While waitin' for a PCM..... hatch tint!
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Safety Car
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From: :45 minutes from everywhere / E-I-E-I-O
While waitin' for a PCM..... hatch tint!
First pull the glass. Have a towel to lay it on.
Get a grip on the struts; they're still under a little tension fully stretched. As the second one is about to unhook, support the glass. It's not that heavy, but it IS probably pretty expensive.
Lay the struts down with the foam sleeve at the glass's edge when you set it down.
Loosen the B-pillar trim, just enough to get to the nuts on the upper mount bolts, and remove all 4.
Get a grip on the struts; they're still under a little tension fully stretched. As the second one is about to unhook, support the glass. It's not that heavy, but it IS probably pretty expensive.
Lay the struts down with the foam sleeve at the glass's edge when you set it down.
Loosen the B-pillar trim, just enough to get to the nuts on the upper mount bolts, and remove all 4.
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Safety Car
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From: :45 minutes from everywhere / E-I-E-I-O
Get cushion under the middle of the glass both sides, and slide it back. I used a couple of old cotton sweatshirts. Once the upper mount bolts are out of the mount holes, it will slide rearward. It's pretty light. Once at the rear or the deck, just lift it off, and lay it on the towel.
I cleaned the inner side with a Soapy ScotchBrite and water. The black defrost gridding polished to shiny metallic.
I cleaned the inner side with a Soapy ScotchBrite and water. The black defrost gridding polished to shiny metallic.
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Safety Car
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From: :45 minutes from everywhere / E-I-E-I-O
Bowling Green was not so kind as to put the defrost gridding on 24" centers. Why is that important? I'm so glad you asked...
Because we are going to use the gridding to hide seams. And there's gonna' be 2 of 'em... One edge is a spec edge, so it will lay right on a grid. The other edge ain't close. The grid centers are at 23 1/32'. Not much room to hide a cut, so you better get it close.
Because we are going to use the gridding to hide seams. And there's gonna' be 2 of 'em... One edge is a spec edge, so it will lay right on a grid. The other edge ain't close. The grid centers are at 23 1/32'. Not much room to hide a cut, so you better get it close.
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Safety Car
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From: :45 minutes from everywhere / E-I-E-I-O
Absolutely? 'Course not. I'm glad I did tho'.
Chasin' those last edge buckles would be a nightmare bein' upside down in the back of the car. It would kill the back. (plus I got a little mobility problem too
)
It's a dang game of golf, except the ball gets closer when you hit it.
Middle section down. No bubbles. The cut edge is within a grid line
. The spec edge is off the grid by a hair for the last 4 inches. It's gonna' take Houdini to hide the seam, unless I get lucky...
Chasin' those last edge buckles would be a nightmare bein' upside down in the back of the car. It would kill the back. (plus I got a little mobility problem too
)It's a dang game of golf, except the ball gets closer when you hit it.
Middle section down. No bubbles. The cut edge is within a grid line
. The spec edge is off the grid by a hair for the last 4 inches. It's gonna' take Houdini to hide the seam, unless I get lucky...
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2007
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From: Sandhills of North Carolina
Make sure you cut around all the rubber washers. If the tint is under them it will wrinkle as the hatch is rasied and lowered over time. Ask me how I know....... Great pics and details! 
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Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: :45 minutes from everywhere / E-I-E-I-O
(glad I was off it today). I was just gonna' cut for the bolt.So it will buckle around the washers huh?
I bet they DO move - they ain't THAT tight on that glass...
The first 'wing' I cut for a dry fit. It's a compound curve; probably not gonna' be easy...
Any more tips? Anybody? Both seams will be on the gridding - no problem. But edge buckles might be a bear...
Can you use the rear defrost? I never did before.................................. ...
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Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 3,616
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From: Sandhills of North Carolina
Thanks for the pointer (glad I was off it today). I was just gonna' cut for the bolt.
So it will buckle around the washers huh?
I bet they DO move - they ain't THAT tight on that glass...
The first 'wing' I cut for a dry fit. It's a compound curve; probably not gonna' be easy...
Any more tips? Anybody? Both seams will be on the gridding - no problem. But edge buckles might be a bear...
Can you use the rear defrost? I never did before.................................. ...
(glad I was off it today). I was just gonna' cut for the bolt.So it will buckle around the washers huh?
I bet they DO move - they ain't THAT tight on that glass...
The first 'wing' I cut for a dry fit. It's a compound curve; probably not gonna' be easy...
Any more tips? Anybody? Both seams will be on the gridding - no problem. But edge buckles might be a bear...
Can you use the rear defrost? I never did before.................................. ...
Probably be best not to use the defrost though but I'm not sure. Never have used mine.
Pro
Joined: Mar 2006
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Dumb question: It looks like removing the gas struts is accomplished by unscrewing the ball/socket joints from their mounts, right? In the past, on struts, I've pulled the ball/socket joints apart, but in looking at mine, that didn't look the prudent thing to do. Thanks for documenting the proccess so well.
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Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2007
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From: :45 minutes from everywhere / E-I-E-I-O
Dumb question: It looks like removing the gas struts is accomplished by unscrewing the ball/socket joints from their mounts, right? In the past, on struts, I've pulled the ball/socket joints apart, but in looking at mine, that didn't look the prudent thing to do. Thanks for documenting the proccess so well.
The in-glass mount consists of the external 'button' bolt, and an inside mount that is held together with a screw.
Instructor
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For what it is worth I had my 96 CE done last year, used a professional window tinting company in the UK who completed this work while the glass was attached, they done a great job in three sections joining down the heater lines, so good it cannot be seen.
One main problem I have experienced is that I removed the hatch struts and fixings before it was done as I assumed the job would look better if the tint was stuck under these fixings rather than cutting around them.
The problem I have is that the pressure of the struts have slightly moved the fixings and has kinked the film over a period of time, one way of hiding it is to have some round black PVC stickers laser cut by a sign maker which I have stuck on the outside (looks really good) to hide the kinked up film
One main problem I have experienced is that I removed the hatch struts and fixings before it was done as I assumed the job would look better if the tint was stuck under these fixings rather than cutting around them.
The problem I have is that the pressure of the struts have slightly moved the fixings and has kinked the film over a period of time, one way of hiding it is to have some round black PVC stickers laser cut by a sign maker which I have stuck on the outside (looks really good) to hide the kinked up film
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Safety Car
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From: :45 minutes from everywhere / E-I-E-I-O
I couldn't get it done... Got the center section; even got one 'wing' done, had the seam completely hidden at the defrost grid, no bubbles, no kinks, no buckles, but the other side put the whammy on me. OWNED.
The shop I went to said they were gonna' pull it and do a single piece. Got it back yesterday.
Now we're cleanin' corner jam from the hatch. Biggest pet peeve - corner jam.
2 of ya' said the strut mounts will make the tint buckle... Should I slice a ring around the mounts just in case? Anybody else had this buckle problem?
The shop I went to said they were gonna' pull it and do a single piece. Got it back yesterday.
Now we're cleanin' corner jam from the hatch. Biggest pet peeve - corner jam.
2 of ya' said the strut mounts will make the tint buckle... Should I slice a ring around the mounts just in case? Anybody else had this buckle problem?
Last edited by schrade; Aug 3, 2008 at 12:56 PM.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
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From: :45 minutes from everywhere / E-I-E-I-O
There was a piece of thin rubber at the hinge-to-pillar point - probably to protect paint. I put a piece of electrical tape down...
...then set the glass onto the towels and slid it back...
...matched up the bolt holes, and dropped it into place.
I did NOT pay for creases in the tint [red circles]
The yellow buckle will hide under the button bolt. The soap spots are outside - no problem there.
When I clean the glass, those creases are gonna' light up like sore thumbs...
...then set the glass onto the towels and slid it back...
...matched up the bolt holes, and dropped it into place.
I did NOT pay for creases in the tint [red circles]
The yellow buckle will hide under the button bolt. The soap spots are outside - no problem there. When I clean the glass, those creases are gonna' light up like sore thumbs...
Last edited by schrade; Aug 3, 2008 at 02:18 PM.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
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From: :45 minutes from everywhere / E-I-E-I-O
Outside, and the BLEMISHES!!!
Don't matter too much - ain't anybody gonna' see 'em since the car ain't moved in 3 weeks.
Quietest exhaust YOU ever heard. Good mileage too...
Don't matter too much - ain't anybody gonna' see 'em since the car ain't moved in 3 weeks.
Quietest exhaust YOU ever heard. Good mileage too...
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 3,616
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From: Sandhills of North Carolina
If it wrinkles. one option is to get a darker piece of tint and put it around the washer down into the black area around the glass. You could cut it whatever shape you like.......circle, teardrop, etc.
