Chevy El Camino Windshield - Window Of Opportunity

As you can see, the lower windshield channel contained plenty of surface rust, but nothing too deep or serious. Had the channel been riddled with rust holes, we could have replaced the whole thing with this reproduction panel from the Muscle Factory.

There were a couple of holes at the corner of the windshield, but these are drain holes that are supposed to be there.

With a wire wheel and scuff pad in hand, we began attacking the rust. This, combined with a chemical rust treatment, should suffice for most light-rust applications like this. For a more thorough clean-up, the area can also be media blasted.

Next we coated the entire windshield channel with a rust-preventative primer (we'd suggest PPG's DP series of primers for those of you trying this at home). Since the rest of our project is in primer, and the dash still needs to be painted, we didn't worry about masking off the area. Had the rest of our car been ready for paint, we probably would have painted the channel at this time as well.

We replaced the windshield trim clips with new ones from the Muscle Factory. The clips simply slide onto the studs on the windshield channel. If you have to weld in new sections of channel, you'll also have to weld, rivet, or screw in new studs. And don't forget to replace the screw-in clips on the windshield pillars.

Installing the windshield was a multi-step procedure that began with a brush-on adhesive primer.

Next came the seal itself. We used a butyl seal from the Muscle Factory that is rolled out and applied like a tape. It's important not to touch the seal, and it's also imperative that you use a seal that's designed for this task, as most off-the-shelf silicone sealants aren't up to the task of holding a windshield in place. If you still end up with leaks down the road, urethane windshield sealant can be used to fill any cracks or gaps.

A small band of the brush-on adhesive primer was also applied around the edge of the windshield to promote better adhesion to the seal.

Prior to installing the glass, a pair of small rubber blocks was placed on the lower windshield channel. The blocks keep the windshield from sliding all the way down in the windshield channel.

When the windshield was installed, the bottom edge was first placed on the rubber blocks, then the rest of the windshield was lowered into place. It's important to apply pressure around the perimeter of the windshield to make sure it makes good contact with the seal.

All finished! The new windshield not only gives us a clearer view of the world, but should also do a good job of keeping the elements out of our El Camino's interior.