Mexi was still made the same...

Tom: Does your windshield frame (i.e.,  the car body) incorporate those 'barbs' that were designed to hold the glass in the body (and the occupants in the car!) in case of an accident? Did you also install a new seal? Any explanation from Antonio (or Darby or others) as to why the seal doesn't fit tightly at the corners?

As to the 'weak links' at the corners of the windshield, is it just a matter of the Mexican Beetles just being built to be basic transportation with no intentions of the cars lasting 40+ years...like many of ours?

I often wonder what the early VW engineers and factory workers would have thought of our collective passions for their handiwork after all these years......

Can Antonio secure parts for earlier models, like '65, for instance?

Clancy

It sure could have been worse - the rock hit right in front of my wife at 65 mph! Good thing they still used the "good" safety glass. (The outer layer was cracked in circles out to dinner-plate size, but the inner layer was intact except for a pinpoint center chip.) Maybe because we were just returning from an early morning Bible study...
Looks to me like the corners fit as well as on my 62 - but at the sharp turns there is just less compression on the seal. (The 62 is rusted at the same place as well - as are almost all Beetles that have lived outside.) the outer lip seems tight, but lifts up with little effort at these corners. I think this is common to Beetles. Remember, ALL of them were designed for basic transportation, and the vast majority have rotted away. No one in the 40s-60s would have had any idea the Beetle would still be going after 2000.
Yes I used a new seal - Antonio also got one from the factory.
Antonio specializes in VW factory parts, and that means recent production. While many parts interchange, they would likely be updated, not like NOS. I'd stay with BFY & WW for older cars.
Darby, glad you survived the damage. You are right about the cost of repairs. When my Mexi got rear-ended and needed a bumper, fender, etc I got quotes from Antonio for factory replacements, and the insurance company couldn't believe how cheap - even with the FedEx bill. Let's hear it for the good old days and their cars.

Interesting...
I looked to me like the rust starts on the underside of the holes (only primer on the underside), then creeps up under the paint. The wax is a good idea. Eastman sells the stuff in aerosol cans - I'll give it a try.

Not much - must have been a return to that for the Ultima.

I just happened to take a continuing education class yesterday on windshield replacement.  Because I had read this post a few days ago I asked the instructor to take a look at my Mexi's windshield.  There are 3 basic types of glass: anaeled (sp?) which is regular glass, tempered, and laminate.  All windshields in the US and most other countries are laminate.  This means that to pieces of glass are 'melted' together with a very strong (~22 gage) piece of laminate/plastic inbetween.  It is the plastic that gives the windshield its strength and prevents it from shattering.  The instructor took a look at my Mexi and confirmed that the winshield is AS-1 which can only mean laminate.  The other windows, including the rear, are AS-2 which means tempered (the kind of glass that just breaks into a million little pieces with rounded edges).  This is just like vehicles made and/or sold in the US.  If you want to check for yourself on any vehicle just look for the "bug" or stamp on the window which tells the company and other info.  Look either for the word "laminate" or "AS-1" which is the proper glass for a windshield.

I also learned that it is extrememly important to take care of any rust in the pinchweld as this can seriously weaken the bond between the pinchweld, urethane, and windshield.  And always use urethane as the bonder and be sure to remove all of the pre-exisiting urethane.

I'm sure those of you who replace your own windshields already know much of this, but for those who have never done it before or are planning on having a windshield replaced be sure you or the company who does the replacement complies with the above. 

Happy and safe driving!

Katie

Katie, Yes the Mexi beetle's windshield is laminated as Tom can attest to or he'd have had a boulder in his lap, and as Bruce noted, Mexi's like all air cooled beetles use a "Rope In" runner seal and are not held in with Eurethane. The instructor's words are correct but for glue in glass.