Came home from the Monday morning water run. Backed the Jeep into its usual spot. Recalled that a hinge bolt on the rear window had come loose and decided I should tighten it while it was on my mind, because otherwise I was going to have trouble – it was the bolt that held the window on the left hinge. And apparently I had something fatally misaligned, because I went to give the nut one last twist, and…
…it was raining safety glass. The rear window didn’t hit the ground and shatter, it shattered and hit the ground in a million pieces. I have no idea how I’m gonna clean it all up.
And since my right hand was first to the scene of the accident…
…”safety” is relative.
How in the world am I gonna get a replacement for that?
Where? Rockauto.com:
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/jeep,2001,wrangler,4.0l+l6,1373723,body+&+lamp+assembly,rear+window+glass,6467
And what is your radiator preference?
Dig a hole, scrape the top layer of dirt/glass into the hole, spread the hole dirt across the area.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6ktmU3nl5I
HMM?
Might a piece of plexiglass not be cut to fit the window opening?
Cheap, relatively easily obtained and effective if it will work.
Second the plexiglass sheet solution. Have repaired several truck windows using the stuff. Make a cardboard template of the opening, trim it so it fits exactly as did the window, then two steps, Transcribe the outline to the plexi, then use wide frog or blue painter tape right over the line, then re-draw on the tape with the template. This keeps the scroll saw from scratching the plexi and makes a cleaner cut. use a blade with 18 to 24 teeth per inch, not a metal blade which will melt the plexi but not so coarse as to fracture the edges.you can sand it to remove sharp edges.
Some plexi comes with gummed on saran wrap on both faces, leave that on until done cutting. Make sure your drills are very sharp and don’t press too hard when drilling the holes for hinge and gas pistons and latch. Might have to superglue a spare bit of plexi to the outside of sheet in areas where the stuff attaches to reinforce same.
That or just order a new glass window only you have to make sure you have rubber sheeting to buffer the metal clamp-on areas or it will crack the window (which is likely what happened to you when tightening the old one). If you need any rubber sheet I can mail you as much as you need.that you can cut to fit.
Whoops. Second the plexiglass idea. Unless the weight of the glass is part of the design to make it Seal.
Joel, the plexiglass idea sure sounds good and I suspect it would be a lot cheaper than buying replacement parts. Another thing you can do until you get the stuff to fix the rear window is to use a little bit of duct tape and some clear plastic to cover the gap. This will stop the rain/snow from getting in and limit the amount of exhaust that gets in when you drive.
Darn! I spent my one IDEA allowed me this year already!
Whatever shall I do if I need another idea?
Beware the plexiglass if you keep the support struts. The struts are spring loaded, and designed to work with a glass window…
Joel – does your jeep have heated rear or non heated rear window?
This company seems to have the parts but is pricey. I can hunt around for used jeep rear glass locally, we have lots of recycling yards in this area but the price savings plus shipping might make store bought about the same.
https://www.quadratec.com/vehicle/1997-2006-wrangler-tj/hardtops/hardtop-glass
I assume yours is a 2001 through 2006 model?