Windshield replacement - price?

[chrislehr]

Found a place local - $220 for windshield and new gasket... INSTALLED.

Decent price? Easier to do myself? I was next to the shop and figured I would ask em.

[67CHIP72]

Had a new one installed, used the old gasket and stainless trim for $160 out the door. I'd say their high.

[hotrod 80]

Best price I found in south Houston area is $250 installed with new gasket $125 walk out with new gasket .

[John Fabris]

Around $220 installed near me. Cheaper if you do it yourself (unless you have the chrome as it is hard to do the first time)

[Putter]

Local shop quoted me $190 using MY gasket. After 4 hours of them looking like a monkey-screwing-a-football-bat, I drove it home with no glass installed. (I simply bought the glass from them). I installed it myself in less than 30 minutes. Perfectly centered, and looks great.

If you get a shop to do it, tell them up-front that if they do not get it centered (rubber bunched up in one upper-corner), then you will not accept it and will ask them to remove it and try again.

All they have to do it measure and put a few dots of liquid paper on the rubber and the cowl/cab as a reference point to get it centered perfectly!!!!

[68gmsee]

Putter, can you elaborate on "centered." I'm not sure what you mean by that. Also, where do you put the liguid paper and how do you measure?

I'm going to take my 69 in to have the windshield replaced sometime in the near future. Thanks.

[Putter]

Once the glass it out, measure across the top & bottom of the opening. Place a dot of liquid paper on the metal (top and bottom) just outside the window frame indention so it won't get covered by the seal.
Then install the seal on the glass, and lay it on the hood, tailgate, etc... and measure across the rubber the same way so you find the exact center of the rubber. Place a dot of liquid paper on the top and bottom of the seal.
Then when you sit it in the opening, you have a mark to go by for centering. My only 'professional' glass installation was a full 1/4" off center to the passenger side, causing the rubber to be bunched up in the upper corner. I pulled it back out myself, measured, and installed it back and it looked so much better from the inside.

[Castiron9]

Got one installed awhile back by Safelite Auto Glass..Awesome job,came out to my place and did it.They were totally professional,and they guarantee there work against leaks....under 200.00.

[whatnow123]

mine was 140 installed, but i had new rubber.

[chrislehr]

OK, bumping this old thread.


I am now finally (6 mos later) in the market. I shopped around again. 250 at one. Then another gave two options, a 280 and a 380, and I didnt really understand the difference between the two, and the cheaper one required me to go re-buy the metal trim.

So - I am guessing the cheaper places replace with just plain black rubber and they toss your trim metal?

Any clarification?

Halp! What do I need to ask? (Every windshield job I ever did before was a newer car with insurance based (free) replacements. I just want it done RIGHT.)

[Putter]

NO way I would pay $380...or even $280. Even WITH the metal trim, you can get that done way less. Keep shopping. Even with the metal trim, chances are they will use the same technique to install it.
I say $225 max if you have trim, but that is just me.
Just make sure the INSTALLER knows what you have. The lady that set my appointment never told the install guy and he nearly gave BOTH OF US a cussin' for my Saturday appointment. He claimed it was an "all day" job.
Get an Ole Timer to install it (sorry Ole timers).

[bad6772]

Chris this is something you can do your self with a little patience and time its really not that hard....And not to Promote any one but i would look at Auto City Glass Inc ..They are based out of Mn..i have dealt with this guy on several occasions ...And he has always been fair and just a great guy to deal with....his # is 763-444-5880.. i have bought 3 windshields from him and he was the best to deal with even better than my local vendors....they use L.O.F glass....and Pinkelton

[70c10]

Originally Posted by Putter

If you get a shop to do it, tell them up-front that if they do not get it centered (rubber bunched up in one upper-corner), then you will not accept it and will ask them to remove it and try again.

I agree 100%. Make sure the rubber is not bunched up in the top inside corner when they do it!

[JCA1972]

I just had mine done on Monday, I bought the windshield from a local parts dealer for $130, I already had the gasket and I paid $65.00 to have a pro come to my house and install it. I was going to do it my self but I figuered $65.00 for them coming to my house and installing it was well worth it. It took him about 30 min to do it and he had kind of a hard time getting it done, I think it would have taken me much longer than that. He said that the gasket with the chrome trim was much harder to install.

[cdowns]

the bad of doing it yourself if you break you buy anather//if you get a glass company to do it and buy everything from them they pay for any problems and they give you a no leak warrenty

[dan42]

I had mine done for 160, with me supplying the gasket, but the passenger side corner is a little bunched up - the chrome didn't go in very well. At some point, though I am going to repaint it, and the windshield will come out anyways.

[bad6772]

understood cdowns.and good point ...But i think you would admit...assuming you have done one..? they are really not that hard....with a little time and patience

[mr48chev]

I was just quoted 350 including a new windshield rubber so I think I will keep looking.

I had a pretty nice windshield before I left the truck and trailer at a Marina in Seattle for a week and must have made one of the "ladies" who were out exercising at 5am while I was trying to sleep in my boat on the trailer.
I came back to this.

[soba_03]

OK I had mine done back in March. It has the custom trim as well. I bought the seal and with trim and the install it took about 40 minutes. Now with that said. The guys that I had do it specialize in custom/hotrod glass. Put the seal on the new window and then the trim leaned it up in the windsield frame and pulled the srting and it was in perfectly centered and no trim damaged and it doesn't leak.

I talked to a couple of different glass places and was told that they don't make the windshield rubber for custom trim... that is crap! I bought it and had it shipped to be less than 24 hours. Also be aware that there are 2 different trim sets and gaskets. First is the 67-68 trim it's longer (the part that fits into the rubber gasket) adn the 70-72 trim/ gasket that has a shallower trim grove. First seal they tried to use was for a 70-72 and I have a 68 wouldn't work. Just some FYI..

Good luck..

[69-72]

I had mine done in the spring, the guy put it in once, it leaked and the moulding wasn't in the rubber properly, took it back, they tried to hammer the moulding in. They ended up taking the windshield out and trying again, bent my antenna in the process. Still leaked. I got the insurance company inlvolved, they paid for new rubber. Took it to different glass place, they tried for 2 hours to get it in with and without the moulding in the rubber couldn't do it. I told them the moulding can't go in after it has to go in the rubber before the glass goes in, they didnt believe me and tried anyways. They send me home and tell me to come back. At this point I say screw it and try it myself, spent 4 hours trying to get it in, no luck. Take it back to glass place they get it in in an hour or so.

I fought with first glass place for 5 months for them to pay for new moulding and antenna, they finally paid up this week. The week before I get a call from their head office in another city telling me I won a draw for $250 gift card to a resturant for filling out a customer satisfaction survey online. They had no idea that I was in the process of fighting with someone else at the company for the damaged parts.

So the PO of my Blazer paid for the deductible on the glass replacement, so that didnt cost me anything, and I am up a new rubber, stainless trim and antenna, plus gift card. $500 worth of stuff and a new windshield, but it cost me a ton of aggravation.

[leddzepp]

Take it to someone who specializes in Hotrod/old car glass. It isn't worth the headaches trying to do this yourself.

[big_al_71]

I had mine doen for $150.00 with a new gasket, to top it off they cracked the first one and had come back the next day....