Removing glass from '35-'36 windshield frame
 

It has finally become necessary for me to remove and replace the original glass in the windshield of my '35 fordor sedan. This is an EFV8C/A Rouge Class car so I have avoided making any unnecessary changes but the time has definitely come for reasons of safety and appearance. I've gotten pretty good at removing the windshield assembly from the car and know I need to remove the four little screws on each side of the frame, but how do you get that 77 year old glass out of the frame without breaking the glass or bending the frame? I'm thinking I want to keep this glass as a pattern to use for cutting new glass. Is there anything I can do to the original glass bedding to make it easy to separate the old glass from the frame? I would appreciate any thoughts or personal experience anyone may have on how to do this. Thank you!

Re: Removing glass from '35-'36 windshield frame
 

Soak each side in a bath of Kroil or Gibbs.Good for other than rust sometimes.

Re: Removing glass from '35-'36 windshield frame
 

JM . Have you considered buying a frame with good glass and putting the original
on the shop wall?
Brian

Re: Removing glass from '35-'36 windshield frame
 

For my 1939 pickup, I ordered glass from Vintage in Conn. When the new glass arrived, I laid the new glass on the window frame to check for the proper size and shape. I tried to remove the glass from the frame without breaking it, but that was nearly impossible. When I got the two halves of the frame separated, I had to take a long thin screwdriver and work it between the glass and the frame. This causes chips of glass to fly, so wear safety goggles.

Re: Removing glass from '35-'36 windshield frame
 

I took a block of wood and qently pounded around and around and around and finally it came loose. Dave/Green Bay

Re: Removing glass from '35-'36 windshield frame
 

Soak one side with transmission fluid. Take single edge razor blade laid flat against the glass. With a block of wood GENTLY tap the blade about 1/8 inch into the gap all the way around the frame. This allows some deeper penetration of the fluid. Wait a day and repeat the tapping. Gently, no more than 1/8 inch. By the third or fourth day taping should get you to the end of the glass.

Turn it over and repeat on the other side. Then try tapping the block of wood directly on the frame, GENTLY all around.

Heck, in just a week or two it might actually work.

Re: Removing glass from '35-'36 windshield frame
 

I thought that glass made the car when you was up to my place a few weeks a go. I hate to see it go. Walt

Re: Removing glass from '35-'36 windshield frame
 

Thanks for your suggestions guys. I'll probably give all of these ideas a try. I can remember taking one apart years ago using too much force which changed the contour enough to prevent the new glass from fitting properly.

Brian, I hadn't thought about making this windshield a wall hanger. It is a very nice frame with no rust or any other damage. I have another equally good windshield also with fogged and cracked glass that I will try getting apart first. If that comes apart ok maybe I will hang the original one on the garage wall.

Re: Removing glass from '35-'36 windshield frame
 

Thanks for your comments Walt. I felt the same way when I got this car in 2007 but it's really getting tough to see through it now. It seems like it gets a bit worse every time I drive it. I am planning for a cross country tour next June and it would be nice to have full vision for that much driving.

Re: Removing glass from '35-'36 windshield frame
 

JM, some of the glass guys I used to know would pour lighter fluid around the edge of the frame to soften the setting tape. Take out the four screws and use kroil or trans fluid ( I have also used Lock-Ease for this) to break the rust that holds the square bars in the frame. I would soak it for a day or two. You can also use a propane torch to apply a small amount of heat to the frame in the area of the screws. Get a block of wood and put it against the frame lip and tap it with a hammer. Rotate the block from side to side and repeat on the top edge of the frame. It will take a while , but it will eventually come apart without breaking the glass. I did this last year with a 37 frame and saved the glass for re-use.

Re: Removing glass from '35-'36 windshield frame
 

Hey John, I hear a screwdriver and a hammer works real good on those 35 windows. I too will miss that w/s, and you moving around to try to see. Seriously the best advice is to take your time, soak it, tap it, sooner or later it will part. Good luck,Chuck S.

Re: Removing glass from '35-'36 windshield frame
 

I bet you will find some rust when the glass is removed.

Re: Removing glass from '35-'36 windshield frame
 

The suggestions you folks gave me for removing glass from a '35-'36 windshield frame were brilliant!! I sprayed liberal amounts of PB Blaster where glass meets frame on both sides, where frame halves are joined together with bars and screws, and also around the 77 year old outer sealing gasket. I let that soak for 24 hours and repeated this again with another application of PB and let that soak for another 12 hours. Took a single edge razor blade and ran that between the glass and the frame as deep as it would go into the old setting tape. Removed all the screws with the help of a hand held impact driver. Placed the wooden block on the inside glass surface, against the bottom of the frame where the curve section starts to run straight and began lightly hammered on the block with a rubber hammer. After about 1/16" of separation between those halves, I went to the other side of the frame and did the same thing. After getting some separation on the other side, I kept going back and forth on each side until I got complete separation of the frame from the glass. The glass is intact and looks like it will make a nice pattern for cutting new glass. Next step will be cleaning out the inner and outer channels of the frame and getting it ready for reassembly.

Attached are a few pictures. The first picture shows the fogged condition of the glass that's in the car now. The second and third pictures show the spare frame that I have (also with fogged and cracked glass) after getting it apart.

Thanks again for all the great tips!!

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e1...r/DSC03330.jpg

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e1...r/DSC03329.jpg

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e1...r/DSC03328.jpg

Re: Removing glass from '35-'36 windshield frame
 

That was waaaaaay too easy! DD

Re: Removing glass from '35-'36 windshield frame
 

John,
Congrrats. Love that workbench....It is the perfect size for the job. Do you have plans for that?..........lol
Is it a couple of pallets?
Bruce in CT

Re: Removing glass from '35-'36 windshield frame
 

Brian, It's just an old handmade job site workbench that my neighbor had and wanted to get rid of. It is made from 2x4's and a piece of 3/4" plywood for the top. It's on wheels so I can push it around on the driveway. It just sits outside and gets used for various little projects like this that I can do outside the garage when the weather is nice.

Re: Removing glass from '35-'36 windshield frame
 

John, you were definitely due for new glass. To get all the old rubber gasket out of the frame I have used a dental pick. The angled ones allow you to get into all the grooves. To install the new gasket you can use some dish soap or rubber lubricant. I used the Drake gasket and it fit excellent. Hopefully they still have it in stock or one of the vendors have it.

Re: Removing glass from '35-'36 windshield frame
 

Nice job John. No broken or mangled pieces. You do realize it will be like driving a different car with the new glass in.:D

Re: Removing glass from '35-'36 windshield frame
 

JOHN,check your PM's. ken ct.:)

Re: Removing glass from '35-'36 windshield frame
 

While shopping for glass, maybe you should take that door glass along. You're car will like new, and on the tours you'll see so much more. Great job John, Chuck S.