Windshield Seal leaks when raining

[darth_linux]

Hi

The windshield on my '66 Newport leaks at the bottom when it is raining. I get little pools of water at the seal where it meets the dash pad. Not a lot, but enough to drip down and potentially ruin the carpet (again).

I'm worried about the windshield breaking when removing it to replace the seal. Is this a tough windshield to remove? Do I take it to a place like SafeLite, or find some "old school" window shop to do the work?

It's a 2 door hardtop. I understand 4 door sedan windshields are unavailable, but what about the 2 door glass?

 

[57fury440]

Maybe it can be sealed without removing it. If it is a small leak you may be able to get it fixed. I would take it to a good glass place and see if they can do it.

 

[sixpkrt]

Has the windshield been out before? Maybe not sealed properly when reinstalled.
If not, there is likely a rust issue going on that is causing the leak and could turn into a bigger project than anticipated.
FWIW, the local Safelite wouldn't do a windshield replacement on my 71 NYer, so I took it to a local shop that specialized in older cars.

 

[cbarge]

Hi

The windshield on my '66 Newport leaks at the bottom when it is raining. I get little pools of water at the seal where it meets the dash pad. Not a lot, but enough to drip down and potentially ruin the carpet (again).

I'm worried about the windshield breaking when removing it to replace the seal. Is this a tough windshield to remove? Do I take it to a place like SafeLite, or find some "old school" window shop to do the work?

It's a 2 door hardtop. I understand 4 door sedan windshields are unavailable, but what about the 2 door glass?

On your '66, if you are replacing the seal, remove all window trim.
It is best to cut the seal around the glass on the outside and remove the windshield.
No cracking guaranteed.
Remove the remains of the gasket and clean around the perimeter. Pay attention to the corners.
Slabs are known to rust across the top above the gasket and in the left lower corner.
The corners where the gasket meets the car must be clean and use a urethane sealant to reduce any chances of leaks.

For installation, find somebody who has done old school auto glass installations.
The gasket goes on the windshield first and the assembly goes back in the car using a rope to curl the gasket onto the lip.
Once installed, do not put the trim back on just yet!
Wait a few days and check for any water leaks. You can buy a clear liquid style windshield sealant if needed.
I have been through this on the 66 300 and 68 Newport.
hope this helps.

 

[darth_linux]

thanks everyone for the responses. For now, since I don't want to go down the rust rabbit hole, I'm going to keep it covered and not expose it to rain. Once I locate a competent installer, I'll take the plunge and see what lies beneath the surface.

The gasket looks original to me - very old and tired looking, and is seeping at the bottom in a couple of places. Hopefully not rust!

 

[bigmoparjeff]

The original Chrysler seal is pretty robust. The most common failure is the sealer between the gasket and the glass or the sealer between the gasket and the body. The slab sides usually don't rust bad around the windshield, unless someone has been in there before and gouged up the paint, or if it's a vinyl top car and the rust is creeping from under the top. Check out this older thread about resealing a windshield. It might be all you need to do. The problem with the slabs is getting the trim off without destroying it. Sometimes, you end up having to cut away the gasket to get the trim off.

Will Permatex 81730 flowable silicone fog up my original glass more?

If I use something like Permatex 81730 will the acidic nature of the silicone make my original glass fog between the layers more? I've always heard to never use any sealer that "smells like vinegar" on this classic glass and it could lead to problems. I would like to stay away from urethane in...

www.forcbodiesonly.com

Hardtop glass is readily available.


And yes, this is generally not a job for SafeLite.


Jeff

 

[HWYCRZR]

When I had my new windshield installed on my ‘68 it leaked between the seal and glass because the installer didn’t follow the recommended procedure in the manual and with the replacements seal to use a clear sealer in between the glass and rubber seal. The water would run down the glass into the seal and come through on the inside. I made him come back and re-install with the sealer. Following the instructions fixed the leak.