I couldnt find anything relevant to what I want to ask, maybe the "similar threads" will help me some, i dont know...

 

anyways, yesterday, i didnt drive my car at all, and the windshield was just fine.

 

i go out just a few minutes ago and theres a HUGE crack, about a foot long on the windshield i'm not sure whether im going to replace the windshield, going from my searches, 3 door windshields are the most expensive... maybe i can get it "repaired" ?? i've heard of that before...

 

there's a decent amount of rust in the bottom area where the windshield meets the frame... on each side. nothing in the middle from what i can tell. rusted straight through... you can even see through! (ive been told that the rust could be what caused the crack, the bottom end of the windshield is exposed and the gasket and corner piece wont stay on...)

 

also in the trunk (where the jack would go, except on the passenger's side) there's rust also, even a nice little hole i can see through on the panel. there was a reinforcement beam there too, it got eaten away.

 

i dont know how to weld, i dont know anyone that welds, i dont have access to a welder in the first place, is there ANY other way i can repair this rust without welding?

If you can send me some pics I may be able to help you somehow...I have done a decent amount of body work...and I can also tell you how to repair your windshield temporily until you can figure out what exactly to do

i covered it up with RTV silicone for the time being... youd get a pic of a bunch of silicone blobs

 

it looks similar to what heartless' wagon looked like on the windshield area.... but not as bad

 

and the rust in the back looks just like the wagon did on the USRM writeup... again, not as bad though

Call up a glass shop and get a quote... My brother had $173 quoted from Elite Autoglass to come out and do his windshield.

 

But with all the rust there, it wouldn't be too much longer before either the windshield cracked again, or started leaking.

 

Funny, my brother's three door has rust in the wells in the hatch too. Except both sides have a small hole.

Those I would cut away all the rust, and paint so they don't rust anymore... wouldn't worry so much about the hole. That way the water has a place to drain

ok, there IS a way to repair it, but it would depend on just how bad it really is - if it is structural - not the best idea, but can be gotten away with for a time.

 

here is what my car looked like after getting a cracked widshield pulled:

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=67677&highlight=ditch+witch

 

i did most of the repair work with fiberglass, altho there was one spot that did get a patch of metal welded in, then fibrglass laid over it - the finished repair can be seen here:http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=68811&highlight=ditch+witch

 

go pick up a fiberglass repair kit - has the resin, hardener and a package of the fiberglass mat in one package. also pick up some of the small tinfoil loaf pans from the grocery, some sort of mixing stick, and a mess of the elcheapo "chip" paint brushes (they normally sell for about 25-30 cents a piece for the 1" size. DO NOT try using the foam brushes - they melt). carefully read the directions on the fiberglass resin.

either remove the windshield yourself, or have your local autoglass place do it for you. remove as much of the nasty rust as you can.

cut your fiberglass mat patch to the approx size you need BEFORE mixing the resin. sand the area with a coarse sandpaper to give the resin something to stick/grab to. mix only enough resin to set that patch in place. let cure. you may need to do this several times to build up the area you are repairing - if so, be sure to scuff the cured area good with coarse sandpaper so the next layer has something to bite into.

once you have the area built up enough, give it a good sanding (a file can be used, as can a "cheesegrater" type tool for rough shaping),it doesnt need to be perfect, but get it as close to the proper shape as you can, prime it and paint it (make sure there is NO bare metal showing anywhere), and get the new windshield installed.

 

when i did mine, i unbolted the dash at the top and pryed it back a little so i could cover it completely. used a tarp over the dash and front seats to keep the sanding mess down/easier to clean up. also removed the A pillar trim and the trim piece at the front of the headliner.

 

Good luck. any questions, just ask.

When I encounter this problemn it was really bad. The whole lower sill was gone all the way across the bottom. I ended up drilling out all the spot welds, removing the entire cowl panel. Had to do the same thing to the parts car to get the new piece. Luckily the Forklift at the wreckers had an inverter in it so I was able to run an electric drill out in the wreckers yard. Then I brazed the new panel back in. Brazed it cause I don't have a pinch/spot welder. But since the pannels overlap so much it was an easy braze job and that allowed me to use the brass to *fill* some holes.

I couldnt find anything relevant to what I want to ask, maybe the "similar threads" will help me some, i dont know...

 

anyways, yesterday, i didnt drive my car at all, and the windshield was just fine.

 

i go out just a few minutes ago and theres a HUGE crack, about a foot long on the windshield i'm not sure whether im going to replace the windshield, going from my searches, 3 door windshields are the most expensive... maybe i can get it "repaired" ?? i've heard of that before...

 

there's a decent amount of rust in the bottom area where the windshield meets the frame... on each side. nothing in the middle from what i can tell. rusted straight through... you can even see through! (ive been told that the rust could be what caused the crack, the bottom end of the windshield is exposed and the gasket and corner piece wont stay on...)

 

also in the trunk (where the jack would go, except on the passenger's side) there's rust also, even a nice little hole i can see through on the panel. there was a reinforcement beam there too, it got eaten away.

 

i dont know how to weld, i dont know anyone that welds, i dont have access to a welder in the first place, is there ANY other way i can repair this rust without welding?

 

there is people who can repair windshields, i do it for a living, but i'm in MI

i also do body work, no go on the rust all you can do is ghetto patch it, get some cheap thin sheet metal, some tin snips and some j.b. weld.

 

first chip away all the broken rust around the area, put corrision stopper on the area, cut a piece of sheet metal to fit in the hole snuggly the use the j.b., after that use primer and paint it, spray can if you have to, then glue the windshield gasket back down, do the same in the trunk.

 

al these items can be picked up from an auto parts store.

make sure you spray clearcoat over where your repair or the rust will be back instantly.

hope this hood-engineering tip helps.

well, what im going to eventually do is...

 

take a few days off work, for one

then i'm just going to yank out my windshield in my driveway

do the repairs, and get it either replaced or put my old one back in if i can...

 

 

the rust isnt really bad at all, i was able to fit some silicone in it to prevent leaks for the time being, it should be easily covered...

 

and oh yeah, i would leave holes in the back where it leaks in the hatch, but ehhhh