I have used Proseal B2 for installing windows and windshields a lot. After using the plunger rod to EVENLY push the hardener into the tube, you can use a mixer tool in your drill/driver. I get them from yard store.com in Wichita. I think Aircraft Tool supply and Brown tool have them as well...about 12-14 bucks. You want the sealant to be warmish for ease of mixing by Hand. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 70* or better. Recommended mixing is 50-70 strokes. (Low speed with a screw gun) Since the tubes are semi- translucent, I mix until the entire tube is a consistent and uniform dark color. If it comes out the nozzle looking like two color saltwater taffy, it’ll probably not cure fully.
I like to do a dry-fit and tape off the windshield about 0.20” away from the retainers. This will make a real nice finish line for the fillet seal with 890 or 1425. Once the windshield is removed from dry fitting I like to scuff the acrylic that is to be embedded in the Chanel/Proseal for better adhesion. I use red Scotchbrite for this.
Depending on the supplier of Proseal, it may not come with a nozzle in the bag. I order them individually by the 100’s. If you need some nozzles pm me.

3M 5200. Does anybody have any thoughts on using 3m 5200 to seal a windshield? Kenmoore air recommended it a while back. It’s not catalyzed, that’s a plus for working time. I’ve used it a bunch, just never on a windshield.

I could be wrong but Kenmore most likely recommended 3M 4200, at least that's what I'd use. 5200 is very strong, very difficult to remove. When I worked at Kenmore we were using a Bostik urethane adhesive and then 3M window-weld and then 3M 4200.

Windscreen adhesive is mostly there to keep the water out. Cessna and deHavilland both originally installed windscreens with no adhesive at all really. They relied on the aluminum retainers to keep it in place and some felt tape to keep the water out. Over the years shops started using a seam seal after installation and then started gluing the whole thing which seems to be the general practice these days.

That being said you could use pro seal like the Cirrus crowd.

Or use the 5200 and just hope you're not around to replace that windscreen someday...

Having done tons of research on this while trying to get mine done, both Kenmore and Sunquest (local paint shop that did our paint job) recommended 3M 4200.

Thanks for the recommendations for sealant. I also spoke with several local folks with longer term experience and all recommended 4200 as well. Apparently it stays more pliable than 5200 as well as not requiring destruction of the airframe to remove it. Almost ready to actually start sealing it up!

Did you use rivets, screws or cherry max to close it back up?

Ah! None of the above! My A&P said it can be muscled in. I was terrified at the prospect of damaging it, more because I literally started ordering mine in January and received an actual windshield about a week ago, than because of the money. A long, crazy story, but true. My only thought, as we started fitting and flexing, was that I wasn’t going to be flying my 182 until December. Oh ye of little faith, my A&P has never let me down and that remains true. The one take away was that, when it’s all fitted in the lower and side channels, the top can only overlap by about 1/2”. We installed it dry. I’m trying a method of delivery for the 4200 that may or may not work. Stay tuned for further details.

I have a tube of 4200 I would happily gift to watch one go in without rivets. I am in Everett.

So, our experiment worked. We had already put the windshield in dry and it fit fairly snug. We had also already taped it so the there was about 1/16” above and below the actual gap between windshield and aluminum.
Today We used a cheap, new, grease Gun and filled it full of 3M 4200 by pumping the tube into the grease gun using a caulking gun. Then, using a 4” long 1/8 OD needle (made for a grease gun) we injected the goo into the channel between the windshield and the channel. We used plastic wedges to get the needle in at about 2” intervals. It took two tubes plus a little bit of a third tube.
Take aways were, pull the edge tape while the goo is wet. We got some stringy, ugly spots by waiting too long and, have plenty of gloves handy.
The Harbor freight grease gun went in the garbage but the $15 seemed worth spending.

One other take away that I forgot, you can see exactly how the sealant was filling the gap by looking from the inside. It’s worth knowing.

Thanks to you guys and especially this thread, my new windshield is installed. Lessons learned.

Replacing the rivets w screws is a crime.
Cleaning the gray caulk takes a lot of time and patience.

Plan to redo the dash at the same time. Mine was desperately in need of new paint.

Expect to fix a bunch of other things while the windshield is out.
The manual calls for 2” wide felt strips under the wing root trim strips.

PNW Flyer wrote:Thanks to you guys and especially this thread, my new windshield is installed. Lessons learned.
Replacing the rivets w screws is a crime......

Plz elaborate on the rivets vs screws comment.

My mechanic recommended the “flying zebra” method.
So we just popped it in without touching the rivets. I was fully prepared for it to shatter, especially after looking at the 2” overlap at the top. But, as advertised, it went in just fine. The bottom has enough room to press in, then pop back. That combined with the complex angle reduces the overlap to about a quarter inch, which the window will bow due to the wing root curves.

Key point is extra clean on the u channel. I now truly understand why not to use silicone. Other hot tip, heat inside and outside. Heat is your friend when abusing plexiglass.