Anyone ever replace their hatch glass before?

[jdc4357]

Hi,
I need to replace my back hatch glass. I was able to get another hatch (different color no spoiler holes) from a local guy for $75. I started working on trying to remove the glass with a long razor which has really gotten me nowhere. I bought a cold knife off ebay (http://www.amazon.com/Tool-Aid-Windshield-Removing-Knife/dp/B000HTLNWS) yesterday and hoping that this will work a little better next week. Just looking for any words of wisdom for anyone else that has gone down this path.
Thanks,
j

 

[jetjock]

Tried the manual?

http://www.cygnusx1.net/Supra/Library/TSRM/MK3/manual.aspx?Section=BO&P=41

Music wire is a long established technique...

 

[IBoughtASupra]

Head to the local junk yard and get the throttle cable off any car. Get a good length, the best you can find. Cut the tabs off the ends and there you go, it works too.

Music wire or a throttle cable which is like a bicycle brake cable. A bike cable might be thinner and easier to work with and I assume music wire would be the thinnest.

 

[Backlash2032]

I've seen people use garage door opener cable too.

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk

 

[mjsn1]

My friend just replaced the whole hatch.

 

[bioskyline]

razor blade and a small propane torch. heat knife and cut. then once you have a hole thru, you can put the wire thru and saw it off.

 

[Rickstar22]

Piano wire (Windshield removal wire), couple pairs of vise grips, a buddy, strong forearms, and a little patience... You'll get it done !!! Did one of these about a year ago. Took a glass out of one with a bad defroster, didn't break it, and cut a good one out of another hatch, didn't break it. Installed the glass in the hatch, and saved the molding clips to reuse. A job I don't want to do again if at all possible...lol I was in the Auto Glass industry for almost 15 years, and this one rates in the higher degree of difficulty if you are trying to save components to reuse. If you have extra molding clips available, you can be a little more aggressive in your removal process, and lowers the degree of difficulty a little bit...

 

[jdc4357]

I went to the hardware store and cut me about a 4 foot cable that looked about twice as thick as picture wire. Took me approx 20 minutes by myself. It was a good arm workout for sure, but wasn't as bad as I thought. What did you guys do to clean that 3m windo-weld sticky tar shit off with?
Thanks again for all your help!
jamieC

 

[Rickstar22]

Just a good sharp razor blade should get just about all of it off. Scrape it right down to the glass at an angle while lightly pulling with your other hand at the opposite angle should strip it off.

 

[Typhoon]

Do it properly. You WILL remove paint, so prepare to paint at least the outside of the hatch after you're done.
I use a large craft knife (the ones with blades you snap to resharpen) and run around the inside of the windows. Then I use a 3M scotchbrite wheel to burn/abrade the rest of the adhesive off. Then you can paint the hatch and seal a new windscreen in. The beauty of the craft knife is the flexible blade.
Given the huge issues these cars have with leaks, do it properly.

 

[Rickstar22]

Do it properly. You WILL remove paint, so prepare to paint at least the outside of the hatch after you're done.
I use a large craft knife (the ones with blades you snap to resharpen) and run around the inside of the windows. Then I use a 3M scotchbrite wheel to burn/abrade the rest of the adhesive off. Then you can paint the hatch and seal a new windscreen in. The beauty of the craft knife is the flexible blade.
Given the huge issues these cars have with leaks, do it properly.

This... I must have mis-read.. What I was talking about was the sealer off the glass. a razor blade will not harm the "frit" band on the glass (the black primer border around the glass) ... You want to use something like a teflon scraper or the like to clean the hatch pinchweld with as to not damage the paint....

 

[bluebullet89]

I did it all myself.

Sub system was stolen out of my hatch couple years back and i bought a spare hatch and just swapped the glass.

1. Removed molding carefully
2. Made a hole through the sealant of the windshield
3. Put Guitar string through and took two wood rods to make handles for wrapping the guitar string
4. Used a back n forth sawing motion to cut through the seal all the way around.
5. Clean off excess with razor blade.
6. Prep and place seal on current hatch.
7. Place windshield replace molding
8. VOILA!!!

BEFORE

AFTER

of course also after a repaint and tinted tails

 

[GrimJack]

Be really careful getting it back in place. You want it literally dead center... because if it's off just a *tiny* bit, the damn moldings down one side won't go back on. And you know what sucks more than taking the hatch glass out to replace it? Doing it TWICE.

 

[bluebullet89]

^^^^^ AMEN to THAT!! Lol I didn't have to but one side molding was a little snug putting it back on.

 

[Dylan JZ]

mine rusted out from not putting high enough up on the list of priorities, so I bought a mint '91 hatch to swap in.