Split Screen Fitting

[alanworland]

Just thought you might like to know (or not) how I got my splitscreen screens in.
You know how it is, bodyworks all painted, new seal, nice clean glass and been told by ESM that it's a bit of a pig!.
Drivers side first, glass in the rubber and some rubber lube around the body groove. Located the bottom over the flange and pushed down firmly as it wants to pop off, I used a small screwdriver (about 3/16 blade) I gradually eased the top outside over the flange (without paint damage) I was then able to slide the glass/seal assembly outwards onto the windscreen pillar flange helping the rubber to go the right way with my trusty screwdriver. The only trouble was that it wouldn't stay there it wanted to slide back, so I used one of those nylon webbing ratcheting straps around the pillar (with rags) and the screen.
Little did I know this was the easy one!
Same again for the passenger side but this time I was unable to push and tease the rubber flange out at the same time.
Help was required so I enlist wife Sue, she's pushing for all she's worth from the inside and I'm 'teasing' on the outside, still not enough push, as this side is turning into a bit of a nightmare.
She says I could push much better if I put my feet up the windscreen!
I thought (no never mind)!
Anyway feet up with a much more controlled push I teased away and it was in! but once again the screen wanted to slide towards the other one, another ratchet strap until I cut up some wooden spacers for the gap. I went round the rubber removing as much rubber lube as I could then left it for a couple of weeks to dry off.
The whole seal was sealed externally glass/rubber and rubber/body with a black neutral cure silicone, I found I had to hold the external flange down with insulating tape until it cured. Left for about a week the tape was removed to reveal, a mess! although it was stuck ok it had squeezed out, I found the best way of removing this was the old thunbnail!
My newly rechromed trim was next in, but it wouldn't stay in, there was so much mould release agent in the groove. This was cleaned out with panel wipe (good stuff that) and I managed to get it to stay in.
Centre pillar seemed to long, because I think the screen rubber isn't exactly the same as the original. Rather than just wind away at the pillar screws in the hope that it would be water tight I 'potted' the whole lot in the old nuetral cure silicone.
I the went around the chrome trim outer with the same pulling a nice radius fillet with a cut down silicone applicator. A couple of days later it was all cleaned off with the old thumbnail, I then used a silicone filled syringe to fill the joint round the inside of the trim to rubber, this was wiped off while still wet with a petrol dampened cloth as I'd run out of panel wipe.
Fitting the screens has got to be fairly high up on the list of worst jobs.
I had replaced the back window rubber years ago with my dad and I can always remember using a jack (yes a jack!) on the floor cross member to get the window in, and I was dreading doing that again, but this time it slipped in lovely.
Anyway just thought I'd voice my 'method of assembly' as it might help some other poor soul!, I will get back to the other minor jobs.
Alan