I'm curious if any of you 49-51 Mercury guys can shed some light on Windshield & Rear Window Installation for a '51 Merc. I want to install the glass and window seals while it's still in primer, to drive it around and address any issues before I take it apart for final paint. If I pull out the glass and rubber seals prior to paint, do the seals generally get damaged enough to need new ones? Or do you find that the seals are reusable if it's done carefully? If anybody has suggestions and/or tips they'd like to share for installation or removal, feel free to include them. .
I've seen on hear people saying the headliner has to go in first before rear window seal. I'm not sure how this affects your build but you might want to investigate deeper. Posted using the tubbed Lead-sled with a blower H.A.M.B. App!
Seals are generaly reusable if you do the process in a reasonable amount of time. Have reused 50 year old OEM rubbers and thrown away 3 year old one s that were junk after a couple of seasons of weather. I would paint the openings in a color close to what you ultimately want to use to protect the lip and opening from rust if it happens to take a little longer to get to the final paint job (when does that ever happen?). Doing a rust repair would be a bitch just when you think you're ready to paint
Headliner does have to go in before rubber seals. I took out original rubber and put in new carpentar rubber for repaint. I could have probably re-used the original rubber.
The seals will be ok if they are new.The back window flops out pretty quick, you just tuck the rubber lip over the flange about half way around starting at the top working your way around. Once your to the sides it will pretty much push out.. The rear window should be out for the upholstery guys, they stretch the material and glue it down to the opening. The front window is the fun one. I just put one in the other day on my merc, god i hate doing them..If you have new glass and your more worried about it, cut the rubber. The Headliner can be installed with the front window in. Sometimes its acutally better, because the upholstery guys like to the material around the flange, and on the front, you usually have to trim a lot of material aournd the opening off to get the damn window back in... Most the time when the rubber is new and freshly installed you can get them back out, just soap and water everything up around the seal and the flange area and then slowly start pushing the rubber up and over the lip. Its a pretty damn tight fit so be careful not to flex the glass...Its usually easier to get the passenger side out first not having the steering wheel in the way and then when installing i usually start with the driver side....I would love to see a video clip of the guys installing the front window in a speedy fasion on the assembly line...
You guys are awesome... So much good info in less than 30 minutes. As far as my project goes, I wasn't planning on putting the headliner in any time soon, but I would like to get the glass installed in the near future. Matt... Is installing the windshield a one man operation? I have new glass and new rubber. You mentioned cutting the rubber. Why do I need to cut it? .
Cutting is usually necessary when your pulling out old glass with an old hard seal..I was just saying if you were worried about snapping either side of the windshield, just cut the rubber. It can be done with one man but usually alot easier to have some one sitting inside holding the window up while you fish the rubber around. The first side goes in easy, its getting the other side in is the fun part...
Excellent info! One of the things I want to do to mine soon is pop the windows out and put them back in with the right seals and the chrome around them. So, Matt, that actually brings me to a problem. My front seal is some generic something or other without the slit for the chrome. That and my windshield glass is fogging, so I will put new ones in. I am assuming the glass I have now is the wrong size for the new seals. Can you give me a guestimate on how big to make my new template in relation to the lip? Mine is installed from the outside now and I know they "really" go in from the inside so I didn't know if the glass is about the same size as the opening or, say, 1/8 smaller or whatever.
Dave just make the glass templates to sit in the openings on the outside of the car. the gap in the middle between the two is about 5/8" to 3/4". When the glass is sitting in there, there should roughly be a gap on the top of the glass about a stong 1/8" Dont make the patterns to tight at the center gap, or you'll never get them in. Better a little loose for some adjustment if needed..
That's exactly the info I needed Matt, thanks! My glass is v-butted at the center, so that gap you've listed will be closer once everything is in, correct?
Hey Guys, Please see the photo I have attached. The actual piece of rubber is slightly different than the diagram in the instructions, and the instructions I received say '49-51 Ford car, versus Mercury. My question is asking how the Windshield Seal is installed. There's another channel alongside the glass channel. Does it go towards interior or exterior? The channel for the pinch flange is on the same side of the glass as the other channel that should be for exterior molding. That means most of this window seal is inside of the pinch flange. Before I try to install, I wanted to confirm with you guys who've done this. What are you guys using for a draw cord?
The part your thumb is on faces out. The stainless pounds in that channel after the window is installed in the car. You have to install from inside of Car so make sure the area around the flange are equal or you'll have issues with that thick rubber and also all welds smoothed out in the A pillar area. Sometimes these areas get forgot about after the chop is done. I so want to find a video of these being installed on the assembly line in a few minutes...I hate installing them
The Jalopy Journal
