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7/28/26: I’ve been pretty busy lately updating the main bath in our house, so there hasn’t been a ton of progress on the old truck. However, I did manage to get the back glass installed, and let me tell you, it was easily the most tedious job I’ve encountered since starting this build—especially since I’m operating completely solo and it was a struggle the entire time.

On my first attempt, I couldn’t even get the gaskets to stay in place when I tried installing the glass. Following some advice in the Tech Tip “Chrome Weatherstripping Lock Strip Installation,” written by Jon G, I ended up taping it in place and letting it sit for a few days, which definitely helped. Still, the hardest part was getting the bottom started, which took several attempts. It took me the entire afternoon just to get the rear and two quarter windows installed into their gaskets.

A few days later, I started on the installation of the chrome lock strip. Following Jon G’s Tech Tip, I spent 45 minutes on just a tiny section, terrified I was going to slip with the screwdriver and gouge my new paint, before I finally decided to call it a day. It clearly wasn’t working out for me, so I knew I needed to regroup and figure out a different approach before diving back in.

I’m sure Jon G’s method would work great if I had another pair of hands. Operating solo, I couldn’t apply enough pressure to the bead to get it to seat into the gasket without pushing the window right into the cab. Fortunately, I had previously taped the window to the exterior of the cab to ensure I didn’t lose it. A second person inside the cab applying opposing pressure would have helped tremendously. Also, several times while applying pressure to the bead, I desperately could have used another pair of hands to help pry the gasket over the edge.

Prior to starting this job, I made a ball-end pick tool just like Jon G showed in his Tech Tip, but it was too big to slip past the inserted bead into the groove. It seemed to me that I needed a mini version of that tool. Using a piece of 1/8” welding wire, I fashioned a small pry tool that slipped in much easier than the ball-end pick tool. This enabled me to insert the tool into the groove alongside the inserted bead and pry the rubber lip up and over the edge of the bead. I could lift the gasket edge and guide the bead into the groove with the tool, walking the bead in one inch at a time while alternating sides. This method was much easier than the screwdriver for me and applied zero inward pressure to the window, assuring I wouldn’t push the glass into the cab. With this trick, I finished installing the rear window bead in less than 45 minutes!

The last quarter window wasn’t quite as easy as I expected since I discovered a new method. I did use my new custom tool, but it still took over an hour to install the bead. I ended up having to splice in another section because I managed to damage the chrome slightly. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do, but I certainly didn’t want to repeat that entire install from scratch.

Overall, despite the headaches, I’m pretty pleased with the results.

On to the windshield!