How to remove Winscreen Trim?

[Rich in Vancouver]

The glass man is coming tomorrow to replace my leaky, chipped and scratched windshield. I have removed the wiper arms and bottom trim piece but am not sure how to get the trim off the sides and top of the screen. I am able to run a putty knife all along the face of the trim so I am wondering if the trim wraps around the edge of the glass or if it is just bonded to the edge? I don't want to bu**er it up trying to pull it off so any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers,
Rich


1975 TR7 ACL764U

[Hasbeen]

Rich, its a simple T piece, & quite easy to lever GENTLY out, if
your windshield is still retained with the original system. Simply
take your time. A little force, applied constantly, will cause the
adheasive to slowly release it's grip. It takes minutes, but is no
problem.

It can be almost impossible to get out, without damage, if it has
been replaced using a urethane adhesive.

Push the join cover, [in the centre top of the trim] to one side, &
you can then see the shape of the trim. The upright part of the T
just pushes into the adhesive, outside the outer edge of the glass.

I have removed these on a couple of cars, starting from that center
top join on each side, without damage. A third had been reinstalled
with urethane, & was hells own job.

I had to run a knife between the glass, & the trim, first. I then
had to make a U shaped blade, by heating, & bending a hacksaw blade,
& sharpening, to cut under the T. I then tapped this along, under
the trim, with someone lifting the trim as much as possable, with a
plastic hammer. It took 2 people, & I did minor damage to both the
paint, & the trim.

I hope yours is not in with urethane.

Hasbeen

[FI Spyder]

I haven't done this job but wonder if heating the trim/adhesive with a hair dryer to soften it and hense making it a little easier to release the trim from the adhesive. Although sunny it has been unseasonally a little cool here. (around 20C or 69F).

TR7 Spider - 1978 Spifire - 1976 Spitfire - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra

[Hasbeen]

That could be a good idea in your climate, FI. It can't do any harm.
The cars I have done, spent years here, where the sun will heat a
car body to too hot to hold, many times in summer. That has not made
the adhesive go hard.

I have done the job in the sun, where the trim, & the car body would
have been well over 35 C, at the time, just below too hot to work
with, which may have helped me.

Heat would not help with urethane, or, as may have been used,
silicon, but I don't see how it could hurt, either.

Hasbeen

[Rich in Vancouver]

I think that I will leave the trim for the glass man to remove, or to leave on the old screen for me to remove later. That may be an easier way to go.
Thanks for all the info!
I'll let you know how it turns out.

Cheers,
Rich

1975 TR7 ACL764U

[cliff]

Rich, I have removed the trim by using an old style bottle/can opener, also known as a church key, before poptops and twist off caps. I took the bottle cap end and wrapped duct tape around it to protect the windshied glass and worked all the way around the glass a few inches at a time, as I got closer to having the trim removed I had to use a paint stir stick to get additional lift travel to get thetrim out, did not damage the trim or break the glass... PATIENCE!!!!!!!! CLIFF