Tinnerjohn will have some thoughts on this, Mike. Hopefully he'll post them. They could be different from my ideas but that helps the world spin around I suppose. I've seen it done both ways but I think it may work better to seal after the glass is installed...even though the shop manual says apply the sealer first. At least I'll say when I've applied the sealer first, I've never figured out how to keep from getting it everywhere (and especially generously on me). In addition to this I have never found it easy to move the windshield around if the sealer is already on it and I don't like to worry about cracking anything or having to force things. Once the windshield is installed and adjusted, mask the body well and very close up to the rubber's edge. I normally use 2 layers of good 1 inch masking tape. You can also mask the cowl area with a couple of layers of good heavy masking paper. You can't protect things too much. Then use a ball hook tool to carefully lift up the windshield rubber, insert the tip of the caulking gun in the opening you just formed (the tip cut so as to leave a bead something like 1/4 inch...maybe a bit less) and force the sealer (I use 3M 08509...08609 is a quick-drying urethane sealer that I don't think would be as good in the AD pickup) in as you move around the windshield. It will find its way into the crack and a bit will come out on the masking tape if you're doing it right...as it fills in the gap, that is. Oh, I should have mentioned do this on a warm to slightly hot day...not on a cold day and if you'll remove your windshield wipers, tie strings around the posts, remove the nuts and molding and push the posts back inside (the strings will let you easily pull them out again) it will be easier to work your caulking gun around on the bottom. You won't have as much room there as you might wish. Usually I start at the top part of the windshield in the middle and work around to the cowl area. Then repeat the same thing for the area between the middle heading back to where you had stopped. Use mineral spirits to clean up any that got on the rubber and remove the masking tape and any masking paper you may have used. Then you can use some mineral spirits to remove any that might have gotten on the paint. For the windshield to the rubber, the last time I did this I used the urethane rubber type and cut the tip as small as possible to still get a hole in it. You may find the corners (upper corners) pucker out a bit. You can start at the pucker-gap and work around the perimeter in both directions, but don't squirt the urethane in that pucker gap yet...save that area for last because that urethane stuff (3M 08693) is a fast-setting adhesive. When you're finished tape that pucker-gap piece down quickly with good quality masking tape and leave it alone for a day or so to be sure it stays put. You can use adhesive remover to clean this type of sealer up or you can mask around your windshield very close to the rubber line to keep from getting it on the glass. Don't overapply it. You don't need a lot between the rubber and the glass. Good luck!
