YJ windshield cowl rubber

  • I'm going to change the cowl rubber on mt YJ, and would like some input from someone that has done it. It looks pretty straight forward, but so do most other jobs. One question I do have, is any type of sealant used?

    '88 YJ, 4" suspension, 2"body lift, 456 locked F & R, 35-12.50-15 BFG KM2s on Cragar Soft 8's
    &'03 KJ, 2"+ shackle lift, armor, BBs, 245-70-16 BFG A/T TAs

  • pb blast your hinges! it just screws on with a few sheet metal screws. Might have to disconnect wiper motor? Put a string on connector so it wont fall down into fire wall area.

  • It's a really simple install. I didn't use any sealant for 2 reasons


    1. PO used a ton of caulking and that crap was a PIA to remove (scraping, sanding, cussing, etc.) so I was sick of it n refused to use it after all that mess
    2. The new seal was tight enough that I haven't had one leak since replacing it.


    My dash was all rotted out so I ended up replacing it and all of the hardware. Word of advice: get the exact same size screws that hold the rubber to bottom of windshield frame and don't over tighten. Check the windshield wipers before you bolt the windshield to the Rollbar. I used longer screws and got a horrible screeching sound the first time I used the wipers. The tips of the screw were hitting the actuator bar so I had to take it all apart again to fix. If you're close to Newark I'm willing to lend a hand

    Your life is made up of 2 dates and a dash... make the most of the dash!

  • Thanks for the input. I was able to loosen all the fasteners except one and started working on it with an impact driver. Hopefully I won't ring it off.

    '88 YJ, 4" suspension, 2"body lift, 456 locked F & R, 35-12.50-15 BFG KM2s on Cragar Soft 8's
    &'03 KJ, 2"+ shackle lift, armor, BBs, 245-70-16 BFG A/T TAs

  • Well... I got it done. What a PITA. Drilling out the roll bar bolt went well, and even though I sprayed the hinges with blaster they would not move. I managed to get the upper hinge bolts out, but when I tried the lower ones the first one just spun so I abandoned that idea. I was able to flex the hinges enough to clear the wiper motor and get the windshield off. I worked on the hinges again with no success, then installed the cowl rubber and forced it back together. On the positive side I had no rust on the tub and only a little on the outside of the windshield. While I was at it I installed a mirror on the windshield hinge. It came with longer bolts which gave me one for the roll bar that i drilled out.
    Thanks again for the input.

    '88 YJ, 4" suspension, 2"body lift, 456 locked F & R, 35-12.50-15 BFG KM2s on Cragar Soft 8's
    &'03 KJ, 2"+ shackle lift, armor, BBs, 245-70-16 BFG A/T TAs

  • Ewwww... I had problems with the windshield hinge bolts when I repainted them and the windshield. There was a boomerang shaped piece of metal inside that has two threaded holes on each end. That piece of crap broke free but the bolts were still held in place by all of the caulk the PO used around the hinges and under the rubber weatherstrip pc. :upset: glad ya got it finished though. No more wet floors when it rains! How did the dash frame look? Any rust there?

    Your life is made up of 2 dates and a dash... make the most of the dash!

  • Not a bit :up: . That was a relief.

    '88 YJ, 4" suspension, 2"body lift, 456 locked F & R, 35-12.50-15 BFG KM2s on Cragar Soft 8's
    &'03 KJ, 2"+ shackle lift, armor, BBs, 245-70-16 BFG A/T TAs

Participate now!

Don’t have an account yet? Register yourself now and be a part of our community!