Replacing TJ windshield glass

[mud4feet]

My windshield has been cracked for quite some time. Got a quote once for $220 +or- for replacement and an inspection. After thinking about it (and prodding from mudwoman, of course), I got to thinking I could do this myself (not the inspection) for much less.......I really am a cheap arse at heart. I remeber back in the day replacing the glass in a VW.......seems it involved a rubber seal and some rope. However, after researching a bit, it seems the TJ windshield is glued in - not the same animal.
Anybody had any experience with this?? Any tips?? Just how hard can it be?? What tools needed?? How much beer??urple:

Thanx in advance,
mud

 

[Itchee96]

I know you can buy the glass for around 100 bucks. I cant add anything else, except, you can never have too much beer.

 

[mud4feet]

......................I cant add anything else, except, you can never have too much beer.

Well, now, THANX!!!! That's a GREAT tip!!!

 

[Utah_jeepster]

I know you can get the windshield epoxy at Napa auto parts, but not sure you can get it else where.
You can carefully peal the existing rubber, if its not too old, then pry out the old glass.
When the guy replaced mine, he scrapped out the old stuff and with a caulking gun laid a new bead and dropped the glass in and ran another bead along side of the windshield and used that to hold in the rubber weather stripping.
Not sure if this was the right way since the glass cracked two days later and I had a different company come out and replace it.

If gaging how much beer to get for this job...always pick up an extra 6'er for those important work stoppages, the pow-wow.

 

[SteelHeadz]

You should be able to purchase the Windshield Adhesive from a glass shop. I think Napa might have it too. If i remember correctly, a tube of that Adhesive was not cheap. You will also need a roll of masking tape and a few popsicle (not Poopsicle) sticks for making sure the glass is properly spaced around the frame. you will need to get the right amount of Thickness of the popsicle stick's on the existing gap between the glass and frame before you remove the old windshield. then when you set the new windshield on, use small strips of masking tape from the glass to windshield frame and leave it there for at least 24hrs. to make sure the glass doesn't shift. also, make sure that you keep a window open when you shut the door during the curing time of the adhesive. i hope this helps.

 

[SteelHeadz]

:spank:Not Mentioning any name(Southtj) got that poping and pooping stuck in my head.:deadhorse:

 

[southtj]

:spank:Not Mentioning any name(Southtj) got that poping and pooping stuck in my head.:deadhorse:

:lol::lol::lol:

 

[Crazy4diesels]

Hey mud,
This is not a fun job but you CAN do it. I'll add my $.02 to what the other guys have said so far... Wear good safety glasses!! We had glass splinters flying everywhere during the removal process. (Well, it was more like an ordeal than a process...) When you remove the old glass you will need to cut the old avhesive. One of those thin cable saws (from Home Depot plumbing dept) might fit - if not, you might have to use a piece of piano wire or a thin putty knife (working from the inside). If you use the wire method try to pull it toward the glass so you don't scrape up the windshield frame. On the one we did we had to keep heating the wire up to get it to cut through - it took a long time. Also, be sure to get the "bed" area fairly level before cementing in the new glass. I don't think you need to clean it down to bare steel as long as it's scraped fairly flat (this might cause rust anyway). I'm not sure about the bare steel thing but that's what we did. The cement you buy might have directions on the tube that say otherwise... (we used a 3M "windshield kit" - cement, primer, tape, rear view mirror mount cement, and wedges, if I recall) When you do the installation you want the vehicle to be fairly warm. If it's too cold you might not get a good bond. When we were done I vowed never to do this again! Best of luck - John

 

[mud4feet]

Hey mud,
This is not a fun job but you CAN do it..................When we were done I vowed never to do this again! Best of luck - John

Hey, John, thanx much!!! That's kinda what I was lookin' for - hands on, been there, done that.

Anybody else ever done it??? What kinda seal do you use once it's installed?

 

[xt master]

I am not sure if the TJ windshield is different from a CJ,but I did find this site that shows alot of detail on how to do it.

Jeep Glass Windshield Installation - Offroaders.com 4x4 off-road trail reports, tech articles, 4x4 clubs, offroad links

 

[Crazy4diesels]

Hey mud,

If you carefully peel your outer "gasket" (which is just a piece of rubber trim) you might be able to re-use it. It is glued into the channel at the edge of the glass. It may not come off in one piece, though... This trim is just for looks (and it keeps the sun off of the adhesive). The trim needs to be repositioned and glued down into the channel around the edge of the glass. Not sure about this but I'll bet you can install it after the adhesive for the glass is set BUT, you'll need to trim out any "overflow" that is in the way in the channel. This rubber trim doesn't seal anything so it's not a very critical insallation. The most important part of the job is getting the glass sealed to the W/S frame. This glass to frame joint is what keeps the water out. Best of luck - John

 

[JeepMonkey]

I've watched the guys replace the windshield in my Jeep and another truck I had, and I would not attempt on my own. Biggest reason I can think of is the "Ohh Sh*t" factor when you're about to drop the glass and be faced with buying yet another windshield.