window whiskers

[Harvey Tank]

Iam a little confused.

OK MOPAR guys, how do we fasten the window whiskers, or window rattlers.

or what ever you wont to call em.

it lookes like they have to glued in. another question, when to install them? before the window channel

? before or after the glass is installed?

Thanks and everyone have a nice day.

[randroid]

Ruth,

I'm not sure what you're referring to when you say 'window whiskers' but if you mean the strip of stuff that goes inside a channel around the movable windows that's a good name for it. My knowledge of the proper technique is non-existent, but when removing mine last week ('48 P-15 More-Door) in prep for painting, I found it easiest to remove them last. Based upon this jewel of non-information I can only assume I will install the new ones first.

Mine have little metal tabs that fit into slots in the frame and then bent, so alignment shouldn't be an issue. I think that as long as you don't put a kink into them you shouldn't need to worry about doing some experimenting.

Good luck, and please post whatever you come up with.

-Randy

[Harvey Tank]

I got mine from steel rubber, and I think thats the name they use.

[De Soto Frank]

Depends on which part of the door we're talking about.

If you're referring to the part of the door around the edges of the roll-down glass, that would be "window channel". This supports/ cushions the edges of the glass.

If you're talking about the fuzzy stuff that should be in the inside edges of the door "window-sill", the "official" name for this material is "side sweep".

(I think some sources refer to them as "catwhiskers".).

The side-sweeps prevent rain-water / snow from getting into the door along the bottom of the glass when the window is rolled-up, and cushion the top edge of the glass from rattling against the door frame when the glass is rolled-down.

Both types of window seal are important to prevent rattling/ breakage.

Neither type were glued-in by the factory: window channel is held to the door by two different clips and by the garnish moulding (interior metal trim piece). The side-sweep is held to the door frame by little spring clips, and to the garnish moulding with heavy wire "staples".

Restoration Specialty Company of Windber, PA has a good catalog for this stuff.

[Andydodge]

When i bought my "restored" 41 P11 coupe there were no side "whiskers" in either door, and the channel part whilst there was not fixed properly and moved, I firstly pop riveted the channel back into the door, then cut the whisker pieces to length and bent them at the rear edge into the channel, also had to trim part of the "whisker" away to enable it to fit inside the channel between the channel and door, then pop riveted it into the door edge and the window surround, used 1/8th alloy rivets, they won't rust and theres no need for hi strength here......I was able to get to the door edge outer piece and instal it by winding the window all the way down which gave enough clearance to access the door edge.......then used a black pen to colour the rivets so they couldn't be seen, think I used about6, one every 4-5".

[Andydodge]

BTW, I should have mentioned that you need to remove the inside window surround the get enough clearance to access the door edge, also do the inside window surround side with that piece on a bench or table, use a new, SHARP drill bit, and I found that a small lightweight drill worked fine as whilst I have a you-beaut big drill you need to be fairly precise when drilling the door edge and a lightweight drill will make it easier, at least thats what I found, I also remembered that I used vice grips and some small clamps to hold the whisker in postion on the door edge when drilling.

[Harvey Tank]

Thank you all for the help

[Frank Elder]

When you put in your alloy rivets it is true they will not rust, but they will corrode. Anytime you join 2 metals together there is a reaction between their different chemical properties called disimilar metal corrosion. Iron oxide,rust, only appears in or on ferrous metals. All others corrode. stainless steel will get a hazy film on it and aluminum will actually turn to powder and disappear when in contact with steel for long periods of time! Choose the appropriate fastners and your headaches will be few.

FRANKIE47

[RHDSP15C]

Use monel metal pop rivets - no electrolytic corrosion.

[Plymouthy Adams]

monel...nickel copper...very very tough stuff..#1 in anti corrosion..Navy lives on this stuff.

Given the item you are putting on..I would think the standard aluminum pop rivel would do well..steel is good but the tool's mandrels are short lived if you use steel shafted rivets..

[Andydodge]

Point taken about the rivets but considering that I renewed the 1940 Dodge channel and whiskers about 1975 and used rivets then and they are still there without a problem I think I am justified in using them again in the Plymouth..........lol........by the time they are buggered I expect to be buggered also so its a moot point really...lol.........andyd

[Frank Elder]

Touche! You make sense mon ami.

FRANKIE47

[jcmiller]

"The side-sweep is held to the door frame by little spring clips, and to the garnish moulding with heavy wire "staples"."

 

Does anyone have a photo of the little spring clips referred to in this old post?  My outside sweep was held in with sheet metal screws, and I want to use the correct clips on the replacement sweep.

 

Also, on my sweeps the bead was down on the garnish moulding sweep and up on the door sweep.  Is that correct for a 1942 Plymouth?

 

Thx.

 

 

[Plymouthy Adams]

_{I have never seen a kit offered with the factory style clips attached nor have I ever seen the clips Chrysler used offered for sale by any trim/fastener retailer.   I have seen similar and I have also many of the stock clips in hand but cannot find a suitable way to reuse them effectively.  I have seen many various methods in attaching the strips using rivets, screws and alternate clips right down to the fact many gluing these in place.  Gluing them is the worse methods should you need to remove them to replace a glass panel or other deep in-door service.    With the stapes used, you going to need to come up with another method there.  I personally use clips form another car of the era.  I enlarge the original holes to accept this clip and on the garnish, I actually drill holes here to also use these clips.  As for the bead down on your model I cannot say off my head for 42 but the later effectively did not have a beaded edge that was pronounced..but each edge was rolled the same. As I have been told there is but one maker of all this stuff and it is the same stuff everyone is retailing...you have choice of 6 varieties, the exact Mopar style is not one of then.  You will substitute by physical dimensions and alternate clips from there.  With the replacement method I use you will use the single bead or the double bead and the bead must be down as the bead is what the clips will crimp on to.  The results are a set of anti-rattle fuzzies that are functional, securely held in place, removable if needed and unless you told someone the difference they would never know by looking they are not stock.  So in summation, I have never seen the clips or seen replacement fuzzies as used in the day...you must improvise here..}

[jcmiller]

For the strip on the garnish I used stainless wire to replace the original staples.  I drilled holes in the fuzzy to match the original holes and then used staple-shaped pieces of the wire to hold it on.  The wire is flexible enough so that I was able to bend the ends over by hand.  I tried replacement staples from Rest. Spec. first but they were too strong to bend the ends down in the confined space on the back of the garnish.

[Plymouthy Adams]

Glad that worked for you, I did the stainless wire trick on one very early in the game..as with you I did use the existing holes and such but did not like the end results which led to the adaptation of another style clip...I just could not get the stainless to lay in place as well as I wanted and a far cry from the stapled factory originals.