710 wagon lift gate window

[opalbeetle]

Good evening all,

 

I am wondering if any of you have had any success removing the lift gate window keeping the rubber gasket intact. I have rust under the gasket in two spots that I'd like to take care of.

 

I really would like to reuse the gasket as it is in good shape, and, I'm pretty sure they might be fairly impossible to source.

 

Thanks for your input.

[OkieRA29]

I have a buddy that did it.  Unfortunately, he did with the help of hail.  The window was toast, but the gasket was good!!  Unless the gasket is very pliable, I fear you are out of luck.

[datzenmike]

Do it on a warm day. Lots of soapy water.

[OkieRA29]

yeah, that is way more help than my suggestion.  I would also add to go very slowly.  I don't know about the Datsuns, but the rear hatch glass seal on my celica is also held in place with that black gooey mastic stuff as well.  Get some thin metal and wires to help out a bit and again, go very slowly.

[opalbeetle]

I do know that the seal has no "goop" in there.  It is just a seal.  The soap idea is a great one.  Warm day is a bit of a problem, as my car is not currently able to roll.  

 

Thanks!

[OkieRA29]

Look for a heat gun, usually used to peel paint.  Basically, just a glorified blow dryer.  You can use that to heat the seal, just use a low setting and move the heat source around to avoid overheating one area.  You should be able to warm the seal up enough to get it pliable and remove it.

[opalbeetle]

Well...thanks for the advice. 

 

With a bucket of soapy water (Mike's idea) I tried to remove the gasket rom the outside of the window but had little success, so I opened the lift gate and tried it from the inside instead and it was WAY easier.  I could not find a heat source as per OkieRA29, although I did ask to borrow a hairdryer but that went nowhere at all.  As for tools, I went through my toolbox and could really find anything that I thought wouldn't rip the shit out of the gasket.  I ended up going to my sons tool kit that he uses for his mountain bike.  I used two of his plastic tire levers.

 

I pried the gasket back with one and pushed the "folded" part under the lip.  Once it tucked under the lip (and stayed there), I applied more soapy water and moved along the edge of the window, about three inches at a time, and repeated the process along three sides (I did the two long sides and one short side).  I took about an hour to do the whole window.  I went really slowly.  The very last thing that I wanted was a broken window or a torn gasket.  The corners of the gasket required the most care as it really wanted to bunch up.  You only have to do two of the corners and three of the sides as the final two corners and the last side just slide out at the end of the job.  

 

The tools.

 

And this is why I wanted to remove the window.  The first pic is the worst of the two.  The rust is right through the top and also the sheet metal facing the back.  There are 4 holes along the edge of the lip (so water drains away?) and 2 of these is where the rust developed.  And to top it off, t

he water would drain into the door!

 

 

Alright, back to rust repair......

[Will]

 

Bike repair-automobile repair teamwork! Awesome!

[Eagle_Adam]

This is good to know!!!!

[O.D.D.]

VERY brave of you, man. I had the same 2 big spots in my rear hatch (which is already non-original) And just did the best i could with the exposed surfaces. 

 

I knew there was no going back if the gasket got ruined, and wasnt about to risk it.  

 

Your wagon thanks you. (mine resents me)

[opalbeetle]

I couldn't see how to take care of the rust without taking it out.

 

I'm not sure what I would have done had the window or seal got wrecked. Maybe take all the rear windows out and make a delivery wagon?

 

Putting it back in will be another tale. Theoretically sit should be easier to put in then take out.

[OkieRA29]

Much easier to put in than take out.  Use lots of soapy water and such.  You might also want to call around to local windshield replacement places and see it there are any good old school glass guys. They would remember how to put the gasket back in and could offer some advice and maybe do it cheap enough to make it worth hiring them.