Help with Fitting Door Glass

[Hugh Lohan]

Recently when attempting to wind down the passenger window on my Vitesse, the glass stayed where it was and the handle kept turning - the glass had come away from its channel. 

I bought a new rubber seal 613417 from Canley Classics and now have both channel and the glass out of the car but cannot work out how to seat the glass into the channel using the seal. Does anyone have the magic answer without humiliating me too badly?

Thanks

 

[Badwolf]

Hugh. Welcome to the forum. Don't worry, someone will have had exactly the same problem and will be along  shortly. Don't worry, we are friendly and will help with pleasure, without humiliation. I have not had this problem... yet, so can't help but it is only a matter of time.

[NonMember]

Hi Hugh, and welcome.

When I had a loose glass in my Spitfire I didn't replace the seal because I'd read somewhere that the new ones are really hard to fit. Instead I used a bit of mastic to re-fit it with the original rubber bit. I believe the new seals require a fair bit of force to insert the glass and you'd understandably be worried about breaking things.

Still, could be worse. When I attempted to wind up the passenger window of my Vitesse a year or two back, the winder mechanism broke so the handle kept turning but nothing was going on inside the door.

[Pete Lewis]

Its a tight fit , on production they had a frame  to hold  the glass and a simple over centre lever press the rubber and channel onto the glass  these   were often all made of timber.

Many do use screen adhesive like  sikaflex etc.

The glass is toughend  so you   can be rough handled its sharp  contacts that will chatter it 

Pete

 

[mark powell]

Pig to fit, I broke one glass before reverting to adhesive...

[Colin Lindsay]

I made my own seal using an old inner tube and plenty of adhesive; stand the glass upside down on something that won't damage it, wrap the rubber around the end of the glass then gently tap the metal runner on. When the glass is in place and the glue has dried just trim off the excess with a razor blade. It's lasted 15 years so far...

But that's the way to do them: upside down, seal on then metal tapped on over the top. Make sure it's in the proper place as you don't really want to have to slide it back or forth once it's on; it always lifts off a bit.

[Adrian]

I replaced my drivers side and covered it in an earlier thread couple of years ago. Didn’t have too much trouble, the key I found is a tourniquet allows gradual pressure to be applied and got it fully seated in the channel.

Adrian

[Pete Lewis]

A couple of Ratchet strap would make  a usefull idea .

Pete

 

[Joachim Moeller]

I've used sikaflex on my Spitfire windows a few weeks ago and yesterday fitted them in the doors. The windows are perfectly fixed in their channels. I can definitely recomend.

Cheers Joachim

[Hugh Lohan]

Thank you everyone for the advice - I used a combination of all of it! 

I have now managed to get the glass into the channel by holding the glass  upside down in a vice and then using a mallet to ease the channel and rubber in place. Some fairly robust hammering required  but these windows really are very strong!

Not totally convinced that it will stay but, for now, it is going up and down - fingers crossed that I will beat Colin's 15 years!

Thanks all. 

[Pete Lewis]

Pleased its all worked 

Robust banging is not unusual on a triumph but can start thread drift 

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

15 hours ago, Hugh Lohan said:

Not totally convinced that it will stay but, for now, it is going up and down - fingers crossed that I will beat Colin's 15 years!

Thanks all. 

Here's hoping, but by that time - mine will have been on 30 years... but make a date for 2034 and we'll see.