Windshield removal

Anyone have a good method to remove a windshield....hopefully without breaking it?

options other than the biggest/stiffest Alfa utility knife that i can find?

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Chris

You need one of these.



http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200334173_200334173

And a whole bunch of patience.

I pay someone to remove my windshields unless they're already broken.

Keep the blade close to the glass and leave the old windshield sealer on the windshield frame.

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Michael LeCompte

I use this tool I got at Harbor Freight. Came with this spool of what looks like regular wire but is a few wires spun together and quite rough. Has a tool to push the wire through the glue, then two hand pieces to grip the wire. Work it back and forth as you move along, cutting through the glue.
I imagine a little heat from a propane torch would soften up the glue and make it a bit easier, but not too much as you don't want it to rebond right after it seperates.
When we lost the windshield at the hill climb in July, in order to get it out and minimize glass coming in we used a utility knife, a pair of welding gloves to wrap the wire around and a bunch of safety wire. Same idea, but since it's not serated you only make it a few inches to a foot before the safety wire will snap.

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Grant Hughes

I love the google.
Here's the Harbor Freight one's instructions.
http://www.harborfreight.com/manuals/96000-96999/96339.pdf

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Grant Hughes

I do like grant said but use guitar string, like a D or A string. They're thick enough and wrapped to provide some extra abrasion. Wear gloves, and I use a utility knife to cut through first so I can stick the wire through. First time I tried this I had the windshield out in 10 minutes by myself, no breakies. I dont know why everyone thinks windshields are a black art.

i've used both those types of windshield tools with no luck......

The guitar string type thing, i've always ended up cutting into the windshield...smashy

the other one i've had better luck with..but it's still really tough.

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Chris

When I had the windshield taken out by a professional he used a blade that he attached to a sawzall motor. All the cutting was done from the inside of the car. He said that someone at their shop made it out of a putty knife and a sander.

The work went really quickly and he wasn't being super super careful. He used a utility knife to cut the trim on the outside and then lifted it out with a suction cup.

Here is a commercial version.
http://www.extractor.ca/




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/07/2009 12:27PM by Andrew_Frick.

Carl S Wrote:
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> I do like grant said but use guitar string, like a
> D or A string. They're thick enough and wrapped
> to provide some extra abrasion. Wear gloves, and
> I use a utility knife to cut through first so I
> can stick the wire through. First time I tried
> this I had the windshield out in 10 minutes by
> myself, no breakies. I dont know why everyone
> thinks windshields are a black art.

Specific to Xratties, the Germans must have melted dpwn old worn out tarmac roads and applied thermo-nuc-u-ler heat to bond that rock hard shit in there..

I've talked with several installers over the years and any that had done Xratties HATED the job. They said normal 'Merikan or Japanese polyurethane sploogie stuff was no problem, but Xratty stuff was hell on earth.
My miserable attemps using piano wire, guitar string, real cutting wire, everything all failed miserably.
4 x4 straight thru worked OK then a hammer and GRINDER with 4" cup brush

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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

one more vote for music wire. Infact, later tonight I'm going to snag the windshield and roof skin off a corolla...

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Welcome to the cult of JVL drink the koolaid or be banned.

Andrew_Frick Wrote:
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> When I had the windshield taken out by a
> professional he used a blade that he attached to a
> sawzall motor. All the cutting was done from the
> inside of the car. He said that someone at their
> shop made it out of a putty knife and a sander.

Exaclty what the guy who did my Olds had.

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Francois

Stop a guy in a windshield truck.
Tell him you'll give him $20 to drop by your house and remove it for you. Most are employees and probably make less than that per hour.
Or tow it around with a 12er of Kokanee in the passenger seat and offer the same.

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Grant Hughes

I used an OLFA knife. Use the black blades. Took an hour to get the front windshield out. I didn't harm the glass until I tried to force the plastic allignment clips out of the top corners.

The Black OLFA blades are the key - They are something like 10x sharper.

The rear windshield took less than half an hour. The difference was that I took a 'v' shape out of the urethane first. I didn't try to cut through it until I'd removed a good chunk of urethane. It seemed as though it would take longer, but it went VERY quick. The black blades are also a bit flexible - that saved me. I'm sure I hit the rear windshield once, but the blade just flexed.

Good Luck!

the rear windshield is a cake walk...you couldn't brake that thing if you tried....if i do...lexan it is.

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Chris

I tried to use that first tool on my car, got about half way down the first side and heard the little "snap" as I went just a tad too far the one way, cracked the inner layer. Got it out the rest of the way with a hammer and screwdriver...

As for the rear, after my car was rebuilt the glass guy used so much glue putting the rear screen back in, I couldn't get it back out with the tool. Going from the inside and then from the outside, I still couldn't cut all the way through the glue. Ended up using the hammer on it too... Though, after hitting it half a dozen times from the outside, I finally had to hit it from the inside to get it to break!

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Ryan Huber
VA3AWD

Do It Sidewayz Wrote:
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> the rear windshield is a cake walk...you couldn't
> brake that thing if you tried....if i do...lexan
> it is.
>
> Chris



See, and all this time I thought I'd learned something... Ah well...