The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors How do you use Window Setting Tape?

I may pull the channels off my 1950, 3600 door windows and replace the setting tape since I’m replacing all the other weather seals and runs. Good time to clean and repaint the channel anyway. Any advice on getting the glass out of the channel without chipping it??

It looks like what I have to do to press the glass back into the channel, is make up a simple jig, something like when making up a table top from separate glued up toung and grooved boards using bar clamps.
The biggest question is about the setting tape. I’ve read here that there are different thick nesses of setting tape. There is no choice of thickness in any of the vendor’s catalogs, any reason? I also remember reading that you had to treat the tape with something to get it to expand or set, is this after you press the glass in or prior to? Do you need a lubricant or will the glass press in without any?
That should be enough for now I suppose.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

To remove the glass from the channel, use a small screwdriver & a careful hand, use a plastic prying tool if very clumsy. The thickness will vary according to what glass is used, newer glass is thinner than the OE stuff. I got rolls of a couple diff sizes from my local glass co, its about $10-20 a roll & I have enough to last several lifetimes. According to the info I have, you brush the setting tape w/motor oil, press glass in place . The oil will swell the tape some making the fit watertight. Brian

Did you check the Shop Manual for instructions on removing and installing glass with the setting tape? The 1954 manual has instructions but I am not sure about earlier years.

If you soak the glass/tape in mineral spirits, the glass/tape will come loose after a while (gasoline/kerosene was used in days or yore).

If the thickness of new tape is not snug to start with, you might want a thicker tape. Oil expands and sets the tape but the glass has to be dry-fit snug in the channel. Restoration Specialties sells tape in a variety of thicknesses, if you are having a hard time finding it locally.

lay glass on padded table,,bench,,use small hammer and screw driver tap lower channel off(donot use to force screw driver between channel and glass),,to install after cleaned install tape over glass tap channel on(use care stand glass up on flat padded surface when installing)...doc

I found the glass came out of the channels pretty easily. And the other guys are right about using motor oil... soak the tape in oil then lay it into the channel. I used a flat head screwdriver to kind of force it in and make a crease... then put the glass in. It's not hugely difficult. More of a pain to hold everything in place as the oil makes everything wicked slippery. When the glass was in place I used a block of wood and rubber mallet to seat it.

Just a suggestion....I found that with new (C/D) glass it was a good idea to have the wing window frame mounted in the assembly. That way you could close the window up and latch it to insure it fits correctly. That way you can line up the vertical straight edge where you want it and the latch will hold it until it sets. My first try with tapping it in, seated it too deep in the track and it barely caught the vertical rubber seal. I had to pull it out of the frame further than I wanted. The glass could have been cut 1/8" wider and it could have been seated all the way in. Hope this helps someone avoid the little glitch I encountered.

We painted our upper frames with por-15. Had the glass shop cut new glass from the patterns of the old ones. They are the excat same thickness. I put the tape over the outer edge of the new glass and pressed the frame on by hand. It went almost al the way on, and then i tapped it down the rest of the way. I didnt use any oil(sounds like something messy and might bleed out into the paint later) and the glass is tight in the tracks. Took about half an hour to do both the door glasses. We got our tape in a kit from Chevy Duty, along with the 2 little bolts that hold the corner together. Zero problems with any of it.

If it's not loose I would leave it. The risk of glass breakage is to high if their on there really tight.
If you do get them off, the oil trick is a must. Just apply a thin layer.
I generally use a rubber mallet to pound the channel back on, making sure the glass is resting on something soft. Also make sure you mark the location of the channel before removal.

Ya know guys, the frames aren’t at all rusty, they need a little paint where its worn thin and nothing is loose. There is a slight yellowing of the glass around the frames, almost looks like they are tinted on the edges, I wonder if that was from the EARL that they used on the tape when they last put it together. Good news is there is no white fogging at all in any of the glass. So I guess I’ll just leave it for now and mask, sand & paint the frames and hope I don’t have trouble with dried out tape down the line.
Thanks for the advice.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Hey Denny, when I needed a window channel I went to a junk yard and took one out of a 1950 chevy. I knew I was buying new glass so to get the old galss out I used a little heat...you know the old gas wrench! It didn't take much and the glass slid right out. It didn't hurt the glass or channel one little bit.