This is an instructional document on the methods that I have found successful in installing window glass in Air Cooled VW's. I can make no guarantees as to your success.

The first step is to remove the existing glass. If you are trying to save the glass, I suggest that you cut the old weather strip with a razor knife and buy a new weather strip. There are several different versions, so be sure you have the right one for your model/year.

If you cannot find a new weather strip, you can remove the glass and weather strip together, but I can make no guarantees as to success. First, try and soften the rubber. I have found that GoJo hand cleaner with lanolin and no pumis works best. It will not stain upholstery, and washes off with water.

You do not want to try to remove the chrome trim before removing the glass. Leave it in place. I think this is where some people get into trouble and damage the trim.

Remove the interior mirror to get it out of the way when doing a windshield. Use a thin, flexible putty knife, and start at the middle/top/inside of the windshield. Gently start prying on the rubber flange that holds the windshield in. Work it slowly all the way around, equally working in both directions starting from the middle, while applying gentle pressure out. Do not apply excessive pressure at any one point.
DO NOT RUSH THIS JOB!

Once the window is out, lay it down on a clean work bench, outside down. Now you can remove the weatherstrip and trim from the glass. Clean all the groves and channels of dirt and broken slivers of glass. Install the rubber onto the new glass and hold it temporarily in place with masking tape. Now start the process of reinstalling the trim. THE TRIM DOES GO IN BEFORE INSTALLING THE GLASS. Leave the center joiner clips slid off to one side of the joint. Be sure that everything is centered on the glass. Hold everything in place with masking tape. Leave the tape in place. It can be removed after the window is in place.

Now comes the secret! Lay a piece of 18-20 gage vinyl coated stranded electrical wire (DO NOT USE STRING OR MASON'S LINE, IT WILL CUT THE RUBBER) into the groove that holds the window in place, with the 2 ends over lapping at the bottom center of the glass. Leave a couple feet extra hanging out. Coat the entire outer surface to the weather strip with the same GoJo hand cleaner. This is going to work as a lubricant while reinstalling the window.

With the help of a friend, set the window back into the opening with the wire ends on the inside. Try to set the window so that the bottom weather strip will start back over the flange on the body. Don't worry about the top for now. With your friend gently applying pressure from the outside, start pulling on the ends of the wire, alternating back and forth to get the window started in the center, working towards the corners. When you get to the lower corners, stop, and go to the outside, and start slapping the window with your open palm in a downward motion, to help settle it onto the lower flange. As it settles on the flange, the top will start to line up.

With the lower flange started, now start working up the sides, alternately. Go to the outside and go through the slapping routine again. As you go, the top should be getting closer to starting.

With the sides started, slowwwwly work your way across the top, alternating from side to side, and gently slapping it to get it to settle into place. The friend on the outside can watch the chrome strips to make sure they stay in place. When the rubber flange is over the body flange all the way around, go to the outside and do the slapping routine until you are satisfied that the window is seated completely.

Now you can slide the trim joiner pieces back over the joint in the trim with a screw driver, or popcycle stick. Also remove the pieces of masking tape.

With a clean damp rag go over the painted surfaces and inside uphosltery and clean off the GoJo hand cleaner. It will also take off all the finger prints you got on the headliner during this.

It may clean it so good, that you will have to clean the whole thing now ;=).

I hope it works for you as well as it has worked for me many times in the past.

 
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