I needed to replace my windscreen rubber.

I needed to replace my windscreen rubber.
It was leaking badly on the N/S lower corner.

Top right hand corner, showing badly cracked rubber.

Top right hand corner, showing badly cracked rubber.

Close up of lower corner showing rusty water marks.

Close up of lower corner showing rusty water marks.

Inside cab view, water staining can be seen.

Inside cab view, water staining can be seen.

First job remove the interior trim.

First job remove the interior trim.

Having cleaned out the screw heads, it became an easy job.

Having cleaned out the screw heads, it became an easy job.

Trim removed, and as it was raining I was able to watch the water trickle in.

Trim removed, and as it was raining I was able to watch the water trickle in.

Suction cups ready, only the cracked old rubber is holding the glass in.

Suction cups ready, only the cracked old rubber is holding the glass in.

Using a sharp knife I cut away the rubber from the outside.

Using a sharp knife I cut away the rubber from the outside.

The glass came out easily, after cleaning up the glass the new rubber trim was fitted.

The glass came out easily, after cleaning up the glass the new rubber trim was fitted.
The rubber was left slightly longer than needed. Why? because when first fitting it to the glass it always gets stretched. By the time you fit the second rubber down the straight edge the first may well have shrunk back slightly.

Close up picture of rubber trim fitted to the glass.

Close up picture of rubber trim fitted to the glass.

Window opening ready to be treated with an anti-rust coating.

Window opening ready to be treated with an anti-rust coating.

The string was threaded into the rubber and by pulling at right angles the lip flipped over easily.

The string was threaded into the rubber and by pulling at right angles the lip flipped over easily.
I could not take a picture while I was fitting the glass, not enough hands.

An inside view of the fitted glass, yes its now raining very hard.

An inside view of the fitted glass, yes its now raining very hard.

During the fitting of the glass the rubber has moved round the glass.

During the fitting of the glass the rubber has moved round the glass.
Slightly bunched up rubber by the centre pillar. The centre pillar screws were undone/ slackened while the nearside glass was changed. I did not remove the centre bar fully as I was not changing the driver side rubber at this time.

The rubber is slightly short now at the top corner.

The rubber is slightly short now at the top corner.
This is not a problem, using plastic or wooden tools with wedge shaped tips, you can gently "work" the rubber round the glass. Do not use sharp metal or try to use grips to pull the rubber, it will rip. I use old plastic knitting needles with a blunt wedge tip.

Saturday, 21 November 2009

Materials used.



1x length of "U" section 612 for the centre pillar, glass edge. Approx length of 18" inches or 46.5 cms is required.
1x length of screen section 319, this is the same as original apart from being slightly short in height. Approx length of 5' feet or 153 cms. is required.
Current price for profile 319 is £9.70 a metre. Profile 612 is £3.20 a metre.

In the past I have used windscreen section 391, this is the correct height but is a fatter/rounder section as shown and makes the interior trim harder to fit.
Length of string, be very generous, make loops at each end as it can be hard to grip the string with wet soapy hands, once the rubber has been lubricated.
Suitable rubber lubricant, to ease the rubber to flip over the metal body lip. I use washing up liquid practically neat in a small pot and applied to the rubber and metal body edge with a paint brush.
A suction cup to hold the glass or a willing helper to hold and push on command.
Various screw drivers for the trim screws, and tools to clean out the heads of the screws if heavily painted.
Try to do this on a fine day unlike me.
Even with taking pictures and having to clean out all the screw heads, I replaced the nearside windscreen rubber in less than 90 minutes.
You may find or want to, in a "belt and braces" kind of a way, to apply some windscreen sealant to your new rubber. I got some off a windscreen fitter. I was surprised to read on the tube that it was a water based silicon sealant. The two did not seem a good mixture to me and I went on to further read that this product was to be applied only in the dry and was not suitable for use where long periods of water contact was expected. And this is a car windscreen sealer!!
So I chose to apply a smear of black silicon mastic under the outer lip and some in the lower corner. As we have recently had over 30 days of rain, it has so far proven to be water tight.


While you have the glass out do check out the Triplex Logo, from it you can date when the glass was manufactured.

Before January 1969 there was one dot above T, R, E or X gives the quarter of the year the glass was manufactured:T = Jan, Feb, March
R = April, May, June
E = July, Aug, Sept
X = Oct, Nov, Dec
But which year? Nine letters make the word TOUGHENED, so one dot below a letter gives the year of the decade:
T = 1, O = 2, U = 3 and so on. However, if you see no dot (or possibly a dot under a space after the last letter), the year is zero.So you only have to know to the nearest decade the date of manufacture of your vehicle, your glass may tell you more, unless all the glass has been changed at some time!!
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