[DML] Easily Installed Fixed Door Glass

["thomasttait" <TTait@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks to Knut I was able to get new fixed glass installed in my 
drivers door this weekend.

I was having trouble before installation getting the channel, the 
seal and the glass to go together prior to installation as a dry 
fit.  Knut's suggestion fo the proper tools helped greatly.  I 
wanted to share a few more tips and pass on the experience.

In order to get the channel, glass and seal all assembled together 
Knut suggested a small jewelers screwdrive.  What I came up with was 
a lovely set of tools for sculpting/modeling clay from the local art 
supply store.  Flat blades, thin, triangular and curved - a lovely 
assortment for a few bucks.  The one that worked out the best was a 
crescent shaped blade with a concave bend inward - kinda like a baby 
spoon that had most of it filed away on the sides leafing only a 
sliver at the center. 

I opted to install the channel onto the glass before putting the 
glass into the car.  I first put silicon adhesive inside the rubber 
seal and laid that onto the glass.  More silicon into the channel.  
Then starting at the rear of the glass I pushed down on the sides of 
the rubber seal forcing it slightly off the glass, but down into the 
channel.  With all the silicon acting like a lubricant before it set 
it slid easily and with just slight compression the glass would 
fully reseat into the seal, with the seal now bottomed out in the 
channel.  Working toward the front of the glass it was all together 
in less than two minutes, on the third try.  Its not tough at all it 
just took a littel persistance and practice - things were more 
slippery with silicon in the equation.  I taped it all up and let 
that cure overnight.

The glass going into the door couldn't have been easier.  I Rotated 
several of the metal clips 90 degrees so the glass could slip in 
easily.  I installed the black adhesive to the inside of the door 
and then put the glass in place.  The car was parked with heavy duty 
shelving about 3' away from the door, so I then used 3 bungee cords 
to hold the glass in rough position.  Inside the car I engaged all 
the clips.  I then out a pre cut spacer in between the bottom of the 
glass and the top of the door sill where the moving glass usually 
sits.  at 6 7/16" it ensured that the glass was at exactly the same 
height within the door opening as the glass on the drivers side.  I 
then was able to rivet the tabs on the bottom of the channel to the 
door, which told me the channel and the glass were now located 
exactly as the previous glass had been.

>From outside the car I was still able to push the glass inward 
slightly to lay in a new bead to hold the rubber trim strip in 
place.  I laid in the trim strip - taped it up so it couldn't shift -
 allowed the bungees to keep the whole assembly in tension and let 
it sit for 24 hours.  The whole process of putting the glass in the 
car took about 20 minutes.

5 minutes of cleanup with a razorblade and it looks great.

Thanks again to Knut for pointing me in the right direction.  While 
I did also use a razorblade to take a hair off the outside lower 
edges of the rubber seal so it could dry fit into the channel, its 
clear that once the silicon was in place and helping things lube and 
slide that was not neccesary.

Some may be able to point out som no-nos in this proceedure where I 
dodged fate doing something stupid, but my results are very good and 
the use of the modeling tools and the bungees may be new to the 
list, so I thought I'd share.

Happy Motoring,

Tom
#10902








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