How difficult to remove and refit a windscreen?

[rcx132]

Soon I will be blasting my stripped down car body and thought that if I remove the windscreen then I won't need to worry about masking it off and I can paint epoxy under the windscreen as well. Some of the blasting I need to do is quite near the windscreen so I would need to mask it with plywood even.

This is an old Suzuki. I can see that the windscreen sits on two plastic snails which let you adjust the height of the screen in the recess.

The glue is available on eBay.

I've got some Sealey windscreen removal tools:

And also some windscreen removal wire:

 

[steveo3002]

put it this way..how much is a new one?

should be able to do it if youre carefull , the cheese wire method is less likley to crack it , but see if new ones are available and affordable first

some windscreen firms might do you a cash deal to r&r if you ask around , local bodyshop might have a firm they use

 

[Robotstar5]

The PU will be very difficult to cut as it will be well cured by now. The first tool is likely to crack the glass. You will also need a pair of vacuum cups to position the screen. Best advice is to contact a local screen fitter.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

I did an MGBGT and although getting the screen out was easy replacing it was tough, apparently they are notoriously difficult to fit.
Might be worth asking on a Suzuki forum, if there is one, to find out how hard it is to do on your vehicle.

 

[chevy2]

Call in a local screen fitter, (not the big autoglass groups)
They're normally quite cheap and far less chance of it being broken.

 

[hal 1]

I've done this once, unfortunately I broke the screen getting it out, had to have it replaced by windscreen company on the insurance !

 

[CompoSimmonite]

What model Suzuki ?

 

[rcx132]

What model Suzuki ?

It's a Vitara. Last time cost me £120 to replace.

Ok so it sounds like not an easy job. So I will mask it.

Thanks for tips

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

Just make sure to budget for a new screen. My convoy screen came out easy. (Rubber seal) getting it back in was another matter. Cracked and new one fitted by a pro.

 

[mechman]

Call in a local screen fitter, (not the big autoglass groups)
They're normally quite cheap and far less chance of it being broken.

As above get the local screen fitters no messing.

 

[Turbo]

Been there, tried that & failed both times, breaking the windscreens in the process. Now I just get the local windscreen fitter to do the job.

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

I bought one of these tool kits to get my merc windscreen out, result was a total fail, there was no way I could cut through the screen adhesive. So I got a windscreen fitter in, he was a big guy and he too couldn't do it with the cutter, he had to call in a colleague and in the end it took a total of two hours to get out and the windscreen was destroyed.

 

[Nick67GT]

I did an MGBGT and although getting the screen out was easy replacing it was tough, apparently they are notoriously difficult to fit.

That's a job I've got to do on my project in the not too distant future.....

 

[Wendelspanswick]

To be fair getting the screen in wasn't too bad, it was the chrome filler trim that was the nightmare.

 

[lexi]

Boy did a quarter panel on a Vel Satis for me. He worked for one of the big boys and did a homer on mine.
**** hot he was in taking door panels and mechs out that he had not even seen before. Reasonable and under an hour.
The boys are usually looking for cash jobs.

 

[indy4x]

To be fair getting the screen in wasn't too bad, it was the chrome filler trim that was the nightmare.

Been there and it's a pig of a job

 

[rcx132]

So decided to risk it and remove the windscreen as it was getting in the way of blasting and painting. The cheese wire got it out, only issue was it scraped and chipped the edge of the glass but no biggie.

So how come some cars are difficult like the MGB that @Wendelspanswick was saying? Mine just has a channel and looks easy enough to refit.

A bit of rust was starting under the windscreen so glad I removed it.

 

[Robotstar5]

The screen in Mrs Robo's Vitara started to delaminate, so after a brick hit one day it was replaced by insurance.

 

[brightspark]

The screen in Mrs Robo's Vitara started to delaminate, so after a brick hit one day it was replaced by insurance.[/QUOTEthe good lord works in mysterious ways my windscreen was burnt by someone cutting iron guttering with a stihlsaw a month later someone pulled out across me and hit the front end and a pebble came up and cracked the screen how lucky was that

 

[Wendelspanswick]

When I was a teenager my friends Dad had reversed his mark 2 cortina into a post and cracked the rear light cluster, as he was pulling up to a scrap yard to get a replacement a post office van went straight into the back of him and wrote the whole car off!