Windshields are one of the things I leave to the pros, along with AC and automatic transmissions. Several reasons: One, I absolutely hate dealing with the old, disgusting butyl sealant. Two, the new urethane sealant is expensive and a tube would last me for years. Three, I have on three occasions tried to remove a cracked glass. They always seem to come to pieces halfway through and leave me vacuuming detritus from the dash, interior, etc, no matter how many towels I put down. My glass guy changes a windshield in an hour, charges about $200 and leaves everything spotlessly clean. I am always amazed. I've found that Safelite sells the clips for the older moldings too, though I usually upgrade to the later seal, especially on dark colored cars.

DS