1800: Windscreen Sealing

[andrew111]

I am about to seal the newly replaced front and rear screens- and have a silly question that's been nagging me.
Does the sealant go:-
1. between the rubber and the painted metal of the car body
2. the rubber and the glass
3. Both

Thanks in Advance

[Volvo Canadian]

Both, and liberally! You didn't ask for any other advice, but here are my two-cents worth:

Mask-off generously around the rubber-metal interface. You can easily remove excess sealant from the glass with a razor blade, but make sure you clean any and all sealant off the paint really well after you are done, as after it dries the job is 10X as hard.

As for technique, the idea is to cut a smallish hole (1/8"?) in the tube, wiggle it as far as you can under the rubber and try to apply a continuous bead, slightly trailing your direction of travel. It doesn't have to ooze out as you apply, but should when you press it down, so there is a fine line there. Better too-much. If you go to an auto glass shop, they can give you a small plastic tool which is used to lift the rubber, making it easier to get the tip underneath. Make sure you have a 'safe' place to put that tool down, as it is bound to get sealant on it. This is not a two-person job, but a third hand would be useful sometimes.

Wear old clothes and rubber gloves, have a few spares and have rags handy - the stuff is a mess. Make sure you have a good solvent to remove errant blobs.

It should be warm, and you should fully warm-up the sealant in hot water, say for an hour. After applying, slowly press in the rubber (a roller or something would be nifty), flattening it, spreading and squeezing the sealant in further. Problem areas are typically the corners. A few days after you are finished, I suggest going around both edges (especially the corners) with a pick and look for places where the rubber lifts off - more goo. Wear gloves etc... again...!



All must be dry, dry, dry.

Others may offer more/better advice, but this is a start. I would happily do another car, but had lots of fun with my first.


(Liberally dispense beverage of choice and a cigar after cleaning-up)

[andrew111]

Well many thanks James.
I didn't think to ask for more detail - but your tips certainly have given me the confidence to get on with this job. Good idea about warming the sealant first - I would not have thought of it.

hopefully it will all go well.

regards

Andy

[tsetse1986]

Been through this recently and found the most difficult bit is keeping the nozzle pushed under the rubber while squeezing the trigger enough to get the sealant to flow. It's exhausting! If the plastic nozzle is cut off to give a narrow nozzle that fits easily under the rubber, you need murderously high pressure to get any sealant out. I found this usually results in the cartridge squinting in the gun resulting in more goo coming out inside the cartridge than under the screen rubber. Cut the nozzle to a larger diameter and it won't fit under the rubber. And then the rubber squashes the nozzle down to restrict flow even further.

If you have a compressor there is a solution, get a pneumatic caulking gun. These are available for around £20 from the well known auction site - the best tool I bought last year. The cartridge fits inside, rubber washers make it airtight. The tool simply lets air in which forces the piston in the goo tube down, forcing goo out of the nozzle. No opportunity for the piston to push down unevenly so no goo all over the inside of the tube. With 120psi behind it the sealant comes out just right from a narrow nozzle. Tweak your pressure regulator to suit.

Have fun!
Tim

[Bladerider]

if you haven't bought the sealant yet, I recommend this;

http://www.dortechdirect.co.uk/windo...Autograde.html

At £2.70 a tube, cheap enough to buy several tubes to ensure a good job. You can trim the tube to fit a standard skeleton gun.

Frost Restorations rob you of £7.66 a tube!!!!

[andrew111]

Thank you all for the advice. I have now completed the job - generating quite a bit of mess - but with plenty of rags and white spirit the clean-up has gone well.
I did find that heating the sealant first by immersing it in a boiling water bath made the flow much easier.
I had already bought the sealant (at exorbitant price compared to your recommendation) - but will use the Arbomast if I ever need more.

Thanks again

Andy