Removing glued in flat window glass

[zubzub]

If the tape you used is very thin it may not have the flex needed to allow the glass and frame to expand/contract in opposition to each other.  My work Van has glue in glass that uses a very tall triangular bead of sealant.  When the glass is installed, sealant  "smushes" down, there is still 1/4" of flex material left to allow for play.

[Dave Siegel]

OK, if the bead is too small, what would be a good way to adhere the glass into aluminum frames that don't move?

Dave

[artvonne]

  Im not sure of the time line, but all auto glass today is being installed with Urethane adhesive, with the idea that the glass is a structural member. And as newer cars were built with stiffer glass frames and designed specifically for Urethane adhesive, this works well.

  Older cars however, may not be so tolerant, and the glass channel itself was never designed for that kind of ahesive. They used Butyl Rubber for nearly 100 years and it worked just fine. That is what the Silverside was put together with 60 years ago, and using Urethane may possibly be whats cracking the glass. The Bus is flexible, and its going to move somewhat as you travel, and some of that movement will be around the window frames and be transfered to the glass. Trying to place ridgid panels in a wall thats designed to flex could lead to problems elsewhere as well.

  The little bit that ive tried removing glass installed with Urethane, I found it to be extremely strong and hard to remove. Salvage yards use a hot knife and can get a windshield out without breaking it. Any other means will have the glass in a million pieces.

[demodriver]

A trick that derby drivers use is to spray the rubber with wd40 or with pb blaster. It will eat at the rubber and make it ALOT easier to cut.