Last night I took the windscreen out of one of the Fox Mustangs I'm breaking for spares. The windscreen was chipped and delaminated, but I've had a guy mithering me (you know the sort - "Hi, I'd like to give you money for something you don't want or need" - that sort of pain) for the cowl panel between the bonnet and the screen, and you can't cut that out with the screen in place.
The screens are bonded in on Fox Mustangs, so that, coupled with the fact that the sunroof surrounds leak for fun on Foxes but everyone assumes it's the windscreen so they gum them up with silicone, meant I'd need a special tool. Fortunately, I have one. It's called a Bonded Windscreen Removal Tool.
Pretty self-explanatory, right? The little tungsten-carbide* hook cuts through the bond, and you work it around using the two handles. Wrong. I've only ever used it twice before. Once, I chipped and cracked the screen, but I assumed that was me being a novice. Last time, Chubbs used it and the same thing happened. Bad luck. Now I'm convinced that this tool is in fact about as much use as tights to a mermaid. On the instructions, it should say:
1. Jab hook through bead of bond. Keep handle at 90 degrees to the screen.
2. Wiggle it along using both hands and every ounce of strength you have until you are sweating profusely.
3. After 10cm/4", the screen will crack.
4. Carry on, because you've got to finish the job now.
5. Crack the screen at 10cm/4" intervals for the entire perimeter of the screen.
6. Remove the screen and take it to the tip.
I've been told by Wacky Mick, who used to work for Autoglass, that those special tools are in fact worthless, and only good for removing a screen that's already damaged. To remove a good screen, you need to spend hours working from the inside with a long, sharp blade and a bucket of patience.
Here are the instructions according to me, yesterday evening.
1. Wait until it's a cold day, so the bond will be almost rock solid. Ideally, wait until it's nearly dark, too.
2. Jab hook through bond. Immediately crack screen.
3. Heave and strain so hard trying to pull the tool through the tar that you are on the verge of involuntarily dropping a pound of bum-tripe in your strides.
4. Have a bright idea - a blowtorch!
5. Hunt for the blowtorch until it actually IS dark outside.
6. Use blowtorch to heat cutting tip of worthless screen removal tool.
7. Find this makes it marginally less ineffective than it was before, but you have melted the little nylon wheel that the wire rope attaches to that serves no other discernible purpose.
8. Have another bright idea. Heat up the edges of the screen to soften the bond, 10" at a time
9. Go around the screen in 90 seconds.
10. Find that this has worked a treat, except for the bottom corner bit where it seems that, instead of having the cutting hook between the screen and the surround, you actually had it between the inside layer of glass and the sheet of plastic laminate. Crack. The inner glass laminate is still bonded to the car, and you've got Bob Hope of getting that out with all your fingers intact.
11. Go home in a strop.
I hope this has been helpful?
Eugene
* - I'm not sure it is tungsten-carbide, and think it might, possibly, be chocolate.
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