a a couple hours warm environment. Make sure that you have removed all the old gasket and rust from the track in the window frame channel. This track must be free of rust and scale.
To install the gasket swipe some liquid dish washing detergent from your kitchen area. To allow the gasket to move while installing and return to shape you need to provide a lubricant, so squeeze some detergent out on a paper towel and wipe down the trapped edge of the gasket so it is slippery, wipe down the windshield frame track with liquid soap also and with a popsicle stick reinstall the gasket starting at the top middle of the frame track being careful not to pull on the gasket to stretch it and work toward the edges. You cannot hurry the job. Follow corners and finish at the bottom. If you come up a litte long go to the corners and pull back gently to reduce the tension on the seal and the gasket should position itself correctly. You should not use WD 40 or rust blaster or any other penetrating oils to do this job they do not work as well as plain old liquid detergent. When you are finished just take the frame to the bathtub, turn on the shower and wash off the soap. Done deal.
Dick, I did excalty what you said and the seal does not work. Even with the seal in the relax position it curls up. That's the way they formed it. And according to you, drake is a lier because he states in his catalog his seal has radius corners molded to shape. You can always tell the guys who never install one because they have all the wrong answers.
Lawson Cox
Well-known member
On my 35 Pickup the seal did not lay flat either. What I did is simply have a guy on the outside push on it pretty hard and the rubber folded back laid down in the windshield opening like it should. It is tight and no water gets in. If it just lays there and not "coaxed" into the opening, it will not seal. Be careful and not put too much stress on the frame or you can crack a windshield glass. I believe I sprayed a little silicone on it to help it seat properly.
DICK SPADARO
Well-known member
Well so much for trying to be helpful but this not my first day at the rodeo. I have not posted any erroneous information. Here are two pictures of windshield gaskets, which is the molded one right or left? I did not even imply drake was a lair only said that there were no one piece molded gaskets. Here is a shot of the bond on the Drake gasket they have a heat stretch mark in the loop to form the corner.
Attachments
Chuck Kuntz
Well-known member
Dick, I really think his post was out of line. Keep up the good work relative to helping others.
19Fordy
Well-known member
Times two.
golferforpar
New member
I have always found comments from Dick Spadaro to be informative, educational and beyond that always very professional.
Something hopefully some others might learn from!
FRANK PKNY
Well-known member
Dick I'm with you you are a honest straight forward guy. Don't stop helping because of one persons negative opion. Frank pkny. [I have always found comments from Dick Spadaro to be informative, educational and beyond that always very professional.
Something hopefully some others might learn from!]
OK, sorry about the comment. Just get mad when these reproduction stuff do not work. I've posted a picture showing the corner of the frame with the rubber pulled out up to the corner and the rubber in the corner is still folded over. So I know it's not stretch too tight. It's just the seal is not made right.
Attachments
DICK SPADARO
Well-known member
Lets put this to rest, The picture that you have show is about the set that the gasket should take, it doesnot radiate straight out. To promote a good seal the gasket lip must curl to the body sheet metal. When the windshield is closed this curl applies a slight pressure to the rubber gasket and the metal and prevents the water from wicking around a loose fitting seal and leaking. Also remember that the windshield frame is adjusted both upward, downward and inward or outward at the upper hinge to body mount. Incorrect adjustment there will also produce a leaky windshield gasket. Here is a shot of the preformed corners of the Drake gasket and it also has an inward curvature.
My take is to just reinstall the gasket that you have, remount the frame to the body and with the help of one of your buddies center the windshield frame in the opening and attach the hinge and regualtor. Fine tune the final fit adjustment, tighten and allow the gasket to form fit the body by a little direct sunlight heat and you should be ok.
My take is to just reinstall the gasket that you have, remount the frame to the body and with the help of one of your buddies center the windshield frame in the opening and attach the hinge and regualtor. Fine tune the final fit adjustment, tighten and allow the gasket to form fit the body by a little direct sunlight heat and you should be ok.
Attachments
jerry grayson
Well-known member
Dick knows what he is talking about and he is giving you the correct information. I have installed lots of these windshield seals and if you follow his instructions and let the windshield set for a few days in the closed position you will be good to go.
V12Bill
Well-known member
I had just ordered a windshield seal for my 39 PU from Carpender and am awaiting its arrival with with some concern about my choice. I just installed a winshield in a Lincoln Continental and the rubber had no corners and was a bear to install. I was expecting the same with my 39 PU , but now feel somewhat relieved.
Tim Brown
Senior Member
That is exactly how my 35 window rubber looked also (Drake made). It works fine once you install it on the car, just like Dick has stated. Once it has been on the car for a while, it will open and close as designed.
My 2 sence...
I see a big difference between oldford's picture and dick's. The seal is pulled in almost flat in oldford picture but is flared out like it should be in dick's. If the seal does not fit right when you first put it on, sitting it out in the sun is not going to magically make it fit.
rotorwrench
Well-known member
Its a known fact that heat softens rubber materials. I worked in a boat window factory when I was a kid, The company had a "hot room" for the rubber products. It was over a hundred degrees in there. The rubber extrusions were real soft and pliable for as much as an hour after being removed from the hot room. Since we were cutting the rubber manually with scissors to make the corner joints, it really made a difference. We would try to use up a roll before it was an hour out of the room or we had to take it back and get another roll.
You bend any lipped extrusion around a corner and it is going to deform it. Being held in place, under heat and pressure will reform it to what ever it makes contact with under pressure.
Not rocket science folks.
Kerby
You bend any lipped extrusion around a corner and it is going to deform it. Being held in place, under heat and pressure will reform it to what ever it makes contact with under pressure.
Not rocket science folks.
Kerby
Just got the drake's windshield seal on the frame and fits well and closes the way it should. Went on easy too. Like Dick stated, the corners are not molded but are stretch. This helps in closing without setting it out in the sun or pushing to hard. The way the sides of the seal are designed, it looks like it will be a tight no leak fit .