I need to remove the craked and leaking windshield from 74 comet to replace the seal, the glass, and inspect the condition of the cowl etc.. Need to be clued in on how to remove the stainless without causing damage ie.. Do i need to buy a special tool and does the trim get removed and reinstalled in a certain sequence? Thanks.
The trim gets removed from the top, down. It gets reinstalled from the bottom, up. There is a small screw at the bottom of each A-pillar that holds the end of the bottom trim in place. You will see these once you get the side trim pieces off. You will need a special tool to release the tension from the clips that hold the trim onto the body. Go slow and be careful not to pry or bend the trim. This is the trim removal tool that I used. Your trim is actually squeezed between the clip and the body of the car. Using the tool pries the clip away from the body, releasing the trim. The best way to remove the windshield is to use a long razor blade knife. Lay the blade flat against the glass but under the rubber lip. Cut the rubber that hold the glass in, gently push the window out and then pull the remainder of the gasket from the body once the glass is out. Even with the windshield removed, you're not going to gain any more access to the cowl for inspection. The easiest way to check the cowl is slowly pour water down through the grilles and check inside the car for water... This is what a rotten cowl looks like...
Thanks Paul , this is great information. I kind of thought i would need a trim removal tool. Will pour water through the grills and see what ive got. I suspect a cowl issue because of floor board rot and the grills had layers of masking tape and duct tape over them. Tape was sun baked and all paint peeled off with the tape. The guy we bought It from said he had wasp problems. I bought that story till reading up on cowl problems with these cars. Thanks again.
As Paul points out, the tool is very helpful if you elect to "pop" it off. If you exercise extreme care you can also slide some, not all, of the trim off. You lift it ever so slightly and pull on it. I removed a lot of trim this way without bending any of it. The clips remained on the car and were removed afterward. Given the fact that some of the trim is interlocked together, the tool will still have to be used in some areas. They sell the tool at harbor freight, TP Tools and at body shop supply houses. Buy yourself a stationary buffer at Harbor Freight and some white rouge. The SS trim will buff up like chrome. The aluminum trim will have to be stripped of the anodizing before buffing. Don't ask me why Ford elected to make the rear window trim out of aluminum and the front and sides out of SS
And what ever you do don't get the factory sealant on your skin, it has asbestos in it.that's probably why it sealed so good back in the day, works good but not good for you.
