Windshield Replacement DIY

[StereoInstaller1]

Does anyone have a linkie to a decent DIY guide?

Yes, I searched...the search engine here blows.

Thanks!

Luke

[PУCCKAЯ_e30ka]

don't want to jack this thread.. but I've heard that you can somehow get m3 windshield and it will make the front end body firmer... wouldn't flex as much... correct me if i'm wrong

[92 mtechnic cabrio]

I heard that somewhere to. Like, the glass is thicker?

[BahnE30]

IIRC the glass is the same, just the way it's mounted, as in, in an M3 it's a stressed memeber, and in the regular E30 it's free floating... not worth the time or effort if you ask me.

[formula driver]

No diy guide for doing the f/r windsheilds huh?

[1991 318is]

Diy.

Buy a gasket sealstrip tool.
http://www.monstronix.com/lis47000-p-54096.html
Lube the strip so it comes out easily. Then remove the glass. Get 1 or people to help you so you don't break it. Or, pay a free lance glass installer to do it for cash.

[formula driver]

Thanks man...

[///M42 sport]

the lockstrip is the only thing holding the glass in place. After that its a simple pop out/in of windshield.

[Lair]

The M3 windshield is a completely different shape/size and is mounted directly to the body via a structural adhesive.

It's impossible to use the M3 w/s on a regular E30 without changing the windshield frame.

When removing or installing the E30 windshield, you'll need two tools. One is called a "cotter key extractor" and is available at any decent Sears tool department.

The other is a lockstrip installer, and the best version is the one that was desgined for 1973-1987 GM pickup trucks.

Lockstrip tool:


Cotter key extrcator (or 'hook' tool):


If you buy the cotter key tool new, be sure to file down the end of it. It WILL make holes in your w/s seal, your paint, your headliner, and your hands if it slips. You will also need to file down the edge of the tang that hangs off the lockstrip tool. Brand new tools tend to scratch plastic lockstrips, so you'll need to fake some wear.

To remove the glass:

1. Remove wipers.

2. Use hook tool to GENTLY pry the aluminum joint from the bottom of the lockstrip. By "GENTLY" I mean "DON'T BEND IT."

3. Use hook tool to separate the joint piece from the plastic lockstrip. It should slide off easily.

4. Slowly pull the lockstrip away from the seal.

5. Once the lockstrip is out, use the hook tool to gently lift the seal lip away from the glass. While holding the lip up, spray glass cleaner underneath it. Lube the entire top and sides of the seal with the glass cleaner.

6. While standing beside the car with the door open, hold the top corner of the lip up with the hook while pushing GENTLY on the glass from the inside. Once you get the top corner of the glass outside the seal, slowly and GENTLY push the glass out of the seal from the inside.

7. Close the door, and pull the top of the glass a few inches away from the body.

8. Pick up the glass from the side, and lift it a few inches away from the bottom of the seal. Use the other hand to pick up the bottom of the glass and remove it from the car.

9. Clean the glass groove part of the seal and allow it to dry. Now would be a good time to remove all those pens, coins, parking tickets, and half-eaten cheeseburgers from the recesses of your dashboard. Don't forget the Low-Sheen Armor-All.


To install the glass:

1. Clean the new glass inside and out.

2. Pick up the new w/s with one hand underneath, and one hand on the side. GENTLY place the glass into the bottom seal groove. Lay the glass GENTLY against the outside of the seal.

3. GENTLY slide the glass across the car until the far side enters the seal groove.

4. This is the tricky part: Using the hook tool, GENTLY and SLOWLY lift the outer edge of the seal up and over the glass edge. It's best to start at the bottom and work your way all the way around the top and down the other side. Most of the bottom glass edge will already be in the groove, so you'll only have to sorry about the top & sides. This part of the procedure is where most people get it wrong and break the glass or rip the seal. Take your time.

5. Install the lockstrip. Use the passenger side wiper post as a guide to center the strip. Start at the bottom by the wiper post and work to one side. (Helps to leave the strip out in the sun for a while before you start.)

5a. Using the lockstrip tool, slide the strip all the way into the seal opening and then install the aluminum joint piece. If you're using a new lockstrip, you may have to trim the ends of the lockstrip so that there's a half-inch gap between the two ends.
Leave the ends of the lockstrip hanging out so that you can slide the new aluminum joint over the ends. Using the hook tool, finish installing the aluminum joint down into the lockstrip groove.

6. Install wipers

7. Clean glass and seal thoroughly.

8. Worship me quietly.

Any questions?

Bonus: If any of you cabrio drivers need a w/s, find a sympathetic glass man who will use your old mirror bracket and install a regular sedan w/s in your cabrio hole. You'll save at least $150. The windshields are interchangeable except for the mirror bracket. No one will ever know the difference.

(Except for those pathetic souls who will notice the clear glue in place of the OEM black.) Who cares what they think, anyway? All the normal people will be too busy admiring your new glass to notice.

Sorry I didn't get to this sooner. I forgot that I'd registered here, and kept trying to re-register. Only took me 2 days to figure it out.

[Mot]

sticky worthy

[formula driver]

Hell yea dude...thanks alot. That write up deffinatly deserves props. Where can i get that lockstrip tool?

[Dave]

Any auto parts store worth a shit - or Harbor Freight.

It s a job so easy you dont need a write up - unless you are the kind of person who needs a write up to change the oil.

[Lair]

Hell yea dude...thanks alot. That write up deffinatly deserves props. Where can i get that lockstrip tool?

I've seen them at Harbor Freight, but you'll need to modify it a bit to make it work.

The OEM BMW lockstrip is wider than the opening in the tool, so you'll need to use a rat tail file or dremel to make the hole slightly wider.

My g/f needs a new w/s in her '91 E30 cab, so I'll post some pics of the process when I do it. Pics are indeed worth 1000 words.

[2002maniac]

great write up lair!

[38927]

eh..?