The wiper arms are pretty crusty, and will take some work with the Dremel to get clean, and the windshield trim is a disaster, compared to when it was new. The trim originally had a matte black coating, but that came off in huge chunks the first time I scrubbed the car. I was going to get it powder coated, but I've decided to do it Old Skool, and scuff the trim up with ScotchBrite, and spray it with some matte black epoxy paint I have.
I'll do the same to the header panel and wiper arms after I clean them.
So now all the stuff seen here at the base of the windshield:
Is gone:
I scrubbed out the channel behind the trim as well as I could, looking carefully for any rust popping up:
Unfortunately I found some, on the driver's side "A Pillar" windshield post:
I'm really hoping this is just surface rust caused by the trim rubbing through the paint, but won't know for sure until the windshield is pulled. Safelite has quoted me $335 to come out and replace the glass with a new one, but I'll have to talk to them to see how much extra they'll charge to pull the glass on one day, and install the new glass at a later date after I've cleaned up the rust. Since it's a second truck roll, I'm sure they'll be a charge.
The windshield in the car has 35 years worth of pits, chips, nicks, and scratches in it, and tint has developed that lovely "Old Toyota Yellow Brown Patina" in place of the OEM blue tint. Time for a new one.....
You could remove the old one yourself. If you damage the glass, no problem. It's probably a hard adhesive, so will need to be cut. Three general ways to do it: Cut it cold, with a handle mounted blade. Or, find the heated blade version. Third is cut it with a length of motorcycle control cable (or reasonable facsimile). Helps to have two people, especially using the cable method. Good practice, as some day you may need to remove a good one for some reason, so try not to damage it. Cable should be multiple feet in length, not inches. Start at a corner, and saw along both edges to get started. Tools might be found at Harbor Fright, or body shop supply stores.
ReplyDeleteI've done it before, and will gladly PAY someone to do it.
DeletePiano wire works well, too. I used to have a length of like .020" wire attached to two pieces of broom handle, but that disappeared years ago.
Glad the wiper arms came off without a lot of drama.
ReplyDeleteI've never removed a windshield but watched many times at the car lot. What will describes was what I saw.
Yeah, I posted over in the celicasupra forum about needing a puller, and one of my friends clued me in on how to get them loose. Took about 5 minutes once I knew "The Trick".
DeleteI'd rather have somebody else pull and install the glass. They already have the tools and adhesives needed to do the job right, and if they break the new glass, it's on them to replace it.
Good idea, and that actually looks pretty good for 35 years! A helluva lot better than they typical Mustang...
ReplyDeleteThanks! She was a "50 footer" when she got here, and now she's down to a "25 footer". I was lucky in that she was a 'high desert' car, originally delivered in Riverside, and spent her whole life out there.
ReplyDeleteDidn't have a speck of rust until she came to Long Beach, but lots of the plastic trim has deteriorated or disintegrated, along with the interior getting pretty crusty.