The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors FRONT WINDOW RUBBER!

I had somebody quote me on redoing the front window rubber and he told me that being able to get the chrome pieces back around the rubber would be impossible.Has anybody had the same problem with getting the chrome to fit around the new window rubber?


http://s956.photobucket.com/home/tony874/index

It takes a different windshield gasket for the chrome and with out the chrome. These guys can provide gaskets for either one. https://secure.steelerubber.com/ and their quality is the best.

Yeah I bought the deluxe one for chrome and the body shop said it was impossible to put the chrome one back in.

The body shop is wrong. Try a glass shop, especially one that handles older vehicles. That's what I did.

I installed mine myself with help from my brother.
what I did was to lay out a pc. of scrap carpet and put the new rubber around the glass and installed the chrome strip and let it lay there for a good week so the new gasket learned its shape and the install went smooth after that.
Tim

I assume your original chromes are in good,straight condition?

If they are in anyway bent or twisted,most glass shops will run a mile.....or overprice the job to scare you off.
I had similar problems recently with an MG car.
The owner had 'removed' the chromes himself.
He'd bent them up like a pretzel!
Here's a pic of a '54 sedan windshield I chopped and the chromes fit in a similar way.
The window installed fairly easily,with an extra pair of hands.

If your chromes are in good shape, try another glass installer.
To be honest the Chevy chromes are not the worst ones to install. There are a LOT worse than that out there.
Good Luck.

I have not put mine in the 52panel yet but I'm ready. AS Tim and the others said its best to find another shop!! I plan to put mine in myself. I can't remember "exactly" what the manual says but the trim piece must be put in either before the glass or maybe it was after you put the glass in and then put the trim in before you put it on the truck.
Just for what its worth dept my old one had been butchered on one side because evidently someone tried to put in in AFTER the glass installed.
YOu can do it but have an extra set of hands there helping and as Tim says, a piece of old carpet or something layed across the truck so you won't scratch it up!
Good luck. Let us know how you come out....oh, and don't forget to put a 1/4" rope in the groove to pull the lip over the pinch weld on the inside.
If you do not have a manual to read go to the tech tips and click on the link where Keith Hardy has done a graat job on putting the shop manuals on line. The more info the better before you start the job.

Alvin as you say, the trim MUST go into the rubber before the install.
Fit the rubber round the glass then fit the chromes.
To try to fit the chromes after is dang near impossible.
You obviously know the consequences.

I'm working on my '54 windshield (one piece curved) this week. I've looked on all the forums I can find. Almost everyone talks about problems, even with auto-glass companies, sometimes taking weeks or months to resolve.

I'm lucky to have three old time truck suppliers within driving distance. If I get a part I don't like, I try a different supplier and take the other one back for a refund. I did that with this windshield weatherstrip. Two of them I tried and didn't like seemed to have shrunken after manufacture (yes I tried heating them, it didn’t help much). They both were manufactured in Thailand. I returned both of these after finding one I liked at a third source.

I’ve heard many have used Steele rubber, . The rubber I found at my third local supplier and like is sourced from CounterParts. It is large enough to fit around my glass with only moderate struggle. Using soapy water I worked the stainless into its groove (top and bottom first, then ends and clips) which is "L" shaped. That's why the stainless needs to go in before this assembly is installed in the truck. I have only mild puckering at the corners after lots of pushing and pulling of the rubber and stainless. I have two pieces of string tied around the assembly to hold it all together. I got my ¼” rope ready to go in the pinch-weld slot.

It’s too cold, 10 to 20 degrees, to work in my garage to put in the windshield assembly this week. I haven’t yet gotten my nerves back in control from wrestling with the weatherstrip and stainless anyway. I’m going to follow the directions in the Chevy Maintenance Manual, using plenty of help, soapy water and taking it slow.

Any suggestions are appreciated.