The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Installing windshield

Anyone used the windshield rubber (for deluxe w/ stainless trim) on 47-53 from Chevy Duty? I can get the bottom rubber lip on both sides over, but as I start going up the sides the windshield won't pull up close enough. I think I'm doing everything right and I checked against the original glass to see if my new ones are any larger, and they are just slightly in a few areas. (I'd think the rubber would give enough though). I then noticed that as I tried to push the bottom corners of the glass in, the center would push out, sometimes the glass would start to come out of the center rubber piece. I compared my center rubber with an original and the original has a slightly deeper groove. Anyone else have these problems?

Also, is there a top and bottom to the windshield gasket?

Are you using a cord in the channel to "pull" the rubber in, as indicated in the shop manual? I just did mine (plain not deluxe) and it went in fine. The gasket seemed symmetric to me - no top or bottom. I put the sealer on the cab,the glass into the weatherstrip, ran a stout string in the outer groove, set the bottom in place, and using the string, pulled the rubber in all around. Repeat for side 2. Piece of cake.

Which vendor did you get your gasket from?

ChevyDuty

I found out my problem, my glass is too large. Now I have to find out how to make it a little smaller around the edges.

The best advice I can give you is to either take it to a glass shop and have them do it or bribe a glass installer to come to your home and have him do it. Offer to give him Hydraulic Sandwiches (12 pack). It's the easiest, and will result in the least amount of problems.
If you insist that you need to do it yourself, use the rope trick - and in addition use talcum powder sprinkled generously on/in the rubber. It will act like a lubricant, helping you get the window in. Cross the rope at the center bottom of the windsheild. This will get the hardest part in first, the bottom. As you progress around the windsheild, it will finish at the top/center. Top /center is a lot easier to get your fingers at than bottom/center, especially when you are struggling with a window. You have also set all of the weight of the window into the bottom of the frame at the beginning, freeing up you hands and back to struggle with the rubber seal at the top of the frame.