Question about vent window

[Joe Flanagan]

Hello gentlemen:

Long timey no postey. I've been busy with other stuff, so haven't been doing much with my P-18. Anyway, I decided to start rehabilitating the doors and windows this weekend, even though it's freezing outside. Here's my question. Below is pictured (I hope) one of my vent windows. The area that the pen is pointing to is pretty well rusted. Does anyone have any experience restoring these? I have a plan as a long as I can remove the glass. Can that be done? I was going to soak the rusted frame in a phosphoric acid solution, which I know will clean it up totally. Then I would use polyester putty to fill the pits, sand, prime, and paint the original factory black. But I can only do this if I can remove the glass. So I'm looking for advice from anyone who's monkeyed with these before.

If not, does anyone have replacements?

Nice to be back.

[Andydodge]

I would sand blast the 1/4 frame, then paint, the problem you will have is that unless you can seal the inside channel 100% where the glass gasket sits then it will rust inside there again.............. as for the outside of the channel, after sandblasting then if its properly prepared and painted it should be fine, but I'd either sandblast or chemically strip the old rust back to clean steel,.....as I don't think a rust converter will kill it sufficiently to stop it reoccuring.............the glass with the rubber gasket should just pull out, from memory, I disassembled mine yrs ago and had them rechromed.......andyd

[Rodney Bullock]

Hey Joe, I just did this a couple of months ago. The movie people cracked the vent glass so I had to replace it. I heated the area where the glass meets the frame, after I got it good and warm(don't do the red hot thing) I was able to pry the glass out. The problem is the glue they used was very strong. In your case there is a rubber strip that they line the frame with then pound the glass into the frame, this actually works very well. In modern times they now use glue. I had to use a delicate method because we needed the pattern to make a new replacement glass. Once you get the glass out you can do your usual derust method. you can sand blast the frame just don't put any chemical in the window channel because the glue will not act right.

[knuckleharley]

I took the glasses out of the vent windows in my 48 and sent them off to the chrome shop,and it wasn't easy getting the glass out. First I let is soak overnight in carb cleaner to try and loosen the grip of the glass tape holding it in,but no such luck. Then I soaked them overnight in vinegar,and was able to then put the glasses in my padded shop vise,and tap the frames off with a brass drift punch and a hammer.

Vinegar is 5 % acid,so it works good at dissolving the crud and crap that accumulates,but it is safe to handle and dispose of. If you aren't in any real hurry,you might let them soak 2 nights.

[Joe Flanagan]

Thanks a lot, guys. That is exactly what I needed. Rodney, I seem to recall now that you and I talked about this before. This part of the window is actually painted black, which looks original, so it doesn't look like I'll be dealing with any chrome here. I will keep you updated.

Thanks again.

[grey beard]

Joe,

Sounds like you have enough good advice on this thing. My local glass shop replaced the vent glass in my frames for $20 each side. My thinking was that after the glass shop pulled the old glass, I sand blasted the whole thing - mine is a truck - and then painted it with ZeroRust - great stuff I learned about from GTK on this frorum, than had the glass reinstalled. Looks like new and will still be looking that way long after this old man is gone .. . . . .

[Joe Flanagan]

grey beard,

Going out to get some vinegar today. I'll soak the first one as an experiment and see how it goes. Zero Rust is what I use, too. I learned about it from www.autobodystore.com. Pretty much everything under my car got coated with that stuff. All my welds, etc. got it, too. I know they've done tests with this stuff and it holds up very well. Plus, if you've ever tried to get it off once it's dried, you know it's really tough. The technique I use is Picklex 20 on the bare metal (which is a phosphoric acid based solution) and then Zero Rust. It will probably outlast me.

[Joe Flanagan]

OK, so I'm not installing my OD, I'm not getting ready to shoot paint, I'm not slinging wrenches around, I'm splashing around with vinegar and a stubborn old vent window that looks like it's spent the last 60 years at the bottom of the Hudson River. I've soaked the window in vinegar for several days. It has softened the rubber gasket somewhat. I've been able to take a razor knife and score out much of the gasket, but the glass is still firmly in the frame and looks like it will take some convincing to get it out. Somehow I just know I'm going to end up breaking the glass. BUT . . . I will proceed cautiously all the same.

I know you guys couldn't wait for an update.

[Jim Yergin]

Joe,

Sounds like you are having fun. Good luck, I admire your patience.

Jim

[knuckleharley]

... I'm splashing around with vinegar and a stubborn old vent window that looks like it's spent the last 60 years at the bottom of the Hudson River. I've soaked the window in vinegar for several days. It has softened the rubber gasket somewhat. I've been able to take a razor knife and score out much of the gasket, but the glass is still firmly in the frame and looks like it will take some convincing to get it out. ......

Sounds like it's ready to come out to me. You next step is to place the whole assembly in your vise that is padded with wooden jaws to keep from breaking the glass or scratching it,and tighten the jaws down on the glass. Then you take a brass punch (you don't want to ding up the vent window frame by tapping on it with metal harder than it is) and tap on both sides of the vent window frame until it separates from the glass.

If it just wants to move a little and you get scared,take it out and let is soak overnight again. If it moved at all the vinegar will be able to get between the glass and the frame,and it will come out easier the next day.

If you do screw up and the glass breaks,let me know if it is important to you to have original glass. I still have the ones I took out of my 48 coupe laying around somewhere,and I will give them to you if you pay postage. I replaced it with tinted glass in my car.

[Uncle-Pekka]

Hey Joe, (as a Hendrix digger I always wanted to start a post like that...)

I did basically the same job you're asking - only I had a good trim and bad glass (laminated layers coming apart). I posted a thread of the job an year ago...

http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=7474

/Pekka

[Joe Flanagan]

Uncle,

I wish I had a dollar for every time someone started singing that song to me. I always go out of my way to say that I am not, in fact, going to shoot my old lady, but am doing something else altogether with the gun. It really throws them off.

I'll check out the link.

Thanks.

[Joe Flanagan]

Knucklharley,

Thank you. I'll be trying what you suggest tomorrow. I used to have this gigantic bench vice, which is now broken. Just have to figure out how to immobilize the glass without breaking it.

[dirty dan]

I'm sure someone here could provide you with a pattern for a new glass if needed. I can provide you with a P-15 pattern but I'm not sure if they're the same.

[RHDSP15C]

I don't get it. Mine are made of brass and look as good as they were sixty years ago.

[Frank Elder]

Down under got brass water distribution tubes also, we got stuck with steel here!

[RHDSP15C]

We had leather seats too and the 25 inch block engine. Trouble was there weren't enough cars to go around.

[Joe Flanagan]

Success:

It turns out that the acid in the vinegar softens the rubber seal quite a bit. I scored much of it out with a razor knife, then clamped the window to a work bench. I sandwiched the glass carefully between two blocks of wood. Then I used another piece of wood and tapped it with a hammer to separate the frame from the glass. I had to reset the vices a couple of times, but it worked.

Thanks to everyone here for all their help. As has been said many times before, this is one of the greatest places on the internet.

Joe