I got a nice tinted and shaded one piece curved windshield for my 55.1 at a local glass place at a really good price. Followed the advise of the forum and got my gasket from Steele rubber co. A no-brianer as I had started using them 30 years ago when their catalog was a couple of copied pages stapled together and not the phone book it is today. Anyway, I have the deluxe cab so I installed the stainless trim and the gasket on the glass and my son and I had a heck of a time geting it installed. spent four hours the other day and it wouldn't go in. Then yesterday, I called in the big guns. My buddy has a glass shop and one of his workes did a lot of auto glass at his previous job. He came over last night and couldn't get it in either. It's ALMOST in (without the trim on it), but it hasn't "dropped" into place at the top corners. Anybody have similiar problems with their '54 or '55.1 that can offer some tips, reccomendations, sympathy, etc? Andy
Andy, GET A BIGGER HAMMER! The old nylon cord and lots of liquid soap didn't work, eh? I know this sounds silly but have you tried putting the top in first? You will probably need two guys to hold up the lower corners and push inward as the string passes but it may be worth a try. Good luck.
Ya know...I thought about doing the top first! However, just because I got the windshield relatively cheap (stilll NOT cheap, but cheapER than catalog) that doesn't mean I want to break it! So...I called the glass place that I got it from. Manager assured me that one of his older guys with lots of classic car experience (classic car glass installation is listed in their yellow page ad as one of their specialties) would get the windshiled in. I just figured that if I broke it, it would cost me, but if the guys I bought it from brokeit, it would cost THEM. They are scheduled to come and give it a go on Monday. However, any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Andy
' Settling ' The Windshield I'm hesitant to say this as you can crack the glass but giving the glass a glancing blow with your palm in a downward direction will move the glass in tiny increments..... I have to do it occasionally when either the glass isn't cut perfectly or the body is deformed a bit .
I like your thinking re them breaking it vs you. where on L.I. are you-- I used to live in Babylon & Lindenhurst. haven't been back in several years.
We beat the P*** out of it and it still didn't go it. Leaned on it and pushed so hard the whole truck was rocking. It's still in one piece, so's I'm going to give a little on the "do it yourself" thing and let the place I got it from give it their best shot. There's plenty more that my kids and I can get done on this truck ourselves. Besides, their attention span was used up on this windshield already. I live in Huntington, Glenn. Glad to know you used to be an Islander. If you haven't been back in years, it's gotten quite congested here. Thinking about moving a way out East on the Island where it is calmer and quieter. Andy
Update. Well, yesterday the glass company I bought the windshield from came again to try to install it. This was attempt number two with two so-called experienced men. They could not get it in and swore that the glass must be bad. They took their windshiled back to the shop along with my old windshield. An hour later, I get a call saying that the new glass is good and that it must be the new gasket that is giving them fits to get it in. I'm not so sure. I bought the gasket from Steele Rubber so it's great quality and all. They were supposed to come again today to give it another go with their two top guys working together on it. If they don't get it in on their next attempt, I've got another guy in the area whose work on a '49 "F" brand ragtop I saw the other day in my buddies shop was really nice. Gonna give him a call. He gets rave reviews from my pall on all the classic work he does. Anybody hear of such difficult problems putting the curved windshiled in a '55.1 or problems with gaskets from Steele because I know I haven't? Also, this past weekend the kids were with me for four days over the T-Day holiday. We repaired the inner fenders and put the whole nose back on the truck together. Andy
Andy, just thinking aloud here. Try putting your old windshield back in with new gasket to see if it is indeed a faulty rubber Is it possible that the cab is out of plumb? Pick some reference points and take some measurements. Top of driver's side corner to bottom of passenger corner and bottom of driver's side corner to top of passenger side corner. Take vertical measurements about a foot apart starting at one side and work your way across and compare. A foot in from the driver's side edge equal to a foot in from the passenger side edge, etc etc.
Yeah Ken I did that. Old windshield does not go into place either. Thinking it has to be the rubber, but if the Steele rubber is no good, then who do I buy it from? I've heard from this very site that the CP rubber is also a tough fit as well. Andy
Andy, I've used CP seals on my 54's and had no problems installing the windshield. I don't have any expereance with the Steel rubber seals, so I cant help you there. The only problem I've had is with the corners, the rubber wont lay down on the glass. Now that it is getting cooler the rubber will be harder to work with. If you can get your truck in the sun and let it all warm up, will help you alot. Chris
Taiwanese Rubber : Sucks and should NOT be used , period . The one I got from Chevy Duty , wasn't even moulded correctly , we had to cut it to fit the glass in the groove , then it took three of us several hours to get the darned thing to-gether and it leaks like a sieve . I did buy new grommet from Steele but I've not yet taken the time to install it , I need to get to that , I dunno if my neck will ever heal up sufficiently for me to do it , maybe I'll just bite the bullet and let someone else do it when it gets warm . Heating the grommet is important as it needs to have a _lot_ of flex & stetch to it , I know one guy who heats them in the shop's microvave oven , most folks just boil them in a bucket of water .
Recently I had the same problem you are having. I reused the original windshield from my '54 and had the Deluxe Stainless steel trim installed, using a Steele gasket. I took my truck to a local independent glass shop and after two days they finally got it installed. I know they used a lot of glass cleaner to lube the gasket and did a lot of "slapping" and "pounding" on the windshield. The windshiled didn't break and it looks ok, but leaks. The Steele gasket was more that twice the price of gaskets offerd by other vendors.
Rescuing up this old thread as I'm having fits installing the one-piece windshield with deluxe trim on my 55 1st series. I spent the entire afternoon with a friend trying every way possible and no dice. The rubber slips off the glass very easily and the trim also jumps out. Using Steele rubber gasket. I bought the new windshield through LMC, so I know it's very good quality. Anybody has any ideas on this before I call the local auto glass shop?
Opening up old wounds Worst part about my truck rebuild, no doubt. The guy that finally got mine in told me the glass was too big for the gasket. He ground down almost 1/8" all the way around the glass on his monster fixed belt sander and got the glass in. Then after I pay him for the job he tells me, "Oh yeah, by the way I didn't use any urethane because it was such a pain in the ass to get it in. It probably won't leak at all though". It leaks like a sieve. I put a bead of silicon around where the glass meets the rubber, but it still leaks because there is no sealer between the rubber and the cab. I don't take it out in the rain anyway, though. Andy
Has similar issues with the '51 3100. Decided to replace the glass since there was some pitting and ..... at this point .... do the windshield glass as well. No matter what I did couldn't get it to seat. Bought new seals .... two sets .... still didn't fit. Had a Pro Glass guy out 3 times .... couldn't get it to fit. Started with the old pieces to make sure the new glass was right ..... still wouldn't go in. Now, once the truck is finished .... going to drive it over and have the Glass guy custom grind it at his place until it fits. What a nightmare .... Haasman
AD Windshield Glass It hasn't been mentioned that AD's use a special , thinner than normal glass , it's nearly impossible to install the regular thickness glass ~ my crappy local glass shop copied my uncracked original then tossed out the CLEARLY MARKED SAMPLE ~ in the end I had to order the correct thickness glass pieces from Chevy Duty , out benevolent host . I refused to pay the vendor for the glasses they made me until they returned my original sample , they never did . I may well have a pair of new , unused correct thickness AD windshield glass stashed in my kitchen .
AD Windshield Glass Yep . Kinda a pisser innit ? . Imagine how many swear words I used discovering this. simple thing..... . As I keep saying : ask any question and someone here will have an answer ~ even dumb old me (eventually) .
Nate- So you are saying that Chevy Duty is Classic Parts, our host, and they have the correction glass thickness? Haasman
Yeah, Chevy Duty had to turn into Classic Parts. Something a few years ago about GM being "difficult" about the use of the word "Chevy". Don't know about the right thickness glass. I'm thinking that is the main reason for everyones glass problems. I guess I better keep my foggy originals for samples, huh Nate.
