Is a 79 Brave's windshield is supposed to be mounted with a gasket or adhesive.

[John.0]

Both of my windshields leak and one is cracked so repair and replacement is in the near future.Currently they are held in very poorly with an adhesive not a gasket.Does anybody know with certainty what they are supposed to be mounted with?

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

The nice thing about purchasing the '77 - '80 Winnebago & Itasca Coach Service Manual from the site store is you get information like this:

WINDSHELD REMOVAL
Remove windshield wiper blades and arms. Cover cowl to protect finish. Remove all trim pieces around windshield. On some models, left and right windshield trim is a one piece section that extends from roof to bottom of front end. Elandan models have upper and lower "T" caps on center windshield trim pieces. "T" caps must be removed. Some trim pieces are secured by adhesive sealant tape in addition to screws. Do not damage trim when removing. The two-piece windshield glass is mounted on a steel frame and secured with adhesive butyl sealant tape. Rubber shims are inserted between edges of the glass and the metal frame. The shims prevent contact between glass and steel frame. Remove either windshield pane by pushing lower outside comer of glass out from inside. Raise lower outside corner of glass slightly and insert blade of hot cut knife under glass (See "Special Tools" at end of this section). Heat will cause adhesive to release. Work knife around edge of glass until pane can be removed.

INSTALLATION
Clean adhesive residue from windshield frame. Apply new sealant tape (See "Sealing Procedures") to windshield mounting flange around inside of frame. Place rubber shims along the bottom of the frame and position glass pane on top of shims. Then insert rubber shims around remainder of frame (to hold glass in position. away from frame). Press glass into frame to compress adhesive sealant and insure adequate seal.

CAUTION: Do not allow glass to contact windshield frame. Road vibrations can cause glass to crack.

Apply black bedding compound at corners and joints of windshield frame. Apply new sealant tape to back of windshield trim and install trim.

[M & J]

Now he doesn't need to get them Dave..  D:oH! 

[John.0]

Thanks Dave,I really appreciate it.I actually did purchase it when I first signed up.I have the chassis manual printed out and have been so caught up with engine and electrical repairs I forgot I had it.Well it's here now incase anybody searches for it I guess.

[John.0]

Any ideas if a urethane windshield adhesive should/could be used instead of butyl tape?

[TerryH]

You can use urethane, far more effective as a bond and, when used correctly, as a seal. However, if doing it yourself you should use it in conjunction with the butyl tape.
Your question is   urethane instead of butyl, so...

First step would be (after glass removal) cleaning completely all butyl tape and butyl caulk and residue from the pinchweld.
Completely clean the pinchweld with naptha or equivalent,
Coarse sand the pinchweld and blow all residue off with air.
Completely coat the pinchweld with a quality pinchweld primer - Essex or equivalent. NOT available from most auto part suppliers. Auto glass shops only. Caveats apply.
Apply proper butyl tape to the pinchweld, keeping it even with the pinchweld edge. Tape is 5/16 or 3/8. Same caveat for supplier of the tape.
Ensure the original bottom setting blocks are in place and adjusted as per prior to glass removal. These take the weight of the glass until the liquid bond is established and assist in glass positioning.
Support the glass in a manner to allow you to clean the inside and outside edges WITHOUT touching them with your fingers. The oil from your fingers will contaminate the bond.
Apply proper glass to Urethane primer - same caveat - to the glass edge.
With assistance, and being extremely careful in placement and centering, and using latex gloves to avoid contamination, place the glass on the bottom setting blocks and then gently push it into the butyl tape. Once in place, start at the bottom center pushing it into the tape with reasonable pressure, working your way all around - still with the gloves.

Now you have a definite void between the glass and pinchweld because you DID keep the butyl tape to the edge of the pinchweld. This void you fill with a quality Urethane - same caveat - but fill only.
Note here - windshield urethane has a very high viscosity.  $1.49 caulking gun from Home Depot won't cut it. The gun I use was over $200.00. You don't need one of these, but...
TOOL - very important - the urethane. The same supplier of your primers and urethane should give you a couple of fiber sticks that work fine for tooling.
Excess urethane on the glass can be trimmed after set up with razor blades and glass cleaner as a lubricating medium.
Excess on the pinchweld should be removed immediately to permit application and installation of the windshield trim as used on your particular year and original installation.

PLEASE NOTE:
the above applies ONLY to an original butyl tape/butyl seal installation that is being changed to a urethaned in place installation - DOES NOT APPLY TO AN ORIGINALLY URETHANED WINDSHIELD.
Urethane will provide you with a far superior seal and bond when correctly done.
Any windshield replacement on a Motor Home should be treated as a high risk DIY undertaking.
No offense to anyone intended, but given the cost of one side of the windshield (unless it is flat glass), you should give serious consideration to the job before deciding to do it yourself.

[John.0]

Thanks alot for the detailed instructions.It is flat glass and I think it's within the realm of my capabilities,so I'll probably give it a shot.

[TerryH]

Being flat makes it far cheaper to replace if necessary. Any glass shop can cut one for you. If any if the corners are not 90 degrees or if they are radius it might be an idea  to make a tracing of it to take to the shop.

[John.0]

Being flat makes it far cheaper to replace if necessary. Any glass shop can cut one for you. If any if the corners are not 90 degrees or if they are radius it might be an idea  to make a tracing of it to take to the shop.

I spoke with a local glass guy and he quoted me $200 total for the driver side glass and instillation.I don't remember 100% but I think the glass was about half of the cost.I figured since the passenger side needed sealed I would pull it out and make a pattern for him with it.

[Rickf1985]

For 200.00 I would have them do it without question!!! Any problems there is a quarantee!

[TerryH]

For 200.00 I would have them do it without question!!! Any problems there is a quarantee!

I agree. Figure roughly $10.00 a sq. ft. for laminated glass, cut to size, and the balance for installation labor and materials? I would have them do it as well. Watch how they do it so you know the procedure.

[John.0]

It's going to be more than $200 since the passenger side likely needs to be removed so it can be properly cleaned then re sealed.At this point I'm all for saving some money with this thing,and I kinda want to do it too.