The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors Kinks in my Windlace

I finished installing the cab headliner, visor and windlace today on my '52GMC. I am pretty happy with everything but the kinks in the windlace. windlace I tried stretching it during the installation, but it just popped out of the groove when I did that. I also attempted to heat it with a heat gun while stretching. Again that didn't work. This is the gray/tan one I got from Classic. Has anyone had success installing theirs kink free? If so, please let me know how you did it.

Mine kinked too, haven't looked at it lately but the kinks do lessen over time.

I was able to install the BLACK windlass without kinking it.

I did not use the method where you slide it in the channel

The black is pretty stout. I dont think it would of kinked.
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Thanks for the responses. The original material was the gray/tan color which is the reason I went with this color. The original remaining pieces also seem to be more flexible even after all these years than the reproduction material. I was wondering if anyone had any success with a different vendor or method of installation. I also did not attempt to slide the material into the channel but used a small plastic pry tool to work it in. I may just have to live with it and hope they do diminish over time.

The original windlace in my '53 Gmc was kinked. The new windlace I put in is just as kinked. I got my windlace from 'The Truck Shop' in Cal.

Hey, Gus: what method did you use to install your windlace?

I installed it similar to what Huck described

Here is a quote from an older thread

Ok, thanks!

Mine kinked too. I took a couple of pie shaped wedges out of the kinked portion. I had some clear plastic tubing that was a snug fit into the roundish portion of the windlace. Pushing the tubing in one end and then feeding it back into the opposite side where you cut the wedge is how I resolved my kinks. Not a perfect solution but it looks a lot better than it did.

Chuck

This is a job i've just completed myself,although I had no such problems with kinking.
I used the black windlace and slid most of it in and in a couple of areas at the channel joins I 'worked' the rubber in with a plastic glazing stick.

It seems this problem is relative to the colour,I wonder if the light gray/tan one is a different composition?

For what it's worth,
I did the tan in my last truck, and it kinked like that, and stayed that way for the 3.5 years I drove it! It never bothered me, as having windlace is sure fancier than not having it!

...I used the black and as mentioned elsewhere it was a booger.
FIRST I cut me a piece and worked it around the grooove in my 52 chev. panel and thought would go easy. NOT so.
I tried it from either end, also tried it by sliding it down on the back side and hoping to pull it around the rest. NO go.

I then opened up the channel a little but it was really to much and didn't hold the windlace tight enough so I ended up squeezing it back together.
The welding "spots" around in the channel also made it tough.

So, in the end, and after 3 hours of frustration I pushed it in using a nice flat/wide screw driver and it went in nicely.

I have a piece of the original and even though I know it has shrunk some the part that slides in the groove it not as "thick" as the black repop stuff and I believe that is where the problem is. Either way I don't want to do another one any time soon.
Thats my story and I'm sticking to it!!

I used the black as well.

I started by cleaning the channel and made a t shape tool to size the channel as well. I also sanded it a bit to break the sharp edges (but left the outside untouched so as to not leave bare metal to rust).

I put the windlace in front of the heater for a bit to warm it up and make it slighly more pliable. Then, you may laugh, I lubed the channel and windlace with KY jelly. Then with one person pulling, and the other feeding it in, we did the top portion first and then the front and back. Once it was in, we trimmed it to length.

That KY is slicker'n snot and wipes off easy with a damp rag.

Who's laughing Ned?
That's a great idea,plus it's water soluble and wont hurt the paint or rubber.

Digging up an old post. I installed blue windlace on one of my doors today and I am not at all happy with the kinked rear corner. Seems that the black rubber is the only one pliable enough to make this 90 degree turn.

Lousy kinked windlace corner

Chuck - I liked your idea. Has that lasted well? I would try the same and glue the cut edges back together. Do you have any photos you could share?

I would try to hit the wrinkled corner with a hot air gun or hair dryer. It wants to have the correct shape, maybe a little heat will help it.

I tried it with a hair dryer for a while. I think I could go to my grave and it still would not flatten out....

I'm going to try to cut some wedges out and put a spline in the core, but don't anticipate that will look good at the end of the day. I wanted the blue because it matched the interior (and it does look good) but 95% certain that this was black originally.

I'm going to send a photo to Chevs of the 40's and ask them to exchange for black. They should let their customers know that this product does not work for its intended purpose. Not likely they will budge but worth letting them know.

Chevs of the 40's gets a lot of credit in my book. I e-mailed them the photo of my lousy kinked blue windlace and they called me today and said they were shipping the black, more pliable windlace, at no charge. They did have suggestions to cut slots in the windlace within the channel, but admitted that was somewhat of a band-aid.

Good customer service will bring me back every time.

Bob,

I wonder if the blue door windlace from Jim Carter and/or Classic Parts of America also have that kinking problem? Maybe Greg_H knows about one of those vendors.

It is nice to hear that Chevs of the 40s treated you well.

Looking back through the thread it seems that most of the blue or tan wind lace has kinking problems. I think it is because those are more of a vinyl composition and the black is apparently close to actual rubber.

I have to believe the black was in the truck originally which is my goal anyway.

Bob,

If you have the 1954/55 two-tone blue interior, I think that a blue windlace was used.

Nonetheless, if the blue does not sit/seat right, try the black.

I do have the 2 tone interior, untouched that I can tell, and completely original inside the cab. The residue in the metal channels that I scraped out was black - no hint of blue that I could find. Do you think they even made a blue "rubber" in 1954? I have my doubts and would bet that the original was black. All the window weatherstripping is black.

Sorry, Bob,

It looks like the windlace on two-tone cabs was color coordinated.

Still, a good seal is better than a bad seal.

I bought the blue windlace from Jim Carter but have not installed it. My original appears at first to be a "gray" but I think it has just sunbleached. In all honesty, the windlace from Carter doesn't look real blue at first view but I think it may have some manufacturing powder or something on it. I opened the box, looked at it, and shelved it until needed. My original windlace from the factory was not exactly an installation that you would be proud of. I think it had flattened and thicker (bent up) places.

Tim

I have yet to find a kink in your armor - well done. Windlace indeed looks blue in the brochure. I either have to make this look a lot better or go with the black.

Thanks

I have a two-tone blue interior on my 55 1st series. The windlace is extremely hard and dried (spent its life in Arizona) but it was definitely blue. I have the replacement blue from Jim Carter and will post when I install it.

Joe

I will be interested in seeing them. My truck also has the original two tone blue interior and the original windlace has turned "gray" in it's old age. I sent pictures to Tim that I took this weekend. I even trimmed off a piece and looked at the crosscut to try and see blue. I can see a hint of blue but would not call it "definitely blue". I bought replacement from Jim Carter several years ago and it too looks to hint at blue but appear primarily gray. The lower windlace is more blue. I also took pictures of the original installation and it is "kinked" in the turns. I suspect that the pliability of the colored windlace was not as good as the black even in the factory installation.

Two other things I have noticed, I look at Classic Industries blue "around the door windlace" and I think it is too blue compared to the original. Also, the headliner appears too dark in the catalogs compared to my original which is the same color as the lighter of the two interior blue colors.

Like I said, I am anxious to see your pictures to compare them to my truck pictures.

The blue I purchased from Chevs of the 40s was probably too blue, based on your descriptions. I would think there are only a couple of manufacturers of this stuff anymore. Don't all these retailers just get them from the same source? Probably and unfortunately somewhere in China?

The blue I received had a high vinyl content - not rubbery at all.

When I bought mine from Jim Carter, he was the only vendor with the two tone interior parts. In fact he was the only vendor that even mentioned the existence of the two tone interiors. Classic Parts was then Chevy Duty and I think other vendors saw the potential market. I suspect that the manufacturer of what is currently sold may not be the original that Carter contracted.

Photobucket windlace album

Here is a link to pictures of my original "blue" windlace and it's factory installation. It is as mentioned, kinked installation at the turns. I guess it is probably true that the "blue" windlace was less pliable than the black. I tried to cut off a piece to get a cross section view but it did not show much. The new windlace shown is what I bought from Jim Carter many years ago.

Chevs of the 40s told me to cut out small sections of the back of the windlace that goes in the channel. Makes some sense and might relax the windlace as it makes the turn. I'll try it for grins.

The original blue is darn close to a black / grey over time.

Just a follow-up for those who will be looking at different wind-lace colors. Chevs of the 40s sent me the replacement black windlace as promised, and there is a significant difference between the blue and black. The black is very rubbery and the blue is more of a vinyl composition. The black, probably because it is a rubber product, weighs significantly more than the blue. I am confidant that the black will turn the corners very effectively without kinking.

If anyone purchased the blue that is rubbery and pliable, you should let the forum know where to get that. Chevs of the 40s still gets high marks for customer service, I just don't think there is a blue "true rubber" wind-lace available.

Final statement on a topic I have beaten to death. Look at the difference between the black rubber windlace and the blue windlace. No comparison

Black full window view

Black 90 degree corner

Blue 90 degree corner

Too bad the blue one sucks on the corners. Maybe one day they will make it out of the correct material.

I just finished one side a few hours ago and I would guess it took me 12-15 hours working off and on. I bought the black from Classic parts and has a cheap vinyl feel to it and is way to hard in the middle ..as someone suggested on another site I took the time to fish nylon rope through the open side which was suppose to help with kinking but mine still kinked bad in the corners..maybe rope not big enough I guess....anyway mine is just a driver so seriously thinking about opening the channel up good and just glueing the other side... that dude wore this old 72 year old man out!! Good luck to all that attempt replacing theirs!

I haven't installed the blue, but here is what I've always done. Go to ACE hardware and buy 2 screen door springs (one for each door)...the kind that are used on wooden screen doors. These are 3/8 inch OD and will be a rather snug fit in the windlace hole. Cut each in half and drop a piece of nylon twine through the hole in the door windlace. Measure between the center of the front curve and the 90 degree curve and then tie those to your twine, spaced apart so they will center at these locations. Lubricate them well using KY Jelly. DO NOT USE VASELINE...Vaseline will cause rubber to deteriorate. Pull your springs through using the nylon twine until you feel the springs in the places where the bends will be. Cut the twine off and then install your windlace with those springs inside. The springs will usually keep the kinks from happening since the springs can not collapse and can easily bend to 90 degrees (or more if needed).

My 49 is missing all the channels....almost like they were never there. I actually got so aggravated looking around for the pieces to make anything work that I totally gave up on it and am just running without it and I dont even notice it missing. My doors all seal up tight so its not really important to me.