In Episode 16 of Project C10, work gets done on the cab. It takes Rick Drewry and the crew about five hours to install the windshield properly -with three tries to set the glass into place for a perfect fit. Many first-time restorers are surprised that installing a windshield can be one of the most frustrating parts of a restoration. In the episode, Rick gives several tips for installing a windshield successfully, including planning the steps in advance, enlisting the help of other crew members and preparing yourself for the fact that it may take some time -and a little elbow grease- to get the job done right. The Project C10 crew uses that ol’ soapy rope technique, a classic trick for setting a windshield into place smoothly.
Project C10 Tech Tip – Rope Technique Explained
Start with a freshly cleaned windshield that’s totally free of old adhesive and any other debris, with its rubber gasket on. Take a long cotton rope or string – thin, about the size of the string on window blinds – and drench it completely in a mix of water and dish soap. You’ll need at least two or three people to do it right, so get a small group of workers together. Leave about six inches of soapy string free at the start and take it to the inside of the vehicle. Then wrap it tightly into the channel of the vehicle body, starting in the top center and going all the way around until you’re back at the top. Leave about six inches at the finishing end, too. The two 6-inch ends become handles to pull. Now work with your helpers to put the windshield into place, with one person putting pressure on the outside top of the windshield and someone else working from the inside of the vehicle, pulling one end of the rope gently until rubber pops through. The person pulling the rope should move around the windshield slowly, taking out the rope bit by bit, and the windshield should settle into place.
