The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors Cab Windlace Advice

Good Saturday afternoon;

Putting the windlace in my 1950 Chevy 3800 and have worked my way around to the upper rear corner of the door opening (by the corner window). Any advice for navigating that corner? The rubber seems just a little too inflexible to make the bend, but I hate to cut into it. Should the windlace stretch around that corner and, if so, any advice on how to make that happen? Thanks in advance for any good advice (and even for the bad advice :D)

Bruce

Hmmmm... Just saw a good pic of windlace and it doesn't look like it gets cut on the inside.

I'll be doing mine in the immediate future, and have thought about using a heat gun, low heat, in order to soften it up a bit. I'm sure a hairdryer would work as well. Mike

I'll be doing mine in the immediate future, and have thought about using a heat gun, low heat, in order to soften it up a bit. I'm sure a hairdryer would work as well. Mike

Good advice. Good advice. I'm going to work on the other side and think I'll try starting the installation at the bend, see if that makes it any easier. A little heat certainly can't hurt things (so said Mrs. O'Learys cow).
Bruce

You can try to open up the groove in that troublesome area with a screw driver. Just don't do too much or it will pop out later. Windex, or KY jelly will also help and won't leave any residue once it drys.
Carl

Bruce,
Take a look at the factory manual. They suggest you START at the upper rear corner where there is a gap in the channel, put one end straight down the rear of the door opening and the other end goes toward the front. I noticed on my 50 COE that there where restrictions every couple feet, like someone took a mallet and whacked it, to secure the windlace in the channel. Therefore, you need to take a couple inch length of your old windlace and run it through the channel so you can see where it binds, before you install. Then you take a screwdriver or other tool and open up that part of the channel. Lubricant of choice and another pair of hands helps, too. (No, I am NOT talking about that; this is a family forum).
Kent

I certainly don't allow MY children to visit this forum! What, with all the potty mouths in here, why just the other day someone typed the word "underwear". Land sakes! (As you can see, I have been practicing my old-timey speak.)
Carl

Some have had trouble with the "color" version. It seems to make the rubber stiff. Black, and a warm day with the above suggestions, and don't be afraid to "lube, and warm" as needed. In my truck I had some "repairs" that were done to the channel, so I did use a chunk to get the channel open and the proper width. A blunt screwdriver and a pair of large channel locks worked well for me. The screwdriver opened the groove, the channel locks kept the width.

Well I did start in the corner as suggested and that did go much easier. Now I'm reluctant to pull the first side off as I started below the dash on that one but, I guess, one has to take some lumps to learn their lesson (I'm not giving up quite yet though).