windshield frame rust

I have been doing some general maintenance on a 2002 tacoma i just bought. The top of the windshield frame under the rubber gasket is rusting pretty bad. I pulled the rubber gasket out around the worst of it in about a 12" long area and sanded the scale off and got down to decent metal. The i por15'd the area and tried to put the gasket back and it will not seat properly. Has anyone else dealt with this? What is the best way to fix this without spending a lot of money? It dont have to look perfect i just want to stop the rust from getting any worse so it dont start leaking water inside of the cab.

 

I dealt with it by paying the auto body shop $860 to fix the rust and repaint the roof. Would have been cheaper but I had to get a new windshield. When my dad owned the taco he took it to the Mexicans by Shea stadium that used to replace windshields on the cheap and they used some unknown substance to seal the windshield. The body shop couldn’t get it off.

 

Well $860 bucks aint gonna happen i only paid $1500 for this shit bucket i guess i will just send it. I suspect that a previous windshield replacement scratched it and rust started and never stopped. Sad because this truck is in pretty good shape body wise the only bad part on this truck is the top of the windshield, oh well.

 

My mom's Honda had the same issue. Safelite did a horrible job and water rusted though the cab in between the windshield. We didn't know until it started raining one year and water began pouring into the car. Took it to the windshield shop. They removed the windshield, cleaned up the rust and sprayed the area with whatever rust spray they had then re installed a new windshield. Worked like a charm!

Edit: if you don't want to spend too much money, you could probably just do it yourself.

 

I just tried to do it myself and it turned out looking horrible and i didn't get all of the rust. The windshield needs to be completely removed for me to do a decent job of trying to fix it and i'm not good at removing windshields in one piece.

 

Yeah, I'm sure removing the window would be the only way. Maybe look up replacement glass and have it handy?

 

Windshield needs pulled no doubt about it i just dont want to spend a lot on this truck. The seal is sticking up where it touches the glass so rain water will be driven up under the seal and into the recess and cause more rust. The repair job was looking decent until i couldn't get the seal to seat properly and then it turned into a big f'n mess. Oh well i will drive it till it rusts though and take it to the wrecking yard to be crushed into a cube. Such a shame window installers do such a piss poor job of installing these things since this is a very hard area to repair.

 

Before you give up, take it to a body shop and see how much they charge. I got 3 quotes: 680, 725, 1100. I went with the middle put paid more due to the windshield replacement. Not sure the condition of your truck but I thought it was worth it to avoid having a monthly payment on a newer truck. I love my truck way too much to give up on it plus I’m too cheap to pay the cost of a newer truck.

 

It's a decent looking taco but it has 275k on it. I wanted this truck to be a reliable beater but I'm not going to spend $500+ just to fix the windshield. There is no hole yet but it's rusted pretty good and the previous owner garaged it. Now that i own it it will be sitting outside year around and it's going to get driven in salt. I guess this truck wont be around much longer.

 

I had a similar windshield leak on the upper passenger side. The previous owner must have gotten the windshield replaced, and whoever removed the first windshield damaged the paint which led to rust and eventual leaking. In 2017 I managed to temporarily fix the leak by filling the gap with sealant, similar to what you're trying to do here, but the leak came back this earlier this year.

In March I paid Safelite $250 install a new windshield, but after they removed the glass they found a fair bit of rust and told me that it needed to be treated before they would install a new one. I spent several hours sanding and grinding with a dremel, and then coated the windshield channel with a rust converting paint. I took a few pictures of the process:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/media/albums/2019-03-windshield-replacement-rust-repair.56774/



I would try to calling around to the auto glass companies, and ask if they would remove and re-install your windshield to give you the chance to do some rust repairs. You might find someone willing to do that for $100-150. Most will probably want to sell you a new windshield, but it's worth calling around.

 

If i could get by that cheap i would do it. I might seal it up temporarily with silicone and do it next spring when the weather is warm. I wouldent mind grinding all the old rust out if i can get to it. I am quite handy with POR15 after owning jeeps and 4runners.

I decided to try out white por15 patch thinking it would color match better if i did a dupilicolor rattle can job where it crept up the roof. But once i started fighting trying to get the seal to lay flat and it would not my decent looking job turned into a less than desirable end result. The windshield needs to come out but the time of year i decided to tackle this project in is not cooperating.

If i went to a glass shop i wonder if the price would be cheaper than driving to my house since i live a pretty long way from a glass installer. I wonder if it would be legal to drive home with no windshield and a motorcycle helmet lol!

 

Same on mine. Periodically I slather a gob of silicone up there to keep the drips out. Not really worried about it anymore, it's a rusty toyota. One of many.

 

I had a windshield removed at a glass place and re-installed after working on rust.

Good Luck.

edit: If you're in a rust belt state this will be worth it even if not fixed right, (cut and weld in new metal) because once that water starts dripping on your leg in winter, you won't keep it long. If you can add 5 yrs. by taking out glass, it's worth it.

 

I'd imagine they'd be more willing to work with you on price if you bring your truck in. Not sure what state you're in, but it's probably not legal to drive without a windshield. The guys at my shop actually duct taped the old windshield in the channel for my initial ride home. There was a bit of a whistle as air found its way through the gap, but no motorcycle helmet was needed.

 

TX doesn't require helmets for motorcycles or no windshield cars like the Lotus or Can-Ams. Helmet makers won't pay the bribes.