windshield removal

[Guruman]

I'm considering removing the windshield from my LMTV in order to make installing the A/C unit (and making some cab improvements easier.

In planning to install the interior A/C unit, I figure there will be many, many trips in and out of the cab as well as many cycles of raising and lowering the cab. I'm thinking it might be easier to just remove the glass, tilt the cab forward and do all the work from the ground (or short scaffold) from the windshield opening. No in-and-out, and no running the cab up and down.

Is it possible to remove the glass without damaging the seal and/or glass itself? I suppose buying a new seal is not the end of the world if it saves me many hours of climbing in and out.

 

[NDT]

Unless you are a glass pro, you will break the glass which will cost you a fortune to replace.

 

[Guruman]

Unless you are a glass pro, you will break the glass which will cost you a fortune to replace.

Like this?

 

[Guruman]

I'm pretty sure I can save the glass by cutting the seal all the way around. Sourcing the correct seal might be an issue though.

 

[Ronmar]

Or it will cost you and 1-2 other people many hours to remove and install the windshield and clean up the mess… Yes you can roll the inner seal lip out over the lip of the opening without damaging it, but this requires constant pressure outward on the glass(first extra person) and constant lubrication(sorayed soap and water, messy). It also requires someone on the outside to be there to guard it from popping out(second extra person), then 2 people to hold and lift it out. Those persons need to be able to move so they need to be on a scaffold or a flat bed truck bed(did I mention you need a scaffold)… All the while you are risking damage to the seal and a very large and expensive piece of glass. The install is a lot like the de-install except you need 2 people to hold it until you get enough of the seal in to hold the weight, then at least one extra person to keep constant pressure inward to help get the seal to roll and seat over the opening lip. I have done quite a few rubber sealed windows over the years ad this one took me 2 tries to get it positioned right during the install(my truck did not have a windshield when I bought it at auction)…

All that added effort, expense(manhours) and risk to avoid a few additional cab raises? No thanks…

 

[Suprman]

On a hot day with plastic spoon tool you can get the windshield out. Dont cut the seal its reuseable. Its a pressure fit like an old vw. You can use silicone spray to help. You use a string to work it back in. Most auto glass shops know how to do it.

 

[Third From Texas]

Keep in mind that if you bugger up the seal, it will cost you twice what the glass costs.

Because (supply demand, junk yard rental space, labor to remove, point of compass scalper pricing, blah, blah, blah)...

 

[chucky]

amazon.com/Suction-Aluminum-Vacuum-Handle-Lifting/dp/B085WM215H/ref=sr_1_15?keywords=Windshield+Installation+Suction+Cups&qid=1657643352&sr=8-15

 

[Guruman]

Keep in mind that if you bugger up the seal, it will cost you twice what the glass costs.

Because (supply demand, junk yard rental space, labor to remove, point of compass scalper pricing, blah, blah, blah)...

I've seen two types. One seal with molded in corners, the other just a long single piece of seal. I do not think the long seal is anything special, but maybe they do not fit as well as the ones with the proper molded in corners. IDK

I might just bin the whole thing and put new glass in. Mine has some scratches where the wiper came off the arm and Sgt. Snuffy just kept 'er going. I hit it with some cerium oxide but it could be better.

The other thing I'm thinking is that it would be nice to get something with a little more UV protection. I do not know why but military trucks all seem to have little or no UV protection in the glass. I hated that with my old CUCVs. I noticed this last week in my LMTV when driving into the afternoon sun. Man that thing is a greenhouse on wheels.

I had a local glass shop out a few weeks back replacing another windshield and had the guy come look at options for the LMTV. He looked at the front glass and indicated that it was not a big deal (he might be wrong). He also looked at the possibility of cutting out the window holes in the back of the cab to add glass there. We discussed the sharp bends at the corners and he suggested just leaving as much flange as possible and gluing flat glass into place, instead of using a seal. they would just mask off the glass black to hide the flange.

 

[wheelspinner]

Call your local auto glass mobile repair company. For what they will charge to remove and then replace-its money well spent. Sometimes, you just have to let the guys with their names on their shirts do their thing

 

[Mullaney]

amazon.com/Suction-Aluminum-Vacuum-Handle-Lifting/dp/B085WM215H/ref=sr_1_15?keywords=Windshield+Installation+Suction+Cups&qid=1657643352&sr=8-15

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@chucky 's suggestion for the suction cups is a definite plus!



They make holding the window in place for removal or installation. Me personally, 4 of these things. Roughly four inch cups on them and two helpers outside of the truck isn't too many.

 

[Guruman]

I just walked out to look at it again and my glass is starting to delaminate as indicated by the fogging around the edges. So I think I'm in the market for new glass anyway.

On a whim I contacted the manufacturer sales rep in Indianapolis to see if they can do anything, or if I'm stuck buying NOS from a scapler.

 

[Third From Texas]

I just walked out to look at it again and my glass is starting to delaminate as indicated by the fogging around the edges. So I think I'm in the market for new glass anyway.

On a whim I contacted the manufacturer sales rep in Indianapolis to see if they can do anything, or if I'm stuck buying NOS from a scapler.

Omniglass? sells them.

To the scalpers.

So...

 

[Ronmar]

Omni glass and paint in Oshkosh WI….

 

[Guruman]

Omni glass and paint in Oshkosh WI….

I shot them a message. We'll see what they say.

 

[Mullaney]

I shot them a message. We'll see what they say.

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You should expect a reply. It took them several days to get back to me... I bought one about a year ago direct and it was shipped here in a crate that did a good job of protecting it on a freight truck.

I didn't lay down on the floor and throw a tantrum about the cost - so it must have been at least somewhat reasonable.

 

[coachgeo]

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@chucky 's suggestion for the suction cups is a definite plus!

View attachment 872853

They make holding the window in place for removal or installation. Me personally, 4 of these things. Roughly four inch cups on them and two helpers outside of the truck isn't too many.

@Guruman- remove your's and save it in a good padded/supported position for a back up.

made that suction puck mistake; getting one similar to above. unless the center cross bar on one in pic can flex it wont work. the cups MUST contact the glass flush... with the curve of the windshield something straight across between two or more pucks may mean they all wont contact well enough. I know three wont. IMHO single pucks with handles are better is now may assumptions after my fail. I would say 4 of them. 2 for each outside person. Maybe two more for inside people to assist as the outside people move up/down step ladder(s).

watch videos on how to remove vintage VW bug windshield. This is very similar.

PS- Mother's Rubber renew...... or similar.... coat the windshield rubber seal daily inside and out for at least a week....... then again before you reinstall with same rubber if it is good.

Otherwise like others said.... Omni Glass. Many have had success with them.

 

[Mullaney]

@Guruman- remove your's and save it in a good padded/supported position for a back up.

made that suction puck mistake; getting one similar to above. unless the center cross bar on one in pic can flex it wont work. the cups MUST contact the glass flush... with the curve of the windshield something straight across between two or more pucks may mean they all wont contact well enough. I know three wont. IMHO single pucks with handles are better is now may assumptions after my fail. I would say 4 of them. 2 for each outside person. Maybe two more for inside people to assist as the outside people move up/down step ladder(s).

watch videos on how to remove vintage VW bug windshield. This is very similar.

PS- Mother's Rubber renew...... or similar.... coat the windshield rubber seal daily inside and out for at least a week....... then again before you reinstall with same rubber if it is good.

Otherwise like others said.... Omni Glass. Many have had success with them.

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Yes @coachgeo !!

That Mother's Rubber Renew is almost magic. A little time with the cab tipped over on my M1088 and M1089 is time well spent. The "black nasty creeping crud" has gone away and the rubber looks like brand new on all those windows now...

Only problem is that on the Mk23, it requires climbing up and out on the hood - and I haven't done that yet. (Slacker!)

 

[Guruman]

I'm not kicking up anything called " Mother's Rubber Renew". Anyone have a link to this magic juice?

 

[coachgeo]

I'm not kicking up anything called " Mother's Rubber Renew". Anyone have a link to this magic juice?

VLR Vinyl-Leather-Rubber Care

Mothers® VLR cleans, conditions and protects a wide variety of vinyl, leather and rubber surfaces. Pro-strength, pH balanced, and effective. Shop now:

mothers.com

Apologize...... thought that name was "renew"..... apparently it is "care". Most auto parts and even some big box stores will have it or similar. Anything that will soften it up so it can stretch better........ not crack.. thus rip easy etc.