Windshield Removal

[whtailhunter319]

i need to remove my windshield or at least the trim to clean up the rust and paint the roof. I have a 1996 Ranger extended cab 4 liter. Ive never messed with a ford windshield before. Im assuming by looking at it that the moulding is what locks the windshield in place as well??? If so is the seal usually resuable or would i be better of purchasing a new one, if no any suggested retailers??? Any removal tips???

 

[Loanranger]

That windshield should be urethaned in, the trim should just be clipped, and possibly riveted in on the sides? You will be better off just pulling the trim, and leaving the glass in. Otherwise, it would be best to have a glass company come out to remove and install.

 

[Joe400]

pull the moulding off from around the outer edge of the windshield and have you and another person work a piece of piano wire in between the windshield and the cab to cut through the seal material. its a one time only operation, the seal can't be reused.

 

[ZMan]

Just give your local glass company a call and they'll pull it out for you.

 

[Loanranger]

pull the moulding off from around the outer edge of the windshield and have you and another person work a piece of piano wire in between the windshield and the cab to cut through the seal material. its a one time only operation, the seal can't be reused.

Why would you go through the trouble of doing this when you can't reinstall it? Urethaned windshields are a structural part of the body, and if you try to glue it back in any other way than with urethane, you are putting yourself and anybody riding in your truck in jeopardy.

 

[Joe400]

i was saying the windshield is glued, not bolted in so it will need new sealant to hold it in place. Once you break that seal it will leak, you need to remove the entire windshield, scrape off any old sealant and glue the new windshield in. I just replaced the windshield in my ranger. trust me, i'm not a newbie

 

[cNo7]

It's urethaned to the vehicle. Removal of the windshield means an inevitable replacement of the glass. Ford has a knack of setting their truck windshields incredibly close to the body, so self-removal will end in screwing up your glass. It's really a crap-shoot for an auto glass company to remove it in one piece. If they CAN, then you'll definitely need to replace the molding (NAGS part #WFS 1317)....and then applaud them. I've been doing auto glass for 5 years and have yet to save a Ranger windshield.

As stated above...do NOT try to replace/reseal this glass on your own unless you're an experience glass technician. Urethaned glass is part of the structural integrity of the vehicle....so for safety's sake (as well as potential leaks)...take it to a glass shop when you need to get a windshield installed. Make SURE they prime the pinchwelds!!!!

 

[Teoma]

how tough is it to do an 84? I have to do the exact same thing with some reconstruction in the one corner where the rust has made a nice hole. Is the 84 a gasket or glue in?

 

[Patriot1776]

I'm pretty sure they are all glue in, I could be wrong but I've never seen one that wasn't glued in except on 70's and older vehicles. I came here to find out the method of removal for the same reason others have posted. I have a leaking windshield and need to remove it, do some body work and paint before having the NEW windshield put in. I'm thinking now that I have read this thread that I will have a glass guy come out and pull the glass so I can do the body work.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Mark_88]

I tried pulling a windshield out of my Zuki using the piano wire but I ended up breaking the glass part way through...it is not as easy as it sounds even for a glass specialist...but they have other tools that might help...like those suction cups on arms that help lift the glass out...

I'd be prepared to replace the glass just in case...

 

[CaymenBlueLongRanger]

i need to remove my windshield or at least the trim to clean up the rust and paint the roof. I have a 1996 Ranger extended cab 4 liter. Ive never messed with a ford windshield before. Im assuming by looking at it that the moulding is what locks the windshield in place as well??? If so is the seal usually resuable or would i be better of purchasing a new one, if no any suggested retailers??? Any removal tips???

I'm in the same predicament - and there is NO easy or cheap way out. The 2nd gen Rangers use an "encapsulated" glass. You cannot buy the windshield without the trim, or the trim without the glass, and it is virtually impossible to remove the windsheild or trim without destroying either the windsheild or the truck (or both). My glass guy has been doing it for over 35 years and he says he has NEVER seen one successfully removed in one piece. If you need to do body work around the windshield price a new windsheild and installation into the cost of the job. (the quip about destroying the truck or both is to say even cutting the truck away from the windshield to salvage just the glass is most likely to also destroy the windshield)

 

[RobbieD]

New replacement auto glass is not horribly expensive. Even though I try to do all of my own work, in this case I would call around and at least look at the cost of a new windshield, installed, with a warranty. Having the old one pulled to do the needed work and the new installed after, should be workable.

 

[Trevorrudai]

I pulled one from a junkyard out, first try. It was a workout for sure, but it wasn’t hard to figure out or anything. All in all, I would rate windshield replacement as much more of a labor job, than a know how job no doubt

 

[Dirtman]

Windshields are made of liquid.

 

[DILLARD000]

Windshields are made of liquid.

SuperCool!