Tinting "pop-out" windows

[palmettotint]

I keep seeing cars come in from other shops where shortcuts were made on pop-out windows. The "right way" is to remove them. A lot of people probably don't know how easy it is to remove them, so here's a post!

 

The example vehicle is a early 2000 F-150 with the pop-out windows on the extended cab portion. This is one of the harder ones to do, so now that I'm posting this, there's no excuse not to remove these from now on!

Here's the window in question from the inside. You see the screws and latches that hold the window on.

Same window from the outside. Again, three spots where the window is held on with screws and latches. *Editor's note: Please excuse the film and scratches on the outside of the glass. This is a "Bo" truck and gets mud-covered on the regular.

We'll start with the hardest part, the latch. First remove the plastic dowel pin. It just lifts straight up. Use a flat-head screwdriver or I use a hook pick.

Now the latch is two pieces. One part attached to the vehicle, and the other part attached to the glass. Now use a wrench to remove the nut holding the piece on the glass.

You've successfully removed the latch from the glass!

The two bolts on the other side are easy. Phillips-head screws. NEVER use a drill to remove or tighten anything on glass! Be careful after you remove these last two bolts because the glass will fall right on the floor. Make sure you have a hand on the glass while removing the last screw.

Now you can properly tint the glass off of the car. You can see in the example how the holes are completely tinted around and no shortcuts are made. A word of advice, heat the outside of the glass really good around the holes to adhere the tint to the glass. The reason is when you reattach the bolts and latches, they have a tendency to twist the film as they're tightened. That's it! Re-attach the glass in the opposite manner as removal and you're done. Now you have a job you can be proud of with no shortcuts!

[TintTech Nottingham]

Great instructional !

[Big tinting]

sometimes the screws are stripped from someone else , messing with em if so gotta driil em out and replace screws, I replace auto glass also palmetto, and the 90 chevy xcab sucks when there stripped out, but your right that's the only way to tint em in my opinion.

[coast2coasttinting]

Great post.

I do them the same way.

[NvrLate]

Good post-but a little bit of obvious risk involved in removing glass. But I definitely appreciate someone taking the extra time to do it right.

I'd like to mention that it may be worth cutting just big enough to miss the latches. I did an old school Vette with the struts on the glass and removed them, and cut it right enough to hide. I let it bake in the sun for quite awhile before putting it together, and put it together and everything looked great. About an hr later when the glass cooled and contracted (I'm guessing) the film buckled a little around the holes. So now I cut it just slightly larger so it never contacts the grommets. Still looks better than a slit or horseshoe cut.

[Ryker]

I don't tint behind any sort of bolt like those....I will remove those trucks like you posted but cut out the film using the plastic spacer to cut the film out. That way there is nothing behind the plastic to pinch.  I also use a circle template and cut a bit larger than the latch bolt and do not remove them.. Just a slight light around them and never had a complaint in 14 years.

[Slick]

Just a couple of points for the professionals.  If you do any amount of these types of trucks at all, invest in at least one proper tool....the one for removing the pin....get one of these pin removal pliers...

 

 

I have seen some pretty nasty damage done with just using screwdrivers and things.

 

Another point is to watch things like that steel adjustable wrench.  You can scratch the glass pretty easily with the edges (trust me, I have done it when I was first starting out.)  A socket will greatly reduce that risk.

 

Other than those 2 things....good post.

[coast2coasttinting]

Dang to they still make those. I had one at the first shop I worked at, and have never seen one since. They work awesome.

[Slick]

seems so....

 

https://www.equalizerfusion.com/ProductDetails.aspx?QString=DQvMyVuc3vNdREUNeHQ07UIz8R1l70lp/wu+lD6mgSY=

[coast2coasttinting]

Thanks slick