My 54 Belvedere, and windshield questions

[moose]

I haven't posted in a while, but there is at least one other thread about this car.  I have owned it since December 1989.  It is my first car, got it when I was 17.  Two years ago I had a fire under the hood.  Not big enough to cause a lot of problems, but enough that I decided it was finally time to do a mostly full "restoration."  I disassembled everything, stripped most of it, then took it to a good paint shop.  Picked it up last December, and now have it mostly put back together. 

 

I have driven it around the block, and hoped to drive to my local glass shop to have the windshield and rear window installed professionally.  When I talked to him about doing the job, he seemed enthusiastic, and knowledgeable.  I dropped off all the parts(windshields, weatherstripping, and stainless) yesterday waiting for a call telling me to bring the car.  Went by the shop this morning and he told me he wasn't sure how to do it and afraid to try.  I've got the manual and instructions, and have read everything about it, and now have the weatherstrip installed on each of the glasses.

 

Question for anyone who has done this on a 53-54 car.

Do I need to put the stainless on before I rope the windshield(or rear window) per the manual?  I've built a stand to hold the window vertical, which makes it a bit easier, but it's still quite difficult to get the stainless in place.

 

How hard is it to install the stainless after the windows are in place?

 

Thanks for any info.

 

 

 

[Ivan_B]

Did you guys already watch the instructions?

 

[FarmerJon]

I have only installed a 2 piece flat windshield once, so I cant give specific advice, but I recall that multiple friends are a big asset to the task.

 

Some pizza, cigars, beer, whatever you have to do to get some extra hands will be well worth it.

 

Go slow and be patient, you can make it happen. Good luck!

 

[Ivan_B]

23 minutes ago, FarmerJon said:

Some pizza, cigars, beer, whatever you have to do to get some extra hands will be well worth it.

Sorry for the off-topic, but this reminds me of the add I saw on Craigslist: 🤣

[moose]

Thanks for the video.  Always fun to watch those.  They were working on a 55, which is slightly different, with the locking strip on the outside and the weatherstrip gets installed on the car first.  My book shows the strip gets put on the glass first.  They did show the stainless going on after the glass, so I think I can do it that way.

 

I'm open to suggestions!

[Ivan_B]

So, yours must be similar to the older 2-piece setup, then?

 

[Kilgore47]

Very nice car and awesome engine.  Maybe those engine bay pictures are from before the fire.  But if you leave that plastic fuel filter that close to the exhaust manifold you are going to have another fire.  The plastic will melt and spill gas all over.  I suggest at least changing it to a metal filter.  Dual glass bowls at the carbs would look good.

[Ivan_B]

This was discussed many times. An automotive fuel filter plastic is not expected to melt unless it is physically touching the exhaust. In addition, even if it does, the gasoline is not expected to ignite when spilled over the exhaust either. I am certainly not denying the possibility of the aforementioned events happening, but the probability of the same is probably similar to the OEM setup

[moose]

The engine pictures are current, but it's not done under the hood.  Planning on using a fuel block and hard lines.  I set that up before I was able to find the right fittings to use on the hard lines.  The filter is in a temporary position.

 

As an update, I have been able to put some of the stainless on the strips that are on the glass.  Slow going and hard on the hands.

[Ivan_B]

Did you lubricate the rubber with soapy water, as they show in the video? 😏

[moose]

Yesterday I spent the better part of the day working the trim into place. The soapy water makes it easier, but not easy.  No pictures yet.  Maybe I'll get some help over the weekend.  Today I go to work at the brewery.

[Kilgore47]

22 hours ago, Ivan_B said:

An automotive fuel filter plastic is not expected to melt unless it is physically touching the exhaust

I had a plastic filter melt and deform when mounted in a similar location.   I replaced it with a metal filter and moved it to a better location.  You are probably correct about the fuel not igniting when it hits the manifold.  But it will boil off quickly and then the area under the hood will be filled with gasoline vapor.  That vapor will ignite.  A small fault in the ignition system can cause that.  

[kencombs]

On 4/19/2024 at 8:11 AM, Kilgore47 said:

I had a plastic filter melt and deform when mounted in a similar location.   I replaced it with a metal filter and moved it to a better location.  You are probably correct about the fuel not igniting when it hits the manifold.  But it will boil off quickly and then the area under the hood will be filled with gasoline vapor.  That vapor will ignite.  A small fault in the ignition system can cause that.  

Doesn't even require a fault.   The points in a stock ignition system, brushes in starter and/or generator will provide a spark.   Gas leak from any source on a hot engine, followed by  a shut down and restart are the worst case situation.   Leaking gas vaporizes, no fan moving air,  heavy vapor accumulates in the engine compartment, then a restart creates the spark.  Especially risky if one parks in a garage.

 

Not a common situation, but one I would take care not to have occur.

[Sam Buchanan]

On 4/19/2024 at 5:42 AM, moose said:

Yesterday I spent the better part of the day working the trim into place. The soapy water makes it easier, but not easy.  No pictures yet.  Maybe I'll get some help over the weekend.  Today I go to work at the brewery.

 

I recently replaced the windshield in the '69 Beetle. A bottle of KY Lube from the local drug store turned out to be a superb windshield molding lube. It also triggered several off-topic comments from bystanders......

Edited April 20 by Sam Buchanan

[Sam Buchanan]

On 4/19/2024 at 8:11 AM, Kilgore47 said:

I had a plastic filter melt and deform when mounted in a similar location.   I replaced it with a metal filter and moved it to a better location. 

 

There is no rational reason for having a plastic filter in proximity to the exhaust manifold. I don't even like having a metal filter in that location because it can absorb heat which is transferred to the fuel (vapor lock). There are locations that are much better suited for a filter.

[moose]

On 4/19/2024 at 9:11 AM, Kilgore47 said:

I had a plastic filter melt and deform when mounted in a similar location.   I replaced it with a metal filter and moved it to a better location.  You are probably correct about the fuel not igniting when it hits the manifold.  But it will boil off quickly and then the area under the hood will be filled with gasoline vapor.  That vapor will ignite.  A small fault in the ignition system can cause that.  

The filter is far from the headers.  The pipe that it is close to is an intake runner, and when the engine is running those runners stay very cold.  That's why I built it like that.  Cold air is denser and allows more power to be made.  The long runners introduce a ram effect on the intake charge and produce more power.

 

This was a question about installing the windshield and rear window.

[moose]

As an update, the windshield is in.  My son and I waited for a warm sunny day and were able to get it in, stainless and all.  The back window is a lot harder, the rubber is not giving enough to allow the glass to seat.  The sharp curves don't work well with the extruded rubber.  If it was molded, it might be a little easier.

 

I'm still looking for a glass shop to give it a try.  Hopefully I can get it taken care of soon.

[RobertKB]

Good job on the windshield! The back window can be a b****r! A glass shop did mine when I replaced the headliner years ago. 

[Ivan_B]

I suspect that most shops would not want to touch it. First of all, this is not something they are familiar with (extra time, labor, not profit-efficient). And second, if they brake it, they do not want to be responsible

Do you have some corrosion issues above the rear glass? You should probably fix those before installing the glass. The metal lip underneath the moldings is often rusted.