Excellent, feeling much more confident now as I have to tackle this same job. Thanks for laying the groundwork for this and finding a good black compound for it.
I had a repair done to my 944 hatch last year but don't hold out much hope of it lasting. i'm inspired from your video to have a go with the 3M stuff myself, now if only i can get her ladyship to do gap spotting , for me as well!!!
First I want to say as a long time owner of a '84 NA, it's always great to see someone tackle a problem "their way" and we all learn something from it whether others disagree with the methods or not. I used to sell 3M industrial products and their quality was 2nd to none. I would not be surprised if it will hold out much longer than anticipated either. But after watching your video, I wondered if the small patches where the glass was still attached (and new sealant could not replace) could've been separated enough to allow those areas to be sealed and the end result looking from the outside, would be one long smooth black line. I applaud how well it still looks. I guess taking the hatch off would allow this idea to be easier to accomplish.
What people don't really understand it that when the hatch is closed is when the struts are putting the most force on the glass. They are pushing it straight back away from the frame. This is what causes the de-lamination issue as the original adhesive breaks down over the years. The rear hatch on my 87 was fine until I put new lift struts on it when it would not pop open like it did when I first got it. It seems the lift struts loosing their strength prevented my glass from de-laminating. The new struts made the glass come loose in just a few months. I bridged the gap with a strip of Gorilla tape to prevent it from leaking and put the weak struts back on it till I can fix it. That Windo-Weld stuff looks to be the stuff to use when I reattach the hatches on my herd of 944's when I get to that point. Nice work.
Yes your comments confirmed my assessment of the stress being when closed. Unfortunately Windo weld is not UV resistance and that is the problem with all adhesives, which is the reason the degradation occurs. I am going to put UV filter screen film on rear screen to avoid UV damage by clear plex
@@jacobeid I did two things, install a ceramic heat resistant film and over where the sealant is exposed through glass we installed a black vinyl strip
thanks for the video, I'm going to give it a try, you are sure right about the little things on the 944 going wrong, I have two 83 944s and they are both driving me nuts and into the poor house!
Good stuff…and a daunting project ahead for me. I’m thinking of taking the rear hatch out and working on it out of the car, it may be easier. ….then I’ll take the rear hatch to get tinted while it’s out. I do think you are onto a winner with the 3m product, they know there stuff and formulations. Any new updates
I may have to do mine but won't know for sure until I remove the window tint which makes it hard to tell if its the tint that's bubbling or if it's the glass delaminating. This seems like a nice solution. Keep up the good work!
As someone who did just that a few years ago on mine, it was brutal. It is a top 5 'worst things I have had to do with a car.' It did allow me to really clean up the frame and glass as well as apply primer before putting down the Windo Weld, though. How long will it last? Not sure.
I've been through all this with my 944. Once I removed the struts, I can now open and close the darn thing which solves 90% of the problem. The Porsche struts were way too strong for my hatch. Went to a local glass shop and the greedy owner quoted me $1,500 to install his window plus labor. Ended up getting his shop manager to come by my house after work to straighten everything out. Charged me $100 for an hour of his time. He could tell right away that the struts were the issue. Next step is to find struts with less tension. Did someone say to use Jeep Cherokee struts? Is there a part number? thanks Mr. India!
Thanks for a very informative description of your solution. I have read many times now, icluding in these comments, that replacement gas struts are very often too strong and create extra pressure on the glass causing it to pop loose from the frame. I wonder if there is a replacement strut that is calibrated to match the originals?
You are right about gas struts, but the problem is UV light breaking down the window sealant . The seal becomes weak and the gas strut pressure starts push against weak sealant.
I used this method today, and we'll see how it holds up. I had some issues with the product coming out slightly beaded, so I opted to use a very fine paint brush instead. This helped me get a very even application. Too bad the previous owner didn't use this method because their previous job still looks awful. I wonder if I can remove it somehow...
great video , this has been on my to do list for a couple years , but just looked like a miserable job . 2 questions , how is it holding , and how much did you use . did you use both tubes ? i priced the stuff out and to order in a 10.5 oz tube from the us to canada will run $70+cdn after shipping so curious if you needed 2 tubes for the job , or just 1. thanks for the video it is super helpfull
@mrindia_from_uk how is this holding up a year later? Were you experiencing "popping" sounds from the hatch while driving, and if so, did this eliminate the issue? I'm seriously considering your approach to this for my own 951.
Have the same delam issue after new shocks. I found the 3M #08609“caulking” / got it. And then found a 3M window #08693“adhesive”. I’m wondering which is best at this point. No instructions on the adhesive tube but the caulking- like you used-says to partially remove the old window bonding agent. Have you discovered anything new regarding this issue Mr India?
Just an update, it’s been scorching hot in California but today cooled a bit to actually get on this window issue. I used the 3M 08693. Adhesive. You used the 3M 08609 so this will be a good comparison as to the strength of these two products. If it fails, I still have the tube you used but I will likely completely pull the window from the rail. Hope to God I don’t have to’ that would be nightmarish. Wish me luck! 🍀 ha!
About to put the 3M on! I notice there is glass-rubber seal- frame……did you glue both sides of the rubber?? The rubber is loose so if I glue the glass to it it’s just going flop around!
The rubber is probably old sealant on the frame . I did not have a loose rubber sealant. In your case you may need to get the frame off for a complete restoration
Hello Sir, is it still holding up please ? I realized that the humidity I almost permenently have on my rear hatch is probably due to this very problem...
Yes it is still holding up well. I think exposing to heat and the suns UV light is what causes the problem. In addition to the fix I have installed window tint to filter UV and also a 1” vinyl strip on the outside over the glue that can bee seen through the glass
For me it was better with the hatch in place. It kept the hatch frame aligned to the car body. If you take it off there is a risk the hatch will set in the wrong position. This was my theory
