VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 1931 Closed car windshield

Never did get a real answer to my rumble seat question of a couple of months back, so let's try something new. Waiting for my new radiator from Brassworks, I decided to check out the windshield mechanism. A wonderful surprise…no screwed up gears. With a little lubrication it works just fine. Except it does not do anything for the window which is (or was) firmly stuck in place.
After working with it I got it loose. There is much fossilized rubber surrounding it!
Appears to be original plate glass so I should replace it. The question is, I am not sure how to remove it. Once I get it out I think answers to the other questions I have will be obvious.
So, what I need are tips or directions on removing the windshield, to put it succinctly.

The instructions on how to remove the windshield are in the back of the repair manual.

Ah yes, the repair manual. You might think I would be smart enough to look there first rather than show my ignorance!!!
Thanks JD.

Yep, always check your repair manual first since it usually has the answer you need. If not, post a question here on Chevy Chatter and someone will help you.

The windshield removal procedure in the Repair Manual may not work for one stuck in fossilized rubber channel. You probably will need to break or cut the inside lip off the rubber channel. Even that may not be enough as you need to raise the glass above the top of the dashboard. If the glass will not come up then it may be necessary to carve some more of the rubber to loosen the windshield. Once you can raise it enough to get it to clear then you can carefully pull or push it in. Since it is plate glass it might break into very dangerous pieces.

Once you get the glass up, I always put a towel close to the width of the windshield underneath the glass out onto the cowl leaving the other end hanging down in front of the dash/gauges. This helps protect the top edge of the dash. The windshield has to be tipped in on the bottom over the dash to remove and you don't have much clearance when it comes back. The towel just adds some assurance that you won't scrap paint off the top of the dash with the bottom of the windshield glass.

All good suggestions, thanks. It is out and the best suggestion I can make is enlist another pair of hands…it is much easier that way!
As an added suggestion for someone who might search for this information, the April 1931 Chevrolet Service News has a better presentation than the manual.

My last question regarding the windshield, I promise!!!
The Filling Station and Steele (same product) sell a rubber strip, their product # 70-64 for installation across the top of the windshield. After working to remove the remnants of an original rubber strip from the metal frame, I determined that the new product would in no-way slip into that slot.
Besides being confused as to which way the strip goes (flap in or out) I have replaced the windshield and really fail to see what the rubber flap really does other than perhaps prohibit a small amount of air infiltration…sort of like caulking the windows on my 148 year old house.
Thoughts?

The seal you are talking about did not seem to do any good for my '31 either.

Make sure you lube the vertical seals when you reinstall the windshield or your riser mechanism will be terribly strained.

Happy Motoring! - Bill

This is why I like to ask a questions, even if the process is in the repair manual. Many people with many years of experience working on these cars have found better and different ways to do things or also have extra tips that aren't in the manual that make a big difference.

What kind of radiator did you get for your '31?

The non-honeycomb Brassworks unit. While expensive, it was not all that much more than having someone recore my old tanks (one of which was cracked) and I would still end up with 80 year old repaired tanks.
I have a guard in front and the car is not a show car, thus I did go the cheaper route on the core.

That's exactly my scenario and what I ended up getting. Fortunately for you I just went through getting the same setup and we had quite a bit of trouble getting it right, so hopefully this go around it will be easy.