jonus079 Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 this winter im gunna start the body work on my 240z. i already have the windshield out (it was out when i bought ht car) and all the other windows removed. my question is whats the best way to take the rear hatch window out without breaking it? also who would i call the have it put back in? i talked to one auto glass company in my area and they said they will not put old glass back in. they told me i would have to order a new window.... sounds like b.s. to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 I had the hatch off the car and layed it on the floor. I then took a knife and slowly cut below the metal trim. Once I made it all the way around the hatch glass was able to drop out the bottom with some help. Just be really careful not to mess up the trim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 Looked something like this. Not sure what it is, but It being curved helped. Not sure how to get it back in either. Most glass shops are scared to work with old glass. My 2+2 hatch glass is ~$500. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB26powered74zcar Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 I'm a glass glazier by trade. The front windshield is the only glass in the car that is real delicate. Its laminated glass (two pieces 1/16" molded together with a piece of clear plastic between the two) and its real easy to get a run in it if not careful. The other glass is tempered safety glass, which can take a hell of a lick anywhere on it except the edges. If you mess up and tap the edge of the glass with anything hard, it will blow up into a zillion pieces.... The glass shops that say they don't do old glass are prolly thinking your referring to the front windshield, and that is super easy to break (cause it to get a run in it), so they don't want to take the chance, specially if its a hard glass to find. The rear glass is a piece of cake to install. You will need a new rubber though, other wise.... good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74_5.0L_Z Posted October 14, 2007 Share Posted October 14, 2007 I just finished repainting my car, and as part of the process I removed the windshield and hatch glass. Removal was simple. I just cut through the rubber close to the glass, and then I just lifted the glass out. Then I finished removing the weatherstrip. After painting, I reinstalled the glass with new weatherstrip. I (like you guys) was a little concerned about the installation. I even called some local windshield people and got a quote for them to come install the windshield and rear glass. They wanted about $200.00. I am really cheap and a bit of a do-it-your-selfer, so I opted to try it myself. There are several write-ups on this site and others, but here is what I did: First, install the weatherstrip on the glass. This is pretty easy to do with the glass out of the car. Second, get some quarter inch diameter rope (~ 12 feet) and push it into the outer channel of the weatherstrip all the way around the periphery of the glass. I configured the rope so that the two ends of the rope met at the bottom center of the glass. The rope will act to open the outer channel of the weatherstrip so that you can get the seal started onto the lip on the body. Third, set the glass in body opening with the tails of the rope on the inside of the car. Try to set it such that the bottom edge of the gasket is close to engaging the lip of the body. Fourth, get a helper to apply light pressure to the outside of the windshield and to prevent the outer lip of the seal from getting pinched. In my case, my wife was on the outside using a plastic spreader to guide the outer lip of the seal. Step four is performed by slowly pulling the end of the rope from the inside and guiding the inner lip of the seal over the lip of the body. Work slowly and evenly. Pull one end of the rope and then the other. When both ends of the rope have been pulled around to the center top, the windshield will be fully installed. Use the plastic spreader to guide the edges as required. The process sounds complicated, but was actually quite simple. I installed both the windshield and rear hatch glass in less than one hour with only minimal assistance from my wife. In my case, I did not reinstall the metal strips in the new weather strip. I don't like the way that they look, so I left them out. Some have said that the metal trim helps with the sealing function of the gasket. It probably does, but I have not noticed any leaks. In my case, the car only gets wet when I wash it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synlubes Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 Has anyone considered using the black glass adhesive used in late model autos? I had the windshield replaced in my Nissan truck and the adhesive is the only thing keeping the windshield in place. My thought is use enough adhesive to make the windshield and hatch glass smooth and flush with the body. ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted October 21, 2007 Share Posted October 21, 2007 There is a trim piece that goes over the butyl tape or whatever adhesive they're using. If you wanted to make a trim piece then it would work. Otherwise I think that sounds like more hassle than it is worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synlubes Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Just for reference, My truck does have trim pieces on each side of the windshield. They do nothing to secure the glass; it’s the adhesive securing the glass. The plastic trim pieces just cover the gaps on each side. The front glass and rear hatch rubber moldings on my Z were/are very hard. I removed the chrome trim and sanded them smooth. They actually look nice smoothed out, lost all the bulkiness and smoothed out the lines abit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoorenc Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Is there a way to safely remove the rear defroster stripping on the rear hatch window? Can I just use a razor or will it scratch the glass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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