Setting Your Glass

Now that you have repaired your rusted window channels/corners and repainted your car, it's time to re-set your glass. Many people opt to have a glass shop do this step and that is certainly a good option, but if you want to do it yourself, here is a quick overview of the materials and steps to do it.  The photo above shows a section of OEM foam dam and Sealant taken carefully from a factory-set rear window from a 1970 Chevelle.  Notice that the factory dam isn't rectangular in shape, but instead "hooked".  We assume that was to trap as much sealant as possible so that it wouldn't migrate into the visible glass area.  In this piece you can see they didn't quite get the area filled.  In fact there were areas where there was much less sealant.  At any rate, these are the dimensions of a factory glass set and of course using factory thickness glass.

Re-setting your glass can be intimidating, but in truth it’s not very complicated if you have the right materials.  GM set their glass in the 60’s and early 70’s using a sealant bead (Thiokol) and dam to keep the bead from squeezing into the passenger compartment and creating an unattractive edge that would be visible from the outside.  That dam material geometry is no longer available, but there are reproduction dam tapes that  provide both the correct dam as well as the proper thickness to space the glass correctly so the stainless trim fits well after your glass is installed.

Here is a list of materials you’ll need to set your rear window, or windshield (we now sell all setting supplies - you can CLICK HERE to go to our patch panel page and click on the button for the model and year car to see the supplies we sell):

• • Urethane Adhesive:  Dow Beatseal U-418

  • Adhesive Dam tape:   This is a single sided adhesive foam tape that is 3/16” x 3/16” 

  • Window Channel Primer:  Dow Betaprime (used to promote adhesion between the channel and the Urethane)

  • Masking Tape

  • Rubber glass setting blocks

  • Heavy Duty Caulk Gun – Home Depot – make sure it’s the 10 oz.13:1 leverage gun

  • 2 glass/tile setting suction cups Home Depot carries them in the tile section

Here are 2 videos that show you the proper steps to set your own glass: