The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop BillyBob Update - Windshield Repair and Despair

Those of you who have been waiting for a BillyBob update, Here it is. I wanted the windshield job to be done when I posted this but I've been suffering setbacks. It's been three months since I've posted a BillyBob update and so this one is pretty long. Here's the link

Windshield Epic: A Gasket too far

Larry,

Glad to see you and Billybob survived the hurricanes, I was wondering how much water you took on down there.

Looks like you're progressing, thanks for another good post.

John

Thanks for the update. I had lots of fun trying to do the split window in my '50 and ended up breaking a pane. I eventually got it done. Once you figure out all the tricks it seems pretty easy but it takes a lot of luck and finesse.

Thanx, Fellas

We were very lucky here, John. Being on the south side on the storms, we got tree damage and power outages but little flooding.

I'll keep at it 'til I get it done, Josiah. This is one of those pain-in-the-butt tasks that everyone hates, but that makes the "victory dance" so much sweeter when you finally get it done.

One of the other guys in the office got a crack in the windshield of his Ferd Exploder. He called a company that came to the office to fix it. When the auto glass guy (a youngster who looked like Kelso from "That 70's Show") came in the back door at the office, he passed by BillyBob and saw the new BillyBob windshield, half-installed gasket and trim inside the door. He inquired about it and seemed noticably relieved when he found out that that wasn't the job he was called for

Excellent Post. i wish i were closer to come over and help. I havent even pulled my windshield out yet. i plan on reusing it. Like I said excellent log with alot of detail, i dont mind reading it at all. good luck and keep it coming. thanks.

I have three of the '54-'55.1 windshields, and none are usable. Two are cracked but clear, and the non-cracked one is starting to delaminate in the lower corners. There is no way I'm going to all that work to put a damaged windshield back in. Thankfully I can save that part+shipping bill for sometime in the future.

Larry, it looks like you're makin good progress...considerin those little afternoon showers you been gettin. But you get to work on the truck outdoors in the winter. If I tried that, my feet would take a month to thaw.

Keep at it man. You'll get it.

Thanx Ray

Glad you had a good time in the desert and that the movie people didn't mess up the rat truck. Hope you'll let us know when the movie comes out on DVD so's I can get me a copy.

The windshield is in and BillyBob has resumed his role as my daily driver for about a week now. It's not perfect and I've already made a mess with silicone glass sealant that I have to clean up. The gory details will be in the next log entry which is a couple of weeks away from posting.

4onthefloor
I am removing my windsheild now. the replacement does not sound fun since I am not one with much luck or finessse.

The removal actually has not been too fun either.

The best thing I can tell you to do is stop and take a break if you get frustrated. Park somewhere out of the weather so you aren't fighting rain, and take your time. It will help a lot if you do it somewhere warm so the seal is more pliable, and you may want someone to help you. Once you get it done you will realize that it was pretty easy, but it takes a bit of time to get used to doing it and figure out the trick, and you may have to stop when you are halfway done and start over.

I'm not overly patient either, but I eventually got it. I know the manual says to put the adhesive on before you put the gasket in, but I found that that doesn't work too well, since the seal shifts most of it around. Forcing it in after you put it in with a caulk gun works a lot better.

Great stuff Larry. I found out about you and BillyBob about 4 years ago and I started reading your restoration entries at that time. I used to spend a hour or more at night reading your material and found it quite interesting, like a book that you just can't put down. But like most things that I get involved with, I eventually became interested in other stuff and put it on the back burner.

A couple of weeks ago I had an accident (fell off of a ladder) and now I am out of work pending rotator cuff surgery and rehab. Looks like I will be home bound for awhile which will give me the opportunity to spend plenty of time to check out "In the Garage with BillyBob" again. Maybe since I have so much "free" time now I will be able to read the whole thing.

I just wish I had your work ethics when it comes to my own truck project. If I did my truck would be finished by now. As it is, it is far from it and my wife (bless her heart) continues to remind me of how little I have accomplished in the past 3 years.

Keep up the good work, glad to see someone actually stick to what they started.

Thanx Ralph,

I don't go as fast as I'd like sometimes with BillyBob's rebuilding but it's much like the tortise and hare fable. I believe I'll get there eventually.

I'll be working a bit slower for awhile. JR (my brother) and I lost our mother last week. We will be spending a good deal of our time settling her estate and getting the blues out of our systems. I will try to get a log entry posted this month between trips to Pennsylvania. Bustin' my knuckles on BillyBob is good cheer-up therapy.

Man, how can you live in a place with that terrible rain every day. I would go crazy.

Sorry to hear about your mom. I lost my dad suddenly in the end of May and every time something happens in our family I want to email him, or send him a picture. Then I remember.

Larry,
I'm sorry to hear about your mother's passing. I hope all goes smoothly with her estate and affairs. I pray that you will have safe travels during this time. Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy reading about your progress with BillyBob. I will wait patiently for your next entry.

Hey Larry, I don't poke my nose into the Paint and Body Forum often, because I'm not there yet on my truck. I did today though and found you here. I too am sorry to hear about your mom, and glad you weathered the other storms too. I read you saga up until the hurricanes put it on the back burner. I'll be reading up on Billy Bob again. I have to replace my windshield and gasket, but I think I'll wait and do it when I have the front clip off and the engine out.

My plan is to watch someone do it.

Thanx Fellas,

We'll get thru it. Oddly enough with Mom's help. She was very computer savy and she left all the critical information in databases she developed. She made a lot of her own funeral arrangements and left precise instructions. She wrote her own obit and it prompted a reporter from the paper to do a special interest story on her. She even paid her current bills online before going to the hospital a week ago. My many female cousins and aunts from my father's side are decending on me from all points of the compass to take over affairs that menfolk don't usually do too well like setting up the food for after the memorial service.

It's been ten years since we lost my father, Tony, and I can tell ya, those feelings don't stop. To this day, I see some neat tech thing and I say to myself, "Man, Dad's gonna like that!" . . . And then I remember.

Larry,

Sorry to hear about your mother, hope you have safe travel to and from the East.

Best Regards,

John

Larry: Biily Bob will always be there, they are our escape. If its ok prayers for your family and for you a safe trip. Ben

popcorn The Truth is Out There (Family, friends and trucks never to be forgotten)