I know many of you have done this, but this was my first windshield installation. I had a hard time finding info on this particular car, so I thought I’d share a little info here. I did the whole job myself, though it would be a little easier if you had a helper. I have heard that there are some pretty low quality windshield seals on the market that you want to avoid. I got mine from Steele Rubber Products. It’s a high quality (and high price) piece. The gl*** is removed and installed from the inside of this car. I think on the vast majority of cars it’s done from the outside. The stainless steel trim piece on the out side of the center pillar does not need to be removed. It stays on the entire time. (I had to figure that out for myself.) First, unscrew and remove the windshield trim from inside the car, and remove the windshield wiper arms. Use some tape and maybe cardboard to protect the paint on the dash and cowel as needed. Removing the gl*** is easy. You just cut the rubber seal from outside the car with a utility knife, and the gl*** will pull right out, from the inside. The windshield flange was a bit rusty on my car, so I sanded it, painted it, and let it dry overnight. To install the gl***, first clean up the edges of the gl*** good. I used a spray can of silicone to lube the seal first, then install both pieces of gl*** into the new seal. You will use a piece of rope to install the gl*** and seal ***embly on the car. If you haven’t done this before, watch it being done on YouTube. It’s not rocket surgery. On this car, the gl*** goes on the inside, and you pull the rope from the outside. I found that some silicone spray helped this along. I installed the gl*** and seal first, and will apply the sealer afterwards. There are some different opinions about this part. That is how Lloyd (Lloyd’s Paint & Gl***) does it, and it makes sense to me.
The Chevy shop manual also describes how to do it a long time ago, maybe things are different now... https://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/fisher/1946_47/46fisher067.htm
I retired from Freightliner (Daimler Trucks North America). When they were still building the FLD, the windshields were held in in the same manner, except there was a lock stirp inserted in the seal. At the plant, two guys would install a windshield (two piece) in well under 5 minutes. Of course, they did this all day, at least 5 days a week.
It can't be that different from a 1946 Ford and that information along with illustrations is on the Van Pelt Sales web site.
The Jalopy Journal
