dang window channel rust

[87swb]

how ya'll, it's been awhile since i been on here but i found some rust in a bad spot. it's up under my front windshield seal. now last year i had to fix my back glass window channel cause it was rusted some there. and i can't help but to wonder is this a common rust area on these trucks? how are you supposed to fix these spots? as far as i know you can't buy a replacement window channel, all i did to my back glass was sand the rust all the way down the best i could, put some of that Kleen-Strip rust converter you get at auto-zone on it and let it dry and then bondoed the rust pits and a few pin holes up and primered and painted it and put a new seal and glass in it. that's about all ya can do isn't it? is there a better way to do it? 

[hotrod24]

you have pics

[80stepsideguy]

I had a problem with my 1st cab.Your gonna have to remove the windshield if you already haven`t.Chances are sometime i the past someone could've plugged up the corner drain holes and water sat under the windshield and rusted them areas out.The cab i got had some surface rust but i fixed that cause the 1st cab i had to replace the entire section under the windshield.It isn't fun let me tell ya so if its small cut it out and replace it if its big i say find a donor truck and cut that entire section out and weld it in.

thanks
pat

[87swb]

i don't know if i can do all that now. this is my daily driver. i know those holes you're talkin bout, they're not stopped up as i can tell. and i don't have pics. it's not that bad, it's not rusted all the way down. just here and they're spots, some just surface and some all the way thru and then some pitted. i'm prolly just gonna fix it like i did my back glass. by the time you buy a cab and have all that work done by a body shop it'll cost ya more than what the whole truck's worth. i just don't know, i guess if you got one with this kinda rust, its just too bad and you'll have to suck it up.

[hotrod24]

best thing to do is sand blast and look and see what you need to fix adn if it is to bad do what pat said

[87swb]

what would ya'll consider too bad? well you can't see it unless you pry up on the weatherstrip and like i said it's not all down thru the channel.

[80stepsideguy]

Either way man your gonna need to take the windshield out to get ALL the metal thats rusted fixed.Iunderstand its a daily driver but if you wanna stop it from getting worse your gonna need to take some time and get it fixed.Would you rather fix the small areas you got or replace the entire bottom end of the windshield?? 
You can do it in a matter of a weekend and some cold and tasties and it`ll be worth the effort.

thanks
pat

[87swb]

i'm gonna fix it. im just wondering if i should cut it out or just fix it like i did my back glass. i thought that rust converter stuff would stop the rust... 

[78 Chevyrado]

If you don't think the rust has made the metal is too thin, or if there aren't any holes, go for it with the rust converter.  otherwise, you should cut it out and put new metal in.  If its not rusted where the corner curves are and is in a straight place, like bottom-center it would be easy to bend a piece of flat stock to fit.  Prime it with an etching primer and put some epoxy paint under where the seal goes just for extra protection.  Get your new windshield seal before you take it apart so you can see where to mask for paint and you won't even have to match the paint.  ALL aftermarket seals are different than the one you have on there weather it's aftermarket or GM and won't lay down in the same place as the one you have now.  It could be larger or smaller, reveal-width-wise.  So don't use the old seal as a guide or you may end up with some of the repair showing. 

[87swb]

lil bit of an update...i took my front widshield out today. can't go wrong with cutting that rubber seal with a razor blade and pushing it out, that's what i done and just pryed it on out here and there. the rust is there and a lil more spreadout than i thought but i think it'll be alright, just mainly surface with very shallow pits and a couple little holes. i'm gonna get Jack Morris Auto Glass to come to my house and put one in, there gonna charge me $200 for the windshield and new seal and to come out here, thought that was a little high but maybe they do good work.

[KoolerSL2]

thats not bad from jack morris.
they did me for $100 just for a windsheild.