C5 Tech Corvette Tech/Performance: LS1 Corvette Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine, Tech Topics, Basic Tech, Maintenance, How to Remove & Replace
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Lower Windshield Plastic Tabs

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jan 11, 2009 | 06:01 PM
  #1  
Choreo's Avatar
Choreo
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Supporting Lifetime
15 Year Member
Loved
Community Favorite
Top Answer: 1
 
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 6,774
Likes: 363
From: Midland TX
Default Lower Windshield Plastic Tabs

I could shoot myself for not taking a photo this morning when I was replacing my cowl.

Anyway, my question is for anyone who has ever removed their cowl. When I took mine off I noticed there were two plastic tabs "L-Shaped" - one on the far passenger side and one on the far drivers side - just under the windshield attached with phillips head screws. It looks like they are maybe used to hold the windshield up while the sealant around the perimeter is setting up during replacement?

My question is "Are these tabs from the factory or are they something one of my windshield installers added when I had my windshield replaced?"

The reason I ask is because one of the cowl tabs was broken off on the cowl I removed as it interfered with one of these tabs. I also had to trim off part of the same cowl tab on my new cowl as it was having the same problem.
Reply
Old Jan 12, 2009 | 12:20 AM
  #2  
Camjamsdad's Avatar
Camjamsdad
Melting Slicks
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,798
Likes: 8
From: It's true money can't buy happiness, but it is more comfortable crying in a Corvette than on a bicyc
St. Jude Donor '13
Default

Mine has em. I had one broken and I broke the one on the passenger side when I had my cowl off last weekend to reglue and tape the seal at the bottom of the windshield.
Reply
Old Jan 12, 2009 | 12:31 AM
  #3  
Choreo's Avatar
Choreo
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Supporting Lifetime
15 Year Member
Loved
Community Favorite
Top Answer: 1
 
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 6,774
Likes: 363
From: Midland TX
Default

Originally Posted by Camjamsdad
Mine has em. I had one broken and I broke the one on the passenger side when I had my cowl off last weekend to reglue and tape the seal at the bottom of the windshield.
Are you referring to the tabs on the cowl (8) or the tabs under the windshield (2)?
Reply
Old Jan 12, 2009 | 07:52 PM
  #4  
Choreo's Avatar
Choreo
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Supporting Lifetime
15 Year Member
Loved
Community Favorite
Top Answer: 1
 
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 6,774
Likes: 363
From: Midland TX
Default



Can anyone else confirm the existence of the two windshield tabs as being factory installed?
Reply
Old Jan 12, 2009 | 09:15 PM
  #5  
LoneStarFRC's Avatar
LoneStarFRC
Team Owner
15 Year Member
 
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,836
Likes: 244
From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
Default

They are factory and called a "windshield support", but they are not serviced (available) separately, nor are they shown as being included with a new (GM) windshield.
Best I can figure is that they are/were used during manufacture to help hold the glass in position while the urethane was curing and the car continued down the production line.

HTH
Reply
Old Jan 12, 2009 | 10:29 PM
  #6  
Choreo's Avatar
Choreo
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Supporting Lifetime
15 Year Member
Loved
Community Favorite
Top Answer: 1
 
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 6,774
Likes: 363
From: Midland TX
Default

Originally Posted by LoneStarFRC
They are factory and called a "windshield support", but they are not serviced (available) separately, nor are they shown as being included with a new (GM) windshield.
Best I can figure is that they are/were used during manufacture to help hold the glass in position while the urethane was curing and the car continued down the production line.

HTH
This was my guess.

The reason I am asking is because I recently bought a new CF Cowl (Hydrographics on a NEW GM cowl). It came with all 8 tabs on the cowl and ONE Tab (the second one from the driver's side) smacks right into the windshield tab on that side so that it would not fit under the glass. I then checked the factory original cowl that I removed and that same tab was either removed or broken off to allow the other 7 tabs to slide under the windshield.

My only two solutions would be:

(1) Remove the windshield weight-bearing tab (may be needed for future windshield replacements to be safe).
(2) Remove the offending cowl tab (this is what I did),

I guess my real question now is...
"Does ANYONE have a cowl with all 8 tabs still attached AND the windshield tab on the driver's side retained?"

The reason I am asking is the CF vendor said that he has received several cores with this same tab broken off and therefore could not issue a credit (understandable). But I am wondering if ANY installed factory cowl was able to retain all 8 tabs?
Reply
Old Jan 13, 2009 | 12:50 AM
  #7  
Camjamsdad's Avatar
Camjamsdad
Melting Slicks
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,798
Likes: 8
From: It's true money can't buy happiness, but it is more comfortable crying in a Corvette than on a bicyc
St. Jude Donor '13
Default

Originally Posted by Choreo
Are you referring to the tabs on the cowl (8) or the tabs under the windshield (2)?
Both. Mine has the 2 under the windshield and the 8 on the cowl which is now down to 6. The one already missing was the drivers side. I managed to break the passenger side playing a bit rough on the reinstall. Now there is a slight gap on both sides where the tabs are gone. It's better than it was with the gasket hanging out but being a perfectionist I'll replace the cowl someday.
Reply
Old Jan 13, 2009 | 01:40 AM
  #8  
Choreo's Avatar
Choreo
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Supporting Lifetime
15 Year Member
Loved
Community Favorite
Top Answer: 1
 
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 6,774
Likes: 363
From: Midland TX
Default

Originally Posted by Camjamsdad
Both. Mine has the 2 under the windshield and the 8 on the cowl which is now down to 6. The one already missing was the drivers side. I managed to break the passenger side playing a bit rough on the reinstall. Now there is a slight gap on both sides where the tabs are gone. It's better than it was with the gasket hanging out but being a perfectionist I'll replace the cowl someday.
I guess the real question is: "Is it even possible to attach the cowl with all (8) tabs in tact as long as the two windshield support tabs are still in place?"

I was VERY careful on my reinstall, but it was impossible to install without removing the second tab on the driver's side - the windshield support tab was dead center where the cowl tab was supposed to slide under the windshield.
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-2

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

 Joe Kucinski
story-4

Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

 Brett Foote
story-6

Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-7

10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

 Michael S. Palmer
story-9

2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

 Joe Kucinski
Old Jan 13, 2009 | 07:42 AM
  #9  
Bugaboo's Avatar
Bugaboo
Burning Brakes
 
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 945
Likes: 1
From: Tigertown Ohio
Default

Originally Posted by Choreo
When I took mine off I noticed there were two plastic tabs "L-Shaped" - one on the far passenger side and one on the far drivers side - just under the windshield attached with phillips head screws. It looks like they are maybe used to hold the windshield up while the sealant around the perimeter is setting up during replacement?

My question is "Are these tabs from the factory or are they something one of my windshield installers added when I had my windshield replaced?"

.
If this helps at all, those are called setting blocks for the glass. Odds are they are factory as they do support the weight of the glass while the urethane is setting up.
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To Lower Windshield Plastic Tabs





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:46 PM.

story-0
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-1
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-2
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-3
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

Slideshow: Ranking the top 10 Corvette engines by torque output.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:58:09


VIEW MORE
story-4
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

Slideshow: A Corvette pace car nearly matching IndyCar speeds sounds exaggerated, until you look at the numbers.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-04 20:03:36


VIEW MORE
story-5
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

Among a rather large group of them.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:56:44


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

Slideshow: the top 10 things Corvette owners want in the C9 Corvette

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-30 12:41:15


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

Slideshow: 10 Important Corvette 'firsts' that every fan should know.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 17:02:16


VIEW MORE
story-8
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

Slideshow: Should you buy a 2020-2026 Corvette or wait for 2027?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-22 10:08:58


VIEW MORE
story-9
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

Slideshow: 2027 Corvette lineup vs the world.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-24 16:12:42


VIEW MORE