How to treat rust around windshield?

Hey all, I have a 'truly' gen1 tundra - 2000 SR5 4.7. It's been the OK-est truck I've ever had - I've been battling rust on this thing for what feels like forever. Which is weird because I'm in Colorado and the vehicle has always been coloradan.

Safelite came out to replace the windshield and said 'oh sorry we can't replace this, it has rust so the glue won't hold. Is there a recommended way to sand this area?? I've done a TON of frame rust with elbow grease, or a flap wheel and then POR15 once it's metal. Wondering if there's a good way to do so if anyone has had this issue in the past?

 

Search function is unwieldy but should be tried, several threads on this issue.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/rust-above-windshield-what-to-do.123976/

 

The only way is to remove windshield and headliner and cut out rust. Then weld in sections of new shaped metal and grind welds to match contours. It’s a bit tedious but can save your window frame. If lower edges rusty you’ll have to strip dash. Could get very expensive if you can’t do it yourself.

 

Bfunke is pretty much spot on for fixing it. But until you remove the glass, you won't be able to tell just how deep the rust cancer has traveled. If it's not too bad, you might be able to get away with using a Scotch-bright "clean and strip disc". Then i would spend the next hour scrubbing everything with Ospho and a metal brush. Keep scrubbing until all the rust has disappeared and you only see bright metal. Epoxy prime all the bare metal and then spray your topcoat color. Let the paint harden up for a few days (or so) and then install new glass. And yeah, you'll have to remove the headliner and mask off the dash so that Ospho doesn't get dripped on anything. And remember, this is only if the rust isn't too deep and traveled up into any pinch weld seams.

 

Is ospho better / different than POR15? I had to do a BOATLOAD on the frame, so I'm definitely familiar with the flapdisk method.

 

Ospho WILL remove the rust when you scrub it. Por15 will only cover it up. Likewise, if you only coat the rust with Ospho (and not scrub with it) it too will only cover up the rust. It will take some elbow grease to remove the rust.

 

Apples to oranges?
POR15 is a hardshell topcoating. Ospho is a treatment like Naval Jelly unless I'm mistaken and Ospho makes paint products?

Either way, the following is true IMO:

• We're all punching in the dark until we see things with windshield removed.
• If the rust is mostly superficial, you need to wirewheel or flapwheel to remove it all
• After rust is mechanically removed, you need to use Naval Jelly or Ospho to chemically remove any trace rust, I prefer Naval Jelly, it adheres nicely and does the job in 10-15 minutes usually
• With the rust chemically removed, you need to dry, clean/prep, then etch-prime the bare, clean metal
• Once done, you need to topcoat within the self-etch primer's recoat and/or topcoat (dry) window, and wait for the manufacturer's stated cure time on your topcoat before applying sealants and installing the window, or you'll be here again soon enough

I don't envy you, but this is one of those things where you'll want to take your time and expect to have the window out for 2-3 weeks to do the job right, if you can. Fingers crossed the rust is minimal and only limited to a few small sections, and the rust didn't eat too deep.