Glassback Roof Install - Chrysler 300 Greenhouse Glasses

The stainless cap is then temporarily laid in place to act as a template to establish and mark the location of the soon-to-be-installed headliner trim ring.

Then the trim ring itself is temporarily positioned in order to trace the cut line for the headliner.

Next, tall beads of the adhesive (Sikaflex 220 plus cold-applied direct glazing adhesive, to be precise) are laid on in preparation to receive the stainless roof cap.

The stainless roof cap is then set in position (notice that it has been drilled for the antenna) and weighted down with bags of lead shot. The weights and tape remain in place for 24 hours, until the adhesive is completely set.

Meanwhile, the interior trim ring is wrapped in factory headliner material (our subject 300 had light gray trim.) The wrapped ring is then clamped in place around the perimeter of the headliner cutout until it gets locked in position with color-matched Trim-Lok channel, securing the trim ring to the stainless cap and providing an OEM-style finish.

In this close-up of the windshield area, you can see the multiple beads of adhesive. The little sheets of clear plastic are employed so that the stainless roof cap will easily slide behind the windshield's weather-seal strip.

In a process much the same as was used to set the stainless cap in place, glazing adhesive is beaded on before the massive glass panel is lowered into its recessed channel. The bizarre reflection of the overhead lights is evidence of the solar-reflective layer sandwiched between the two layers of safety glass. Once again, weight bags are employed overnight to even out and set the adhesive.

In a process much the same as was used to set the stainless cap in place, glazing adhesive is beaded on before the massive glass panel is lowered into its recessed channel. The bizarre reflection of the overhead lights is evidence of the solar-reflective layer sandwiched between the two layers of safety glass. Once again, weight bags are employed overnight to even out and set the adhesive.

The next day, with all weight bags and tape removed, and the roof panel cleaned of the scads of installation fingerprints, the final step is reinstalling the flexible gutter trim molding using 3M double-sided trim tape-the same stuff the factories rely on to adhere various trim bits.

You can see that from the outside, the Glassback panel has a silvery reflective look that matches the stainless surround. It's worth mentioning again that the glass itself, combined with the solar-reflective layer, provides 99-percent UVB protection.

The view from inside is nothing short of spectacular. The formerly murky 300 cabin now has an airy, almost convertible feel to it. Mission accomplished.