DIY windshield replacement

[Huw Powell]

> IMO/IME you'll just create a new mess doing that.  I wouldn't recommend
> breaking safety glass............ever.  No matter how well you might
> cover the interior with a tarp or whatever, you'll be vacuuming up
> little square pieces of glass for months to come.  Seriously.

How about using your homeland security plastic sheeting and duct tape to 
seal off the windshield from the interior, on the inside?  (A pillar to 
A pillar, front of dash to front of roof)  It will still be messy, but 
at least windshield glass tends to stay "together", unlike side and rear 
glass which sort of explodes all over the place when broken.

I would also recommend, not based on experience or anything mind you, 
that after getting the old glass out, and the metal all clened up, 
rust-free and rust-proofed, that you hire a professional to actually 
install the "new" glass.  I only say this because it is my understanding 
that the windshield is a structural part of the unibody shell in those cars.

> Also, I'm hoping to avoid the mess that I had with the
> '86 with the black tar-like sealant when I remove the
> cracked windshield from my '89. I didn't care what
> kind of mess I made in my parts car, but would like to
> keep the '89 clean. I wonder if I break it first and
> then pull smaller pieces out, if that will keep the
> stringy, gooey mess to a minimum?

-- 
Huw Powell

http://www.humanspeakers.com/audi

http://www.humanthoughts.org/