Butyl tape thickness for windows?

79BuOwner

Amateur Racer
Jul 11, 2011
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What butyl tape thickness works best for quarter windows and back window? i would think the thickness of the butyl tape would affect the back window trim and how easy it goes on and if it seals against the glass. What do any of you guys recommend? i have 5/16 thickness that i could use on the back or both quarter windows, but i would need to buy another roll to do all windows. not sure if i should get a 3/8... :-k What works best?
 

DOUG213XRJ

MalibuRacing Junkie
Sep 18, 2006
4,671
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West, MI
I have used both 5/16 and 3/8 on the quarter windows.

Doug
 

RatMalibu

Pro Stocker
May 21, 2003
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Rolla, Mo.
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if you use butyl for the back glass the car behind you on the highway will be looking for your insurance information......
 

79BuOwner

Amateur Racer
Thread starter
Jul 11, 2011
158
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RatMalibu said:
if you use butyl for the back glass the car behind you on the highway will be looking for your insurance information......


Uhhh why? what would be the difference? and id have to see what the urethane looks like but whatever it had didnt seal so i wont use that, i know butyl seals.
 

79BuOwner

Amateur Racer
Thread starter
Jul 11, 2011
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My fathers uncle has used butyl glass setting for years and done all windows, and never had any problems. always sealed great, so il most likely be going with that.
 

RatMalibu

Pro Stocker
May 21, 2003
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I spent most of the last 15 years as a body shop tech, painter, and foreman....I might know a "little" about auto glass and personally I didn't even use Butyl to reinstall my side windows I sure wouldn't risk having a back glass come out going down the highway because I used the wrong thing to install it.

Call any glass shop on the North American continent and ask them what they use for a back glass.....it won't be Butyl.....Butyl is not a high adhesive it's more of a sticky sealer that never gets hard.... it was used by the factory for the rear side windows along with metal clips that screw into the body.....if you take the metal clips out of the equation the windows will eventually fall out of the holes by themselves......your back glass doesn't have metal clips.....
 

10secBu

MalibuRacing Junkie
May 21, 2003
4,284
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Westminster, MD
Right or wrong, I installed the front and rear glass with butyl tape. Car had been raced for 18 years like that running as quick as 8.50s at 159 mph, never one hint of the glass coming loose. The car did several wheel stands that I dropped it from a couple feet up bending headers, etc, still held to the channel very tight when I cut them out last fall.

I guess when it's time to reinstall, I'll search out a company to set them with urethane this time around.
 

tiedyemike8

Frequent Racer
Oct 28, 2009
658
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Naperville, IL
There's nothing wrong with using butyl, it was used by oem's for most of the last century and it's more than strong enough for any glass setting you need to do. Remember that both surfaces must be very clean. Urethane has taken over in the last 30 years or so because it's stronger, more resistant to UV (butyl deteriorates over time), faster, and most find it easier to work with.

I would say use whatever you feel comfortable working with. Both butyl and urethane will give you good results. Anyone who ever lost a back glass had it installed wrong, plain and simple. Probably didn't clean the surfaces properly so the butyl didn't adhere well.
 

RatMalibu

Pro Stocker
May 21, 2003
2,225
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Rolla, Mo.
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Todd, brother....all I can say is my experience with butyl has been opposite

maybe that's just my luck, who knows
 

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