did mine last week as it was leaking,
i used a violin string (e-thinnest one) it worked a treat,
mind you, it wasn't stuck at all at the bottom,
one side the sealer was just crumbling,
halfway along the top the wire just slid along,
no wonder it was leaking,
natt

 

During the 68 resto, I did all the work myself except the top and the windshield. I called around and found a guy on the other side of town who's mobile...his secretary quoted $65.00 to install the my windshield. Took the guy little more than an hour after setting up the saw horses, dry fitting, and applying the butyl. He first applied an etching solution to the frame and the windshield, after it dried, the butyl was applied with an air operated caulk gun. Afterwords the guy said the secretary made a mistake on the price...she didn't realize the traveling distance...(45 minutes) and should have charged an extra $15.00. I offered to compensate but the guy only charged me the quoted $65.00 price....This was way back in 2000.

 

Take it to a shop that knows what they are doing. I replaced mine for $200 total glass and installation. Dropped it off came back 4 hours later and it was ready.

Glass alone was going to cost $175 with no guarantee it would not be broken in transit.

 

LOF = Libbey Owens Ford = Original GM
Dark Blue Band at top is called Shaded Glass.
Solid very light bluegreen tint is called Tinted Glass.
Not tint at all is called Clear (Imagine that)
Put a white piece of paper under the glass and you can tell if it is tinted. That is also a good way to check your side lites for tinted or clear glass. If it is clear it will not change the color of the paper at all.

There are some GM winshields that are heated. These had a light tan (actually gold) from the real gold that was used in the middle layer of the safety glass as a resistance layer that heats up. These windshields are very difficult to acquire and were over $600 dollars in the 70's (because the had gold in the winshield). I bet they are impossible to find now.

I have also seen blue tinted glass look tan around the perimeter because of age.

As far as your removal question:
Use a very thin knife from the inde of the glass in the top corner. Try not to cut next to the glass. Try to cut next to the pinchweld (body) or in the middle of the urethane. Usually you can push the wire through easily from the inside. The thin piano wire is very sharp at the point as you will find out if you accidentally poke yourself.
Something I forgot to mention that is very important. Take a utility knife with a very sharp blade and cut the excess sealant around the windshield on the outside. Alot of times guys (and glass shops) will try to seal a glass by adding sealant ie:liquid butyl or silicone to the edge of the glass and the pinchweld under the molding. It makes it real difficult to get the wire around. Just take care and cut the excess out. There are also the guys that try to "seal" by gluing or siliconing the chrome molding. In the business we used to laugh when we saw sealant on the outside of the molding. Not only would it not create a good seal, but it promotes the rusting of the pinchweld. The moisture gets trapped underneath and has no where to go but to rust the steel.
Spend the money and buy new molding clips and screws. It is important to have good clips for the reveal molding to follow the contour of the top and the glass. These are virtually impossible to replace after the glass is in place. It is also an area that is prone to rust. The screws on the new clips have a polymer/wax coating on them that seals to the steel once installed. Do not try to use ("I think these will work") clips from your local glass shops. Unless they are exact matches for the ones that came out the will not work. You will have clearance problems Clarence. I bought mine from Corvette Central and they worked great.

Again ........ Be Cautious. Remember, glass and hard surfaces don't mix. The edge is the weakest part of the glass.
Good Luck
Dave