Replace your car windshield at home using a variety of windshield installation tools to save money and time. It's an easily learned skill that is especially useful for owners of classic or older cars, who tend to know their autos better than windshield replacement specialists. Doing the job yourself also allows you to see any areas of rust that may require attention.
A caulking gun is a common sealing tool that consists of an empty barrel to receive the sealant, a trigger to put pressure on the canister of sealant and a holder for the canister's nozzle, which dispenses the sealant. Some models also have integral cutters and nozzle-clearing wires. To choose a caulking gun, test the action by pushing the trigger in. Superior models deliver a smooth and even pressure with no jerks or catches. Use a caulking gun when applying sealant to the glass channel while installing a new windshield. Flow-grade butyl sealer provides a water-proof seal.
A windshield locking strip tool is a small, inexpensive hand tool that eases installation of the rubber strip that fits into the rubber windshield surround. The tool features two holes into which trim is threaded and is especially useful on the corners that require considerable force to bed-in properly. Once the trim is threaded correctly, with the rounded side facing upwards and outwards, the tool pushes into the channel and spreads the rubber windshield surround apart.
Glass vacuum cups, also known as suction cups, are larger versions of the similar dent removal tools. These heavy-duty lifting tools are used in the glass industry to lift items like large sheets of glass. A set comprises of two cups that attach to the clean, oil-free windshield by suction on either side of your new windshield. Cups leave no marks on the windshield, but the strength required to lift the weight of a windshield is considerable, and a sole worker may need a second pair of hands to steadily guide the glass into place from the interior of the vehicle.
