New Dash Pad/Cover windshield problem

[the99kid]

Hi All-

New here and to Fiat, so bear with me...

I just purchased and installed a new molded ABS dash pad/cover to spruce up the VERY old/cracked/crummy dash that was in the car when I got it. New one looks nice, but had a couple issues installing, and wondered if anyone had any solutions for me. The main issue is that the directions clearly instructed me to use rolls of paper towels smashed between the dash and windshield to hold the unit in place while glue dried. Well...either I'm stronger than I thought or I did something wrong, as I pressed the rolls in place and the windshield (frame and all) pulled away from the body/cowl. I quickly removed the rolls and went with some shop rags instead, but the frame/glass only settled back to within about .200". What should I do? Black silicone maybe? I don't want to do more damage than I have already...

Thanks!

[azruss]

sounds like the windshield molding came off the metal track on the bottom of the windshield. If you remove the cowling, you may be able to push the rubber back over the track with a flat screwdriver. be careful not to pry against the windshield and crack the glass. move the rubber over the sheetmetal lip just enough so it stays on top. dont try to get it to seat in until this process runs the entire base. now you can push the windshield into position using the palms of your hands to get it to seat. make yourself a cup of liquid soap and water and keep the rubber lubed up. this is not a fun job. be patient.

[the99kid]

sorry...I didn't make it very clear. The glass, frame, rubber seal around the glass, everything has pulled away from the body. If I lift it up enough, I can 'reach under' the entire frame assembly and see my fingers on the dash board inside the car. The glass and frame seem to be seated just fine as always, it's the entire assembly that has moved/come loose. There seems to be a black gasket on the bottom of the window frame that presses against the painted portion of the cowl right there behind the exterior vents...does that help at all?

[RRoller123]

Isn't that entire windshield assembly held onto the car by a few bolts on either side in the door frame area? Not sure on a 76...

[azruss]

RR is right. the entire windshield assembly is held on by 4 bolts, 2 on each side. if these are loose or missing, the frame can lift away from the body. Just open the doors and follow the frame into the door sill

[the99kid]

all 4 bolts and both brackets are there and tight...

[RRoller123]

I think we need pics to help with this...

This is a procedure that I have been developing for a little while on how to post pictures here in the Forum. Hope it is useful, and comments are always welcome.

HOW TO POST PICTURES IN FIATSPIDER.COM

Well that picture-posting thing sure is confusing. Took me forever to figure it out. Here is what I do:

First, you must post your pictures on photobucket.com or one of the similar competing websites. You can't post pics directly from your computer. So set up a free account there first. The instructions here reference photobucket.com.

Then in your FS.com post, look for the "Img" box at the top of the post, #9 from the left in the row of command icons.

Put the cursor where you want the pic to appear in the post (leave a few spaces after text is a good idea) and click the "Img" button/icon above.

Then go to the photobucket.com site (or competitor) and find your pic. Hover the cursor over the pic and a drop down menu will appear. Then click the "Direct Link" or similar button. In Photobucket, it will respond with a "copied" indication.

Go back to your FS.com post and make sure the cursor is EXACTLY in between the 2 Img boxes: [img](cursor%20in%20here)[/img] then right click and hit "paste" and the web link for the pic will show up in between the 2 img boxes. DON'T hit the IMG button a second time. MOVE your cursor out of the IMG info you just created before you hit enter.

Now when you post the post, the pic will be there!

Remember that if you delete the photobucket "master" pic, it will no longer appear in the posting here on FS.com

Also: there is a size limit to the pictures that can be displayed here, I think it is 750 pixels in width, someone correct me if I am wrong. So you may need to resize (typically downsize) the pics so that they fit properly and all of the pic is displayed and not cropped. What I do is really simple: I email the original picture to myself within AOL. AOL will automatically prompt you to see if you want the picture "optimized". Say "yes" and send this new pic to yourself. I then save it with a "small" addendum to the picture name and put this optimized picture up on photobucket. It works every single time like a charm.