From what I can tell thin string isn’t used for this job. Requires some sort of cord, woven nylon or cotton, like might be used for a clothesline. There’s usually a lubricant involved also, so the cord is unlikely to break. But if it does and you can’t fish it out, I presume you’d have to start over, probably would require purchasing another rubber seal. Some installers say they use wire instead of cord, which is probably easier to pull along the perimeter, but seems more likely to break.
Did you watch their instructional video? Contradicts the notation on the drawing. Frankly, I don’t know how you’d do this any other way. Been involved in a few vintage car installs and this is how it goes:
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Looks to me it would be impossible to put the gasket on the truck first to then get the windshield in and the trim. But jeez, hirebit done. Also paint the dang truck first.
Would also give the same advise.
I agree. If you’re going to paint, time to do it is when glass is out. Maybe they’re part of the rat rod enthusiast crowd where leaving it looking rustic is part of the appeal.
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I’ve always said there are only two things I can’t tackle working on my car: 1) State inspection (they won’t let me!) 2) Mounting new tires (I don’t have a tire machine).
Last year I needed a new windshield on my Chevy Volt. I went to a local guy who has a great reputation. After I watched him and his helper install it, I now say “There’s three things I won’t fix on my car!”
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Classic old trucks like the Chevy square body’s and CK series as well as other classic trucks are very desirable with a lot of Hot Roder’s. People will pay BIG money (6 figures) to take an old Truck with natural Patina and put an aftermarket chassis with modern day running gear and suspension under it, and keep that natural Patina with a clear coat… With Patina, you either get it or you don’t… no sense in trying harder to explain it…
And here is another reason for some of us (me) to not paint our vehicles… lol
The average cost of a new paint job on a classic car is $3,900.00. The prices we found ranged from $2,200.00 to upwards of $10.000, with some higher than $30,000 depending on the car, paint scheme, trim, and bodywork needed for that specific classic car or vehicle. Custom paint goes much much higher…
A couple of years ago, I got a small rock “ding” in my windshield, which I assumed I could ignore. By the following morning, it had grown to a crack about 7 inches long, so I realized that I had little choice but to replace it. I called my insurance company, they verified that they would cover the cost–minus my $100 “comprehensive” deductible–if I used Safelite, and then they transferred me directly to Safelite’s phone.
The work was done 2 days later, in my driveway. I have no idea regarding how much the insurance company was charged for the work, but my share was only $100.
How about this one- I spent the better part of a year smoothing frame rails, firewall etc, gloss painting everything in the engine bay area, relocating all electrical, hydraulic and fuel lines inside the frame. Friend’s jabbed me about being able to comb your hair in the reflection on the firewall or inner fenders. The exterior paint was custom metal flake with half a dozen layers of clear polished to a high gloss. I finished the car (we’re never REALLY finished but let’s say completed this effort) close to winter time. I drove it once before planning to put it into storage. On the way to the storage facility, a deer jumped out in front of me and I hit it going 40 mph. I sat in the car with coolant gushing from the punctured rad, hood, fender, bumper- whole front end all bent up and pushed into the driver’s door leading edge so I couldn’t open it…dashed it back home and into my garage. Closed the door and never looked at it again for almost a year- totally demoralized. I vowed then, never to make another piece of jewelry out of a car…
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A lot of builders will do the same, interior included (or full on custom), and then leave the 50+ yo paint alone and just clear coat it for protection…
Yeah, I would have just crawled up in a ball in a corner somewhere and cried like a baby in your case… lol
I have always been more into the performance than the look of a vehicle…
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I’d worry a little about repainting a classic-patina car after watching those shows on tv about antiques who’s value is greatly reduced b/c they’ve been refinished. If a new paint job is needed to renew the rust protecting however, that seems justified.
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That story even depresses me and I am an optimist.
The only windshield I ever replaced was on my 61 Dodge Dart Phoenix. I was pretty broke and bought a used windshield from a junkyard. I used a ton of liquid Ivory dish detergent as lube and sweated bullets the whole time. I will never do another windshield or work on a rusted out exhaust system again. You don’t save much money and the pros do it so much better and quicker.
Brajes are another matter, you save a lot of money and the work is easy and foes not take long. The hardest thing is getting one end of the car up on jack stands…
By the way, the stainless steel exhausts still rust out around here in 10-12 years if a car is used to commutein the winter although people no longer buy a clunker as a winter car.
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Same here. The last straw was a long time ago when I purposely kept my head out from under the car and reached as far as I could to wiggle the pipes and still got rust in my face. I broke that promise once since then and regretted it all over. Replacing a cracked exhaust manifold- that is worth every penny you would pay someone else to do that job. It’s like a simple job replacing a bathroom fixture and the next thing you know, it’s stripped back to the studs trying to get rusty hardware loose…
Not much experience w/exhaust work, but if I had a rusty one that needed fixing, I’d probably start by removing the entire ass’y from the car, from the exhaust manifold to the tailpipe, then replace/fix what needs doing on the workbench.
For a DIY to replace the whole exhaust system has to be done underneath the car unless you have a high lift and you need a two piece tailpipe to get it over the axle.
I would imagine that a factory stainless steel exhaust might outlasythe car outside of the rust belt.
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+1
The only car on which I ever had to do any exhaust work was my POS '74 Volvo, and I had to do it twice, unfortunately. Since that time, I’ve never had to replace any exhaust components on any of my vehicles, and that includes up to 12 years of use in NJ–which does heavily salt the roads in the winter.
It would be fun as an observer to watch the learning curve unfold- the realization of the futility of that approach. Kinda like building a boat in your basement. Now what?
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As a teenager I did some exhaust system work. If the exhaust pipe is bad, muffler and tailpipe good, what would be gained by removing everything to replace the exhaust pipe?
I will still do exhaust work. I grew up working on rusty cars so I have learned the techinques.
Never try and save a sketchy pipe…Change ALL the pipes up to the cat or manifold if needed. Never let a rusty bolt beat you!
A saws-all gets the pipes out of the way. A bolted flange gets the impact wrench… or a cut off wheel…or the blue tip wrench!
Exhaust manifolds always get a more gentle treatment since replacing them can get you in a world of hurt. Lots of penetrating oils. Studs get their nuts cherry’d up with the blue tip wrench so they come off and not break.
Wear safety glasses and gloves. Swear at it like a trucker!
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That approach makes the most sense by my thinking. Cut everything out, then replace with new. It may be possible to retain certain componets of course. The amount of work required under the vehicle must vary quite a bit vehicle to vehicle. My v8 truck’s exhaust system is pretty complicated at the engine end, but very simple after the two banks join together. I’ll grant it may not be possible to wrap it around the axle in one piece. I think my Corolla’s exhaust system might be replaceable in one piece, or at most two pieces. No?