Replacing a Suzuki SJ windscreen ...

The weather was fine today and, with the MOT due soon, I decided to replace the cracked windscreen. I tried pushing with the sole of my shoe against the top r/h corner to remove the old one and the screen started to move, but it also started to crack. It might have come out undamaged if I had helped by levering the rubber seal from the inside at the same time and maybe with the application of some lubricant between the frame and seal.

Once the screen was out, I cleaned off the old rubber, which was in good condition, and around the edge of the frame, then fitted the rubber to the new screen. A piece of string was then laid in the groove around outside of the screen - make sure the string is good quality, as it needs to be strong. The screen was then held in place against the aperture from the outside by my assistant while I pulled on one end of the string to flip the inner lip of the seal over the edge of the frame, the other end being tied off on the door frame (a pair of thick leather gardening gloves helps to prevent the string cutting into your hands). All went well until the last 100mm when the string broke, but this was no problem as I was able to ease the rest of the seal over the frame edge with the blade of a screwdriver, (be careful not to damage the paintwork).

A simple enough job really, but I wouldn't like to have attempted it by myself and would recommend getting a friend to help. Maybe a bit of washing-up liquid or silicone spray might have helped when removing the old screen and easing the seal back into place.

Credits...

writen by Geoff Crossland.