leaky '55 windshield & back window

[Daves55Sedan]

The windshield and back windows were put in many years ago, and always leaked when it rained, but I just recently discovered why they leak. Rainwater runs down in between the rubber channel and the glass until the slot where the glass fits fills up with water and overflows to the inside of the car.
When I installed the glass back then, I squeezed a little bit of rubber cement down in the slot to hold the rubber around the glass so I could install the window without having the rubber come off the glass while I was trying to install it. Apparently, it is not enough to seal out rainwater. Should I have used something else?
The rubber is still very pliable, but it seems like it would be extremely difficult to get a tube of silicone sealer and squeeze some down between the glass and rubber channel on the outside of the car while the windows are installed on the car, especially since these are the premium type with the stainless trim. Any better suggestions.

 

[tinman080]

You can fix it without removing the glass. Get a couple of orange sticks ( a tapered end glass installation tool), made of nylon. You can make these on a sander from hardwood if you can't find them locally. This stick can be inserted between the glass and rubber to the channel bottom without damaging the glass or rubber (using a little finess and common sense). Pull out your trusty caulk gun, a good one....the $1.99 special will cause grief here, flow control is the key- just enough but not too much. Cleanup is hell. Okay: use masking tape and edge up to the rubber outside edge. Then paper it and cover everything you don't want smeared with urethane sealant. All that should be uncovered is the edge of the glass at the rubber channel. Insert into the caulk gun your tube of urethane glass sealant, 3M is good, off brand is fine if you can find it. Poke the seal with a wire, then screw the nozzle on. now strait cut the very tip end off ONLY. You want the smallest opening you can get. You want the bead about the diameter of a wire coat hanger. This will seal and not leave a ton of squeeze-out to clean up. Looks like you are ready to kill the beast....Take your orange sticks, a nice piece of old t-shirt, and Windex-type glass cleaner in the blue bottle. Insert your first orange stick between the glass and the rubber. Now wrap the end of the second orange stick once with the t-shirt material, wet it liberally with the Windex. Then insert this orange stick next to the first. Using the first orange stick as a guide run the fabric orange stick around the glass and channel repeatedly until you feel it is as clean of any debris, film, dirt, etc. as possible. Let the Windex dry out good. Now take your trusty caulk gun nozzle, preceded in the clean glass channel by an orange stick and run a bead around the entire rubber channel. Once you have done this you are thru with your tools and sealer. Take your fingers and press out the rubber seal edge against the glass. A little sealer squeezing out of the entire channel is good. I hope you have vinyl work gloves on. A paint stick is good for scraping excess sealant, then gasoline or kerosene- wetted rags will clean the excess sealer off the outer surfaces. Don't let the liquid run into the glass channel. Your rag shouldn't be that wet anyway. The rubber to body opening flange can be sealed the same way. I would recommend it, water will penetrate any opening and corrosion will happen where it can't be seen. This is a very EASY, MESSY job. A wife or friend driving one of the orange sticks with you can be a big help. Best of luck. Gary

 

[Jwawhite]

I just bought this beautiful " pig with lipstick" (great painted body frame off restoration) 56 Ford Parklane brought it home and the very next day it rained. Went out to the car and noticed water (pouring is too strong) just coming out from underneath the dash and the floorboard on both sides sopping wet. I believe the front windshield was put in dry. I watched a video about a windshield install on a 55 Chevrolet, the way they did it was to use a product they called Rope. It looks like rope, black about a foot long? quarter inch? Diameter maleable and they placed these strips the entire perimeter of the window opening overlapping the ends a bit. That's how they did it. Will be taking the car over to a Glass shop that works on old and new cars for their opinion, soon. I've been finding and repairing items on this car that just weren't done right. It has been fun fun for me but just a bit more effort on the restore should have been accomplished.

 

[frank long island]

the rope you speak of is called strip caulk {dum-dum } to us older gents when I did my wagon I put the window sealant in the grove of the rubber as described above along with a 1/4 rope to set rubber to frame this trick was used by the installers

 

[tinman080]

Dum Dum will dry out and crack. Don't use it, it is a bad short cut. I did professional body, mechanic, paint and glass work for 40+ years. The caulk gun method is tried and true. If you've ever had the water dam paper (behind the upholstery panel)pulled off a 60's Ford door dum dum is what is it was stuck to the door with. Auto glass work requires a gun-type glass specific product. Contact cement, any silicone-based sealer or caulk is a no-no. Black butyl-type ribbon is available in 1/4'' or 3/8'' diameter and is good for rubber-gasket autoglass installation when pulled to a needed diameter for easy rubber gasket installation, but NOT for unibody applications. The newer vehicles, from about 1975 up REQUIRE urethane sealer, which sets up and bonds the glass to the window opening without a rubber. This type of installation makes the glass part of the structural integrity of the vehicle. Best of luck! Gary

 

[frank long island]

I agree with tinman the method he shows is the best without removing the glass I to have been in the body/collision industry for 40+ it changes all the time I have seen the dum dum in the gaskets mostly in the corners by the way I like your econoline

 

[Daves55Sedan]

Jwa, I think you are talking about having a sealing material between the car body window flange and the rubber window channel that gets smashed in the groove when the window glass gets pressed in. I did notice that there was a little bit of some kind of stuff that seemed like roofing cement trowelled in that groove after I took the glass out. That disappeared when I stripped the body down to bare metal. I did NOT put anything back in there when I put the glass back in, BUT, it does not leak there anyway. Both the front and back windows leak between the rubber channel and the glass.
If you look at the rubber seal, it appears tight against the glass on the outside, but water is definitely getting in there. If it is raining real hard while you are driving, water actually runs down the inside of the windshield from the groove in the rubber channel. Also, if you open the Courier back door after it rains, the water runs downhill, collects in the glass channel and starts pouring out the corner from the groove in the rubber where the glass fits in it. Again, doesn't look possible, but it is happening.
It is the groove in the rubber channel where the glass goes that needs to be sealed. I am not detecting any leaks between the body window flange and the rubber.

 

[Daves55Sedan]

Tinman, your description of a method to remedy this sounds like it should work. I never heard of an orange stick, but I think I can manufacture a couple of wedges out of wood scraps here. I agree that flow consistency will be paramount and I don't have a premium calking gun. WHAT do you suggest (brand name, model #)?
The only other deterrence will be that I have never had any help doing anything around here, yet I've done two body-off-frame restorations somehow. I will figure something out. I always do.

 

[tinman080]

Dave my gun is a Cox, English made. A good friend of mine gave it to me years ago. It has cast pieces instead of sheet tin, and a slight squeeze or lack of one starts and stops it immediately. I've seen ones close to it for less than $20.00 at the big stores. Best of luck!

 

[bobss396]

My newly installed windshield leaks a little. The installer told me to check it with the trim off with a garden hose. Which I have yet to do... on the list. Most likely water is getting in between the seal and the body. He said to use a 3M sealer in those areas.