1937 Buick Model 48: RESTORATION HAS BEGUN! (Photo)

[Gary W]

 

Here's a better photo:

 

I'm getting a feeling that if I had an original 5-post Voltage Regulator  (NOT the 4-post replacement) that the wires would fit correctly?

Any Ideas on that?

 

 

The white wire is supposed to go over there.  But this is a later model 4-post voltage regulator.  Thats why you see the other wire coiled up.  It's not used.

 

 

So, either I can find a good 5-post VR (anyone...anyone?)  or I'll just solder an extension to the  white wire.

 

Thanks Guys!

 

Gary

 

[KongaMan]

4 hours ago, Gary W said:

 On the solenoid, the wiring diagram shows one yellow wire to the "starter" and one to the "ground" terminals.  Which is which?  Or does it matter as long as the wire to the vacuum start switch is consistent?

 

I can't answer that question specifically, but if one of the terminals is supposed to be ground, you might try putting a meter on each to see if either is grounded to the frame, block, etc.

[Bloo]

"Ground" on these isn't ground. It is a contact for the Autostart.

 

I couldn't find a good picture of a 5807 (original regulator) that you could read the terminals on. As I recall, the 4 terminal regulator is not just missing a terminal, it is completely redesigned and does not quite work the same way. It is very likely the terminals are in a different order.

 

Here are some things that might provide clues, even though they don't quite answer what you asked

 

http://restorecarsclassifieds.com/wiki/show_pdf.pdf?n=5229

 

http://www.1937and1938buicks.com/The-Torque-Tube/Volume XVII Issue 5 (May-June 1999).pdf

 

 

[Gary W]

Bloo:

That's it!  The terminals are in different spots on the 5 terminal VR.

Thanks for the info!

 

 

I think the "F" wire would reach easily with this configuration.

 

Because the "F" and "GEN" are right next to each other.

Edited September 23, 2017 by Gary W (see edit history)

[MCHinson]

Gary, I suspect that Dave Tacheny would be able to provide you with a 5 post voltage regulator. If he does not have one, send me a PM. I might have one on the shelf. I was going to use it on my car, but if you need it first, we could probably find a way for you to use mine and simply replace it whenever you can find one. I think you are going to need it a lot sooner than I am. The do also come up on Ebay from time to time.  

[Gary W]

Saturday September 23, 2017:  Progress Report:

 

I think I'm ready to install the instrument cluster tomorrow and wire it and run the gauge connections to it.  Here's what I got done tonight:

 

It all starts with this.  The three-prong connector that connects the trunk / taillight harness to the front harness.

It does not come with the kit.  I'm glad I didn't throw out my original wiring.  

Of course, I had to search through..............

 

 

...... THIS  to find the connector, but I got it.  

Now, the issue is the wires were all cracked about an inch after this 3-prong connector and

The new harness uses a White wire, and 2 yellow wires with different tracer markings.  Mine had 3 yellow wires so I had to open it up to be sure everything was correctly labeled.

 

 

Carefully open up the four tabs that hold the cover to the bottom

 

 

Once open, use the electrical blueprint in the kit to label the wires.  I wanted to be sure the wires weren't twisted in there, and that the correct wire goes to the correct pin.

 

 

I spread the wires out a bit, cut off the dry rotted parts, but kept the soldered end that goes into the pins.  

I also labeled the actual wires  ( a "w" for white, y/b for yellow with black tracer....) So I knew exactly how to solder the new harness to the connector.

 

 

I used a socket to hold the cover secure and gently pressed the pins so I could bend the tabs back into position to secure the lid.

 

 

Back under the dash.  I like to feather the wires into each other, little flux and solder them nice and tight.

 

 

Once soldered, I slid the rubber insulation over each wire

 

 

To try to make my new joint look authentic, I wrapped the insulating rubber with this wax-impregnated cloth wire wrap.

 

 

Snap the two back together again and the front and rear harnesses are connected.

 

 

Next I hooked up the cowl gutter drain.  My car did not have one installed, thus the water damage.

 

 

Here's where the drain hose exits the firewall.  I'm going to get a couple of nice clamps to hold it steady to the firewall and route it down under the engine.

 

 

Then the rear window gutter drains pipes that start up here and seem to drain on to the running boards.

 

 

And finally, installed the heater.

 

 

Have a good one!

Gary

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Daves1940Buick56S]

Gary

 

Your feathering method is fine if there isn't any mechanical stress on the splice. If there will likely be, I use the always dependable Western Union splice, which can be seen here.

 

As a side note, last year my then-11-year-old assistant Ben had to take a "tech" course in 6th grade and as part of that he was taught by his teacher how to splice and solder wires. Well, I had already taught him how to do that the previous year using the WU splice which his teacher never heard of! And his teacher's soldering technique was awful and resulted in cold joints. Basically Ben taught the class how to splice and solder!

 

Cheers, Dave

[Bloo]

A bit late now, but there is no reason to splice here, western union or otherwise. The wires are soldered in those pins. You can just heat them and pull the wires out. The pins can be cleaned out with heat and a solder sucker, or just heated and tapped on a table while hot. Strip the new wire a little less than the length of a pin. Shove the new wire in, heat the pin with the iron, feed solder in the hole in the tip of the pin.

Edited September 24, 2017 by Bloo (see edit history)

[Gary W]

You know, I kinda figured I could heat and remove the wires.

 But then I also thought if I heated the three pins and the solder didn't all come out I'd have a problem.  ( I don't have a solder sucker)

Or if the 80-year old base got too hot and warped or broke...  I didn't want to chance it.

Plus, all this has to be accomplished under the dash with wires hanging down that are cut with literally no waste, so there is no room for error.

 

So, with my skillset, I figured splicing would be my best route.

 

Thanks for the heads up.  I appreciate that the next guy reading this will have a little more knowledge for his project.  

Edited September 24, 2017 by Gary W (see edit history)

[Thriller]

For future reference, there is also solder wick, which is an inexpensive option. It looks a bit like a miniature copper ground strap. 

 

[GARY F]

Gary,  You are doing an awesome job. Everything looks perfect.

[ILIKECARS53]

Dave,  That is the wire splicing technique that i use, but had no idea it had a name. Thanks or the info.  Jim

[Terry Wiegand]

Dave, right after I got out of the Navy I hired on to the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company.  I was there until the big government breakup.  One of the jobs that I did was a cable splicer's helper.  We worked with a lot of different types of insulated wires cable, but, I never hear of a Western Union splice.  I worked with a splicer who had 25 years in in the early 1970's.  This just goes to prove that you live and learn and die and forget it all.

 

Terry Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas

[Thriller]

Also known as a lineman's splice (I got there after following the link). That's a more generic name. As far as I know we didn't have Western Union north of the border, so that name would be somewhat foreign up here (until more recently with money transfer anyway). 

 

[Larry Schramm]

15 hours ago, Thriller said:

Also known as a lineman's splice (I got there after following the link). That's a more generic name. As far as I know we didn't have Western Union north of the border, so that name would be somewhat foreign up here (until more recently with money transfer anyway). 

 

 

It was probably under The Canada Bell System activity.

[Gary W]

Tuesday, September 26, 2017:  Progress Report

 

Yesterday I stopped in the paint shop to learn that the front clip and headlamps will be completely done and ready for pick up on Wednesday.  (Tomorrow!)  This news was great, but set off a bunch of alarm bells for me in that I have a LOT  of nuts and bolts, clamps, .....  to wire wheel, clean, prime and paint before tomorrow!  It took me about 2 hours to get all the front clip and headlight hardware cleaned and ready for paint.  Then that air deflector down at the bottom and the center chrome strip that needs to be polished and the inside cleaned up.  I bought 12 new #8-32 nuts to mount the center molding to the clip.  

Here's a few updates:

 

1. Paint Shop:

 

Monday morning sanding out the prime coat, using the black "guide coat" to find any imperfections

 

 

Sanded side and the guide coat still on the driver's side of the front clip.

 

 

Here it is this morning, painted and cleared ready for wet sanding and buffing.

 

 

You can see the headlamp buckets in the background.

 

 

2. My Stuff:

 

 

I worked over an hour degreasing and cleaning the speedometer cable inside and out.

 

 

Painted the shaft SEM "Trim Black", then put the ends lightly on the wire wheel to clean them shiny.

 

 

Yesterday I spent well over two hours turning all the front clip and headlamp fasteners from rusty mess to clean.  I'll be painting tonight.

 

 

 

Here is everything laid out waiting for paint.

 

 

Then a scotch brite pad to remove the rust under the front stainless trim.  Very careful here not to scratch the "show" side.  The rust came right off easily.

 

 

The car obviously was painted with the trim strip attached, as the grey paint was all down the side.  I was able to use paint thinner and acetone to wipe it off.

Tonight I'm going to use jeweler's rouge to polish the show side, followed by a hand polishing with Wicked metal polish.

Then I'll reattach the Buick emblem and It will be the first piece to go onto the front clip tomorrow!

 

Have a great day!

Gary

 

 

[KongaMan]

1 hour ago, Gary W said:

The car obviously was painted with the trim strip attached, as the grey paint was all down the side.  I was able to use paint thinner and acetone to wipe it off.Tonight I'm going to use jeweler's rouge to polish the show side, followed by a hand polishing with Wicked metal polish.

 

Since you've already got a grinder running your wire wheel, you might consider buying a couple of buffing wheels and the appropriate compound.  Replace the wire wheel with the buffing wheel and you'll knock that trim out in no time with a fraction of the effort.

[Gary W]

Wednesday September 27, 2017:    Installation of the Front Clip and related hardware

 

I stopped by the paint shop around 8:00 am, and the front clip was finished and ready to be picked up.  So I went home and assembled the crane (engine crane, cherry picker...) so I had a place to hang it while doing pre-assemblies.  Drove back to the shop, got the clip in the truck and hung it in the garage.  Had a few "honey-do" errands to accomplish but then John came over at 11:00 and we worked until 1:30 getting everything built and installed onto the frame.    Here goes:

 

 

8:00 am.  Front clip is all buffed and hand rubbed out, ready to go.  It was hanging by two wires through the top holes.

 

 

I ran home and pushed the car back a few feet, assembled the crane and started laying out parts and fasteners.

 

 

My chassis had these three "spacers" under the front clip, so I cleaned them all up and replaced them.  I don't know it they are factory, but.....

 

 

Arriving home.  Here you can see how nice that lower section came out where he dollied it smooth.

 

 

I ran a wire between the radiator support rod holes and hung it on the crane.

 

 

Then, for safety, I also hooked a bungee cord nice and tight in case the wire broke while I was out running errands.

 

 

While waiting for John, I buffed up the stainless molding strip with this very soft cotton wheel on a LOW speed.  Much more control.

 

 

I bought these in 1985.  I still do things the same way, Tripoli first, followed by Rouge and then a hand polish with Wicked Metal Polish.

 

 

At 11:00 John came over, and immediately we started installing the front trim piece with all new stainless steel washers and nuts.  (Everything is 8-32)

Stressful aligning everything without hitting the paint!

 

 

Finishing the install of the hood ornament, the front emblem and the stainless molding.

 

 

Then we installed the grilles.  

First step was to install the "Buick 8" emblem by flaring the posts on the back end.

Then aligning and installing the grill screws.  11 of the 12 holes lined up perfect.  One was off, we needed a punch to line up the metal.  I guess thats why there were only about eight screws in the car when I removed these parts.

I used all stainless steel fasteners here.  The book says these grilles are adjustable up and down.  There is NO WAY these are moving anywhere.  The holes are perfectly round, not slotted for adjustment.

 

 

 

Once satisfied that the grille halves are in nice and tight,  we next we installed the radiator into the frame.

Then installed that lower wind deflector with two bolts and a single screw at the bottom.

 

 

 

By spinning the clip and pushing the crane close, the front clip dropped right into position.

I only hand tightened the huge nut at the bottom for now. 

We installed the radiator support rods to keep her steady.

 

 

I've been waiting 9 months to see that again!!!

 

 

Finished the day by installing the fender brackets.

 

 

And another piece of the puzzle done, and my parts bins are slowly disappearing!

 

 

Getting my headlamps today.

 

 

Have a great day!

Gary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[avgwarhawk]

Beautiful!   Fun ride watching his restoration.   

[neil morse]

Fantastic!  What a banner day to have that front clip back in place with the beautiful grill and emblems!

[Taylormade]

Really beginning to look like a car again.  Great work.

[Paul White]

It is will be a great day for Gary when the re-build is finished but a sad for me as it will be like my favourite TV series has finished.

 

Good work Gary

 

Edited September 28, 2017 by Paul White (see edit history)

[neil morse]

Hey Gary, stop torturing us!  It's been three days.  

[1967 - 1997 Riviera]

A question: Since you said you did have the radiator re-cored, did you also clean the inside of the radiator hoses before you hooked everything up?

 

Even new rubber hoses usually have some dust, dirt, oils or what have you inside them, and it would be a shame to spread that throughout the flushed or new cooling system.

[Gary W]

Monday October 2, 2017:  Let's build a couple of headlights!

 

 

Spent "Parents Weekend" in Boston with my two college-age kids, so no work on the Buick for a few days.  Tonight I finished the headlamp build.  Here is a Step - By - Step of how I did it:

 

 

 

 

From the Buick Service Manual.  Just so you know how everything is supposed to go together.

 

 

My notes:  I like things step - by - step so I don't solder something then have to re-do my work.   

 

 

Reflectors treated with UVIRA coating.

Courtesy of Dave Arthur  ("Las Vegas Dave") who handled all the shipping and did all the legwork getting the coating applied.  

Appreciate the help!

***  The instructions that come with the UVIRA coated reflectors state that you need to run a ground wire DIRECTLY SOLDERED to the socket ***

So here's what I did:

 

 

This came out of my car.  It is (was) the under dash slide switch that illuminates the dash or map reader lamp.  It's useless.

 

 

So I broke it up into three pieces.  Then unsoldered the brass "pin" from underneath and ground off the pointed end that "tips up"

 

 

Here is one contact:  separated, unsoldered and cleaned up.  This is what I soldered to the socket so I had a place to actually attach the ground, instead of soldering a wire directly to the socket.

 

 

So this is what my lamp sockets look like now.  The sockets have that bar across the top.  I soldered these in the bottom position.

 

 

OK.....  Start to build:

 

Run your socket wires through the back of the sub-body.  I cleaned and painted all the internals prior.

 

 

Here's the order once the wires come through the sub body.  Sub-body...Socket...Springs...Insulator...Solder contacts.

 

 

Once the wires were through the maze, I put a small piece of solder under the head of the wire contact, and by simply touching the solder iron, the solder melted and the joint was made.

 

 

Here's the wired socket now.

 

 

Next, attach the socket to the back of the reflectors.  The two "cat ears" go to the top.

 

 

Now I connected the ground wire to the bracket, and run the wire through the same grommet in the back of the sub body where the others enter.

 

 

Install the reflector into the sub body by first engaging the lower clip.

 

 

Then, push the reflector in against the springs, and slide the retainer clips into position. 

Release and the spring pressure will hold everything nice.

 

At this point, your reflectors are safely positioned into the sub body. Time to run the wires.

 

 

While you can still see into the headlamp shell, screw in the adjustment screw for sideways adjustment.  I didn't tighten the jam nut yet.

 

 

Then run the wires and terminal block down the out the opening.  

All my connectors faced down, so I replaced them in the same fashion.

 

 

 

Line up and snap the sub body into the headlight shell.  Set your new foam seal around the edges and install the bulb.

While you set your lens into the chrome trim ring, and snap the trim ring into position and tighten it down with the lower screw,.......

 

 

Let your 13-year old learn the "paint and wipe" technique on the side moldings!

 

 

Nice and clean!

 

 

Allow them to dry a bit, while you....

 

 

Install the headlamp onto the car.  Here you can see the adjusting screw, the three terminals and the ground wire poking out.

 

 

All of a sudden it's really starting to look cool!  (I was still waiting for the paint to dry here!)

 

 

Moldings are in position

 

 

and another project off the list!

 

 

Have a great night.

Dave, I hope you and yours are OK out there in Vegas...Thanks for your help and advice.  The reflectors really look amazing!

 

Gary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 3, 2017 by Gary W (see edit history)

[LAS VEGAS DAVE]

Thanks for your concern Gary, we are fine. You did another great job installing your headlights. You will be amazed at how good they work at night. We regularly drive our car at night as the roads have very little traffic at that time and the UVIRA coated

headlight reflectors have changed the night driving experience from bad to good. I also put halogen bulbs in the headlights and dash and now see the road and the gauges clearly. 

 

[Terry Wiegand]

Gary, I am going to have to ask what the UVIRA coating is all about.  I had never heard of this before now.  Were your reflectors re-silvered?  Things are really coming together nicely on the rebuild.

 

Terry Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas

[Gary W]

Hi Terry!

I was following Dave's post titled "Halogen Bulbs" in March.  That's the first time I've heard of the UVIRA process.  It's perfect!  I am not using halogen bulbs, but I think standard bulbs with a dedicated ground wire coupled with the UVIRA treatment will really look fine.  I'm rarely on the roads after dusk, so I'll keep the original style bulbs.

 

Here's the link:

 

 

[Gary W]

Wednesday October 4, 2017:  Installation of Windshield Glass, Windshield Wiper Assemblies ...(and a few other goodies)

 

Being I could get a little help this morning, I began to prep the windshield glass for installation last night.  It took over a half an hour just to clean the glass!  There was some sort of industrial greasy film over both sides and it just took forever to clean.  Next, I stretched the new rubber gaskets over both rear window panes and the front so there would be no waste in time in the morning.  Here goes:

 

 

After cleaning the glass panels and laying out the rubber.

 

The gasket from Steele has a seam.  So I made that the center of my work.  

 

It takes a lot of stretching on the rear windows.  I found if I soaked the rubber in sink of warm water, I could give it a little stretch.

 

 

Back to the windshield.  I found if you bend it a little the 1/4" gap opens up and makes placement of the gasket easier.

 

 

One half done.

 

 

This is how I left it overnight.  I put two 1/4" spacer blocks between the panes thinking it would help installing that center divider in later on.  They turned out to be a pain.

 

 

Today's tools.  Bob came over to lend a hand setting the glass.  The instructions say to wrap a string around the outer lip.

Bob used the red handled tool with the ball at the end to pull the outer seal over the pinch weld.

 

 

Using the other side of the tool, Bob opened up the gap and I went around with a small brush and soapy water to lubricate the edges.

 

 

Here you can see all the soap in the groove.

 

 

Next, I used the same brush to brush a coat of soapy water onto the pinch weld all around the opening, inside and out.

 

 

Heave it into position, trying to get the lower seal started over the lower pinch weld.

 

 

As I pushed from the inside, Bob was using the "hook" to carefully pry out the seal.  Once the entire lower edge was seated, we got the two lower corners done.

Then, the window could be pushed down while the seal was pulled out of the sides and top.

 

 

Finishing sealing up the lower edge.

 

 

Our last turn, getting all the seals in place and letting the glass find its place.

 

 

Once the windshield was in, another half hour was eaten up cleaning up all that soap!  It gets everywhere and onto everything.

I started getting things ready to install the wiper transmissions.  First, a coat of wax on the newly chromed parts.  I figured I won't be able to get them this clean for a while.

 

 

New rubber gaskets.

 

 

Begin lowering the transmission into position.  I later found out it's much easier to set the gasket onto the bottom of the transmission, then drop it in.

 

 

Once the bolt grabbed, you can reach around and hold the transmission steady while tightening up the bolt and metal keeper under the dash.

I found by pressing on the lower  edge of the transmission, it "finds itself" and just kinds falls into a natural position.

 

 

Next, install the vacuum wiper motor.

 

 

Your yoga comes in handy for the install.  Also, opening the cowl vent gives a little more room to work.

 

 

The vacuum input goes behind the attachment metal.  There are slots for left and right adjustment if needed.

 

 

Install your two wiper arms and the spring keeper and you're done.  I'm waiting for a new rubber hose.  Mine is hopelessly dry rotted.

 

 

So now the transmissions are standing proud!

 

 

And finished with the wiper arm attached.

 

 

Come a long way!!

 

 

 

 

 

SOME OTHER THINGS ACCOMPLISHED TODAY:

 

 

Installed the rear window risers.  This is a Rubik's Cube challenge!  Only one way in there, glad it's done.

 

 

Horns.  Painted and......

 

 

Installed and wired.

 

 

 

Fisher Body Tag.  Original up top.  I did change it out for a new one.  I think I'll use the old one as a keychain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Does look a whole lot better.

 

 

While I still had a little sunlight, I dragged the old headliner outside into the driveway.  It will be the next thing installed, or at least, very soon.

 

 

I took these photos to have a visual of how much material was cut from the bows at the ends.  

Also, I marked every bow and pulled them out so I can clean them up, prime them and paint them before sliding them into the new headliner.

I marked all of them one through seven, on the driver's side so they go right back where they came from.

 

 

My markings so I can keep everything straight.

 

 

AND FINALLY TONIGHT......  Using the blueprint, the service manual and the color marking chart...

 

 

I labelled all the wires under the dash for easy install when the instrument cluster goes in.

(STILL waiting on the temp. gauge!)

 

 

 

I finished wiring the light switch and I ran speaker wire from the front to the trunk in case I ever feel like adding two additional speakers in the trunk at a later date.

The radio was restored with that option, so I figured, run the wires now.  There is plenty of room to hide them until needed.

 

 

Thanks for following along!

Have a great night out there

 

Gary

 

Edited November 6, 2017 by Gary W (see edit history)

[39BuickEight]

Putting the glass in is just so tedious and can be incredibly frustrating if you let it be.  Nice!

[GARY F]

great work Gary. I like everything shiny.  In the future for cleaning glass use Bon Ami water and a sponge or rag. cleans but does not scratch

[GARY F]

great work Gary. I like everything shiny.  In the future for cleaning glass use Bon Ami water and a sponge or rag. cleans but does not scratch

[Gary W]

Friday October 6, 2017:  Installation of the Rear windows

 

 

Two days ago I installed the front windshield.  That allowed me to get the wipers installed and I am ready (once the temperature gauge arrives!!) to install the instrument cluster and the dash.  Tonight I installed the rear windows, so I'm ready to install the headliner this week.

Couple of differences between the front windshield and the rear windows:

Windshield:  My crew for the front windshield had a combined age of 158 years!  (Pretty cool these guys are still "wrenching"!)  We used soapy water, a bone tool and a metal hook with a ball at the end to pull the seal out and over the pinch weld.  (Old School!)

Rear Windows: My crew tonight has a combined age of 29 years.  (16 and 13...gotta start sometime!)  We used silicone, a thin plastic interior tool and a string to pull the seal out over the pinch weld.  

Although both methods yielded the same result, personally, I found that tonight was MUCH easier!  Maybe it's just easier to seat the rear windows.  It didn't take but  5 minutes to get both windows in  (once they were cleaned, wrapped in the rubber, string.....)

 

Here's the series of photographs:

 

 

Tonight's tool box

 

 

Clean the glass

 

 

I soaked the gaskets in warm - to - hot soapy water to clean them and make them a little more flexible and pliable.  

I was able to give them a little stretch, and clean / dry  the grooves with paper towels.

 

 

Now you have to get this over that glass.

I started with the factory seam in the center of the bottom surface.

 

 

Get it going, and then some pulling and tugging and it will go on.

 

 

Double check that you have them on correctly with the seal to the outside

 

 

I first sprayed a little silicone into the seal groove.  The string will absorb this and make it easier to pull the string out later.

 

 

Begin running the string simultaneously from the upper center down the sides...

 

 

To finally "criss - cross" at the bottom and I ran the string up the sides a bit to keep it stable.

 

 

Here's the first piece of glass ready for installation

 

 

And here's my crew!!!!

 

 

Start by lifting the glass into position, getting the lower seal to jump over the pinch weld first.

 

 

I used this thin plastic interior tool to carefully lift the seal over the pinch weld and the window literally slipped down into position.

 

 

From the inside and outside, we put downward pressure on the glass to seat it.

 

 

As the boys kept the downward pressure, I began pulling the string out.  Here you can see the criss-cross at the bottom.

 

 

So, as I slowly pulled the string out along the left (my left) edge, the boys pushed the glass toward the outside (my right, away from my work area)

It seemed to allow the seal to slide out from under easier.

 

 

So they are giving the glass a little shove to their left while I come up the center edge.  

Once I got to the top corner, I stopped and moved to the outside edge.

 

 

So, again, while I was pulling here, the boys were pushing the window toward the center.

 

 

Once the string was up and over the top corners,  a little downward pressure on the glass and the string easily withdraws from the top edge.

 

 

Cleanup was also much easier.  It took close to 45 minutes to clean all that soap off the window, the paint and out from the gasket.

Here, I sprayed Windex and wiped it off the glass.

 

 

Fin

 

 

I am so thankful that I have guys like John and Bob who know and teach all the "old school"  (their words, not mine!) methods.  

Installing the glass has allowed me to experience two different techniques, so I figured I'd take the time to show the string method as well.

Do what works for you, I don't think there is a right or wrong way.

 

 

As always, THANKS for following along!

Have a great weekend!

Gary

 

[neil morse]

Another great post!  I love the contrast between your two crews -- a multi-generational project for sure.  Keep up the great work!

[Taylormade]

 I'm no authority on this, but I have had terrible problems with paint when it was sprayed or brushed anywhere silicon was used.  Do you anticipate any problems after using the silicon lube on the windows?  I know Windex won't get rid of it.  This may not be a problem if you won't be painting in the area.  The windows look great, by the way.

[KongaMan]

26 minutes ago, Taylormade said:

 I'm no authority on this, but I have had terrible problems with paint when it was sprayed or brushed anywhere silicon was used.

 

Concur.  Silicone is an absolutely no-no anywhere near a surface that's about to be painted.

 

Although to be fair, I don't think he's anticipating any painting in the near future.

[Spinneyhill]

Silicon is not too good on "rubber" either. It dries it out.

[Gary W]

Silicone and Paint:

 

 

Taylor Made and Konga Man:  You are correct........

 

Bob and I had this very conversation just before the "body drop".  I told him I was going to tack the rubber body mounts to the frame, and maybe use a little silicone on the top surfaces of the rubber mounts so the body could slide easy.

The answer: "No Silicone" products are allowed near the paint shop. Never.  If there is silicone in the area or in the atmosphere around where you are painting,  the paint will "fish eye", and the job will be ruined.

 

So, after hearing that,  now being totally paranoid,  I asked  him if the silicone would hurt the clear coat or the paint,  if I could use Windex near the new paint.....   His answer "The paint is cured, buffed and the silicone will not affect it at this point."

 

Being I don't do the painting here and it's all done at his shop, he told me it's fine to use.   He actually used a shot of it on a tight corner of the windshield install.

 

 

As far as the actual silicone, The very first line in Steele's installation instructions says "lubricate the 1/4" glass groove with glass lubricant  or  very soapy water...."

When I searched, "glass lubricant for installing glass"  there are products by 3M, WD-40, CRC, Blasted, Home Depot........ All silicone based, all safe for rubber.

Because it says "safe for rubber" I will sometimes use a small spritz on those tight rubber grommets to get them seated without scratching or scarring the new rubber.  They slip right into position.

( Off topic, but even my treadmill, with its rubber belt, came with a silicone to lube the belt once a month..)

 

So I don't know what to advise here.  Although you did scare me enough to  run out into the garage this morning to make sure my paint was OK...  and it's still gleaming!!

 

Like always,  I will always defer to the experts and correct the record if I have posted wrong or misleading information.  I research and ask questions every step of the way, and would hate to pass on misinformation here.

 

Thanks for keeping me honest!

Enjoy your day

Gary

 

[Gary W]

Saturday October 7, 2017:  Need some help with installation of the rear roll-up windows

 

If someone out there could please post a photo of how the window channel kit gets installed into the rear window opening prior to inserting the glass, I would be very appreciative.  My car had NO felt or rubber "sweepers" where the glass comes up from inside the door.  And the chrome-edged felt channel liner was literally stuck to the glass, and fell right out so I have no idea how these parts are supposed to be installed, and what hardware is used??

 

 

 

Here's the window channel kit I received. 4 chrome-edged felt lined channels and 8 felt "sweepers?"

 

So, I'm assuming a sweeper for the inside surface of the glass and one for the outside surface.

 

 

The inside has three "bump-ups"....  do they play a role?  Or does the sweeper attach to the garnish molding?

 

 

The inner aspect of the outer surface is just flat.  Is there supposed to be screw holes?  Do you just epoxy  it into position?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.  (Photos, instruction sheets...)

 

Thanks guys!

[Bhigdog]

Regarding silicone and window rubber lube. My local glass shop and I both use a foaming glass cleaner. Works well and no silicone worries...........Bob