Windshield Questions - 73 Dart

-
Cartboy67

Cartboy67

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2014
Messages
84
Reaction score
1
Location
VA
After a local shop failed miserably to stop the water coming in on my 73 Dart after two attempts, I tried resealing the windshield with some butyl sealant but still had water leaking. I started looking closer at the seal which was newly supplied to the shop for the installation and there was a tear in the seal. Needless to say I was pissed. I pulled the windshield back out and will try it myself. I wanted to ask the group about the re-install. I am still waiting for a new seal and some more butyl sealant to come in. I have cleaned the area of all the sealant and checked all the trim clips.

Now to the questions. When I get ready to re-install, do I put a bead of butyl on the metal then put the gasket in place, install the glass then go around the edge of the seal with the butyl again? Sounds too easy and looking for some tips on how to get this thing sealed up.
 
IIRC, My 73 had an loc-strip integral to it that had to be folded in to grab the glass. It needed soapy water to affect the fold, because the grip was so tight. I used no glues at all and it didn't leak. Also chack your cowl drains; they like to plug up with mud and stuff. Then the water backs up and runs in through the vent stacks into the heater box or the drivers side floor vent. From there it runs onto the floor. If the gasket at the top of one of those stacks is bad, the water will piss down the stack as well.
And of course there's the wiper seals, as mentioned.
And of course water can migrate through ill-fitting trim-clips.
 
i dont think we used any adhesive on my 73 duster.it had a locking type gasket.
 
440 / AJ,
I appreciate the input. I have changed the wiper pivot seals and did check on the air vent stack location, a small amount of leaves but I do see the water running out the fender/door hinge area when spraying water into the cowl slots. Previously I taped off the slots so no water could get in there and the water is definitely coming through or around the windshield seal. I pulled the glove box out and the water is coming in where the dash screws down to the cowl area on the upper part. On the driver side, I didn't have any windshield leaks, only a real small dribble of water that is coming in from where the body panels are welded together on the upper part of the toe board, firewall and the side part of the body. That has been fixed with sanding and adding seam sealer to the area.

So no one used any butyl on the windshield at all? I will try the install without any sealer and see what happens. Again, thanks to all you guys for the input.
 
Every OEM glass and gasket I have removed. Factory had used black butyl sealant where gasket meets fence and a gray color beading and glazing compound where gasket meets glass. I use the same black butyl in both places. I always have a big mess to clean up but never have a leak.
 
RedFish said:
Every OEM glass and gasket I have removed. Factory had used black butyl sealant where gasket meets fence and a gray color beading and glazing compound where gasket meets glass. I use the same black butyl in both places. I always have a big mess to clean up but never have a leak.
Click to expand...

This, the butyl works.
Many don't use the butyl after seal these days and can get by without because they
don't use their cars in all weather.
 
Can definitely relate to the mess, I spent about 5 hours cleaning the sealant off the area where the seal sits when I pulled the glass last weekend. Was using an environmentally friendly mineral spirits on it, I since then have picked up a quart of 3M adhesive remover, haven't tried that yet. I will go over the entire area again with the 3M cleaner before I start on the install. My thought was to put a small bead of the butyl around the body area where the seal sits and in the seal where the glass fits in before putting it on the body.

I have read a lot of threads on this topic here and see a wide variety of recommendations, some using no sealant some using it. Not sure which route is best, this is my first time doing this on the Dart. Last summer my oldest son and I put a new seal and glass in the hatch of his 280z and didn't use any sealant, no leaks on that one as of yet so I am still not sure what to do on the Dart.
 
Run a small approx. 1/8" bead inside glass channel of rubber and install rubber on glass.
Install glass and rubber into opening with 1/8" nylon cord.
Apply butyl between body and rubber seal and clean up with slightly damp mineral spirits
soaked towels.
 
Good luck getting it out if you ever need too. butyl is men't to be used on new cars without rubber gaskets. To get off you have to use a wire cutter, not a wirecutter. MT
 
You are thinking of urethane windshield sealant MT. Mean stuff.
Butyl is not so mean and what was used by the factory back when our cars were new
and may dry out some but never cures or always stays liquid to some extent.
 
ssba said:
You are thinking of urethane windshield sealant MT. Mean stuff.
Butyl is not so mean and what was used by the factory back when our cars were new
and may dry out some but never cures or always stays liquid to some extent.
Click to expand...


Thanks, you are correct. :burnout:
 
I had a bit of sealant on the lower edge of my '74, I did it on the metal side of the seal, going all along the bottom and about 3 inches up the sides. Eight months later, no leaks. I think it was the black butyl stuff.
 
I finally got all my parts that were ordered, installed the new dash pad today, did speakers front and rear last weekend. I got the windshield put back in today and followed some guidelines from different input here and found this article that also helped a bit:
http://www.hotrod.com/cars/project-vehicles/mopp-0305-1967-plymouth-valiant-windshield-install/

I put the sealant down on the fence, heavier at the bottom than at the top. I put the gasket in and then added a bead to the area of the seal where the glass sits. I then set the glass in the bottom groove and worked it around until it was in the groove all the way around. After that I set the locking flap in place on all sides and added a small bead of butyl all the way around the seal to body joint. All of this took nearly 2 hours, spend the last two hours cleaning the sealant from all the areas is strung out on during the install.

I had planned to let it set overnight to let everything ooze into place, also added some seam sealer under the dash on the driver side. I will give it a spray test tomorrow before the trim goes back on. I will let everyone know how it turns out.

I appreciate all the feedback and input.
 
Woke up to rain this morning so I guess my water test started a little earlier than expected. I will check everything this evening when I get home from work. I'll post what I find after work.
 
Not great news but better. I still have a small amount of water getting in. It looks like it is coming up near the air vent box. I will pull that back out along with the insulation on the upper portion of the toe board and see if I can locate the leak.
 
I tried making some sort of snorkel out of old plumbing fittings last night to try and vacuum out the cowl area, smallest I had was 1 1/4" so that wasn't working. I ended up cutting the firewall out with a hole saw as someone on here posted before. As I was cutting I started seeing some smoke coming out of the cowl vents so I knew I was in for a treat. I had previously reached up inside the air vent box under the dash and it didn't seem to have much debris collected in there but boy was I wrong. Once I was most of the way cut through I could see there was about two inches of junk stacked up around the air vent stack. I left a small area of the hole connected at the top of both cuts, one on each side of the cowl area. I cleaned all the stuff out of there and did a water test, my wife sprayed the hose for a while with me inside checking for leaks, I didn't see any leaks on the inside. I will fold the flap of metal down and try out my new to me MIG welder to seal it back up.
It started raining here this morning so hopefully I can get a full day of rain on it to give it a thorough test.
 
Screws that can let a small amount of water in... Where the left washer squirter is, drips directly into the vent box. 2 small pieces of stainless trim on vinyl top cars, one screw each, water runs down inside of windshield frame.
 
Just to come back on this first post; opinions are GOOD (apply or not apply scellant, where...) however, OEM Body or Chassis service manual are BETTER.
On the web site; MyMopar.com, a ''service manual'' section is available, and it costs nothing to download.
Unfortunately, nothing is perfect only few years are vailable +/- 1966-73 Dodge-Plymouth-Chrysler.
 
RedFish said:
Screws that can let a small amount of water in... Where the left washer squirter is, drips directly into the vent box. 2 small pieces of stainless trim on vinyl top cars, one screw each, water runs down inside of windshield frame.
Click to expand...

RedFish, I checked the screw for the left washer squirter, no vinyl top. It looked like a clip that had long been broken. I removed the screw and the small plastic piece that was still there. I added a small bead of RTV on the screw and screwed it back in the hole. Thanks for the tip.
 
I have all of the leaks fixed now except for one in the body seam on the upper left corner of the trunk, will get to that next. I do have a question though.

Now that the windshield and new seal are in place what is the trick to get the windshield trim back on the car? Does the inside part of the trim fit into the seal and then pop the outer edge down over the clips? Appreciate any help on this.
 
So it doesn't hook to the gasket at all, just lays on top of it? I had that started last night and it just didn't look right. If that is all it does then I should be good to go, thanks for the info Redfish.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top