Date:         Wed, 6 Jan 1999 23:00:45 EST
Reply-To:     Noganav@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Andrew Martin <Noganav@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Windshield leaking/gasket replacement(long)
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

The windshield on my '87 Syncro has been leaking for quite some time and I
finally decided to do something about it.  Upon close inspecting the old
gasket, I found that a small rust spot was developing under the seal so I knew
that it was going to be a little more complicated than just installing a new
seal.

First I ordered a new German windshield seal from The Bus Depot for $49.95.  I
chose to use the smooth California model to eliminate the ugly plastic
moulding that used to look like chrome and now looks like sh*t.  When it
arrived I went to my local NAPA store bought some plastic body filler (Bondo),
automotive primer, and some fancy rust treatment stuff that is supposed to
stop and seal rust forever!  It brushes on white and turns black when it's
dry.  Crazy man!  Another $15.00 for that stuff and I'm ready to go.  Oops,
not quite yet.  I stopped by the local tool rental place and rented two giant
suction cups that are used to install large mirrors and plate glass.  $15.00
for 24 hrs.  Now I'm ready.

To start, I built some staging in front van to allow me to stand at reasonable
height relative to the windshield.  A step ladder on each side and a 2x10x8
plank between the two worked great.  I then attached the suction cups to the
exterior side of the windshield about 2/3rds up and each about a foot from
center.  Then I got my brother to start pushing the windshield from the inside
while pealing and holding the inside of the seal away from the frame with some
plastic stick like things used for taking bicycle tires off the rim.  With the
top part of the seal pulled back from the frame, I was able to pull the
windshield out with the suction cups.  Fast and easy!  I set the windshield
glass safely aside and started looking at the now exposed windshield frame.
It looked pretty good except for the rust spot I mentioned earlier.  The paint
was worn off in most places that the seal covered but the primer seemed to be
protecting the steel frame from rusting.  Now I have to fix the rust spot.
I started by poking at the spot with a screwdriver until I had removed the
loose stuff.  Next I used emery cloth to sand the spot until all but the
deepest pits were removed.  Then I used a dentist pick to dig out as much crud
as possible.  By now the rust spot has grown into a hole the size of a pencil
eraser with some shallow pitting around it.  To finalize the cleaning I used a
wire wheel in an electric drill to buff the area shiny.

Patching the hole.  I used a clean plastic yogurt cup to put some of the fancy
rust treatment stuff in and then brushed the area heavily with it.  I tried to
force plenty of the rust treatment stuff into the inside of the hole.  After
applying two coats as directed, I let it turn purplish/black and dry for about
45 minutes.  I then mixed a small amount of Bondo, over filled the hole and
spread some over the pitted areas.  Before it set up completely, I started to
carve the patch close to the right shape.  After it was set up completely I
sanded the patch smooth and began masking off the dashboard and painted body
panels.  I used an old blanket to cover the interior of the van and used
magnets to hold it to the top of the dashboard.  Masking tape wouldn't stick.
With everything I didn't want primed well covered I sprayed on three light
coats of primer and let it dry for about an hour and a half.  When I came back
from lunch I was ready to replace the windshield!

I used two saw horses with old blankets on them to lay the windshield down
flat.
After removing on the old seal and cleaning the edges of the glass, I
installed the seal on to the glass.  While it was still laying across the
horses, I took some 1/4" nylon rope and slipped it into the frame groove of
the seal - starting in the middle of the bottom and ending in the same spot.
I left about a foot or so hanging out to hang on to when the time comes.  I
also used some silicone lube to make pushing to rope into the slot easier.
With the rope in place and my suction cups still firmly attached, I set the
lower end of the seal and windshield into the frame first.  My brother was now
on the inside of the van holding the rope ends and I was outside the van
holding the suction cups and windshield.  While I pushed the seal and glass
down towards the bottom of the frame he began to pull on the ends of the rope
evenly towards the sides of the frame bringing the inside lip of the seal with
it.  He slowly worked the rope around the frame until he got to the top of the
sides.  At this point, the outside top of the seal was sticking up too far to
go in so I pushed down firmly on the edge of the seal and glass until there
was enough clearance for the whole thing to drop into the frame.  Finally,
with him pulling on both ends of the rope at the same time and me pushing
firmly on the suction cups on the outside it dropped right into place!

I didn't try to repaint the patched area because I don't have any paint that
color paint and 95% of the primed area is under the new seal and hardly shows.
(I also used dark grey primer.)  I hope to get some other areas of the van
painted soon and I'll deal with it then.

I was really surprised how easy this job was.  With patching, priming, and
drying time it took about a day to complete.  The suction cups grabbed the
window super tight and were well worth renting.  Having complete control of
the glass when it was out was a big relief.  The new seal was much stiffer
than the old so removing it was probably a little easier than normal.  The
edges of the headliner didn't get back under the seal properly but I was able
to tuck it in with a flexable putty knife after everything was in place.

No leaks so far!!  Now to pull up the carpets and get everything dry one last
time!!

Andrew