<VV> Experience with EM 500 W/S Gasket

[Tony Underwood]

At 06:39 PM 1/30/2010, Frank DuVal wrote:
>All early windshield with trim, i.e Monzas, the trim is installed in the
>gasket BEFORE installing the assembly in the car.



Having done this several times, I ABSOLUTELY agree.    Do NOT try to 
install the trim in the gasket after the windshield/gasket combo is 
installed in the car.   Put it into the gasket first... it's very 
likely you'll crack the windshield trying to pry the trim into place 
once the gasket and glass are seated in the windshield frame.



>One must also remove
>the assembly from the car and then remove the trim from the gasket. The
>trim will suffer if done in reverse order.


Again, yes indeed, unless you wanna get really frisky and CUT the 
gasket out of the car which is NO picnic at all especially if the 
gasket is weathered and acting more like ceramic than rubber.   Did 
that once in a junkyard, with a 'Vair that was halfway sunk into the 
mud and covered with briars and filled with bumblebees.   Interior 
was an unholy mess, no way was I gonna try to get inside the car to 
remove the windshield with the soggy rotting moldy upholstery and all 
the bees swarming in and out through the broken driver's side window.

I was in a bit of a rush, daylight fading fast... much of the 
stainless trim was simply yanked out and twisted loose to get it off 
the gasket to free the glass.

...wish to Hell I'd had more time to save it; windshield trim isn't 
getting any less scarce.


>Yes, the rope method works great.


I've used baling twine with decent results.   A squirt with WD-40 
helps when taking one out.   Plain old fashioned wheel bearing grease 
works pretty well putting one back in.   Now, this is me... someone 
else likely has a better way.


One more note...    At risk of pissing off a couple of people, I'm sure:


The currently available (at least as of a year or so ago when I last 
did one) early windshield gaskets are not exactly correct.   Glass 
fits fine, gasket fits the frame fine, trim does NOT fit fine.   You 
have to do some finagling.   Last one I did was a Lakewood and I 
ended up trimming off some of the "foot" of the stainless trim's 'L' 
to get it to fit the gasket.   Likewise the std coupe-sedan gasket, 
which went into a '63 Spyder.   The trim fits *almost* right but not 
quite... stands up just a tiny bit high off the gasket.   Since the 
Spyder didn't belong to me, I left the trim sticking up a bit.   The 
Lakewood was one of the "fleet" cars here so I cut some of the foot 
off the trim to get it to fit flush to the gasket.

I still have one fresh gasket stashed away along with a nice early 
windshield slated to go into my '60 sedan sooner or later...  and I 
expect to have to cut the stainless trim there as well to get it to 
fit.   However, you do what you have to do to get it to work.


...had a talk with a couple of people at the suppliers about the trim 
groove depth issue, and they listened.   Hopefully, they've attended 
to it although I'm not sure since I've not installed another early 
windshield gasket for over a year now.   But it's not gonna be long 
before I'll be doing it again.


...if that Global Warming we've been promised ever decides to show 
up, still sitting here under yet another foot of snow (again).    I'm 
really starting to get kinda sick of snow and below-average temps 
around here.




tony..