I am looking to swap my windshield on my 83 300SD from an 84 300SD parts car. When I bought my 83, it had a small chip in one spot. It was fine for about a year until there was a freak tropical storm and the winds must have been so high that the chip turned into a 3 foot crack across most of the windshield. I figured since I already have a spare windshield, I'd do it myself.

My impression is that the windshield removal/replacement involves removing the aluminum trim on the outside, and some trim on the inside, and then hooking up a 12V power source (car charger or battery maybe) to some leads that then heat up the butyl adhesive. The windshield then just pops off after it's heated enough (30 minutes?), right?

I bought a roll of butyle adhesive, but I don't think it heats up. It's just from the local AutoZone and covered with tape to keep it sticky. I was hoping that I could just keep the old adhesive if it's in good condition and I'm quick to put the new one and careful to remove the old windshield with a box cutter or cake icing spatula.