Vent window removal from frame & Division Bar seal removal and replacement

[Bobacuda]

I guess I am overthinking this or I am missing something really basic.  The shop and the parts manual have only provided me with diagrams of the Division Bar and the Vent Window, but they offer no help on how to rebuild them.

 

First of all, how the heck do you get the stops on the bottom of the Vent Window loose without wrecking the entire frame?  The ones on my truck are so tight, until I looked at the diagram, I thought they were stamped in place.  I see they have to come off to replace the Vent Window seals.

 

Moving from that fun project to the seal on the Division Bar.  It originally had some form of soft seal that contacted the Vent Window, but it has long since dried out and rotted away.  What do I replace that seal with and how do I get the seal off and the new one reinstalled?  I have reached the point where I am seriously thinking about just cleaning the remnant of the old seal off and then using weather stripping glue to attach felt or Velcro where the soft seal once was.

 

I'm having so much fun on the small stuff, I can't wait to start putting the doors back together...

 

Truck side and vent window.doc

[Desotodav]

Are you talking about the stops on the 'T' piece at the bottom of the vent window Bob (marked 23-64-244 on your manual diagram)?... or the few small screws which hold the entire vent window into the door frame? I had to drill the heads from the screws mounting the vent window, but I have found that that those small spacer's ('stops'?) on the 'T' piece come loose with a bit of soaking.

 

The small seal at the back of the vent window which seals the vent window against the 'division bar can be bought at Bernbaum's and is called 'L-shapped fuzzy A-381'...  http://www.oldmoparts.com/parts-weatherstripping-dodge-and-plymouth-trucks-1948-1953.aspx .

[Bobacuda]

Dave -

Thanks for the input.  Based on what you said, and the photos in the parts manual, I used lots of penetrating oil and finally a butane torch, but I got the spacers off the vent windows without destroying anything (rare for me).  I have about 2 hrs total in the first vent window, between soaking, steel brushing, heating, prying and pleading.  Took about 30 minutes once I heated the parts.  The second window took about 15 minutes total - nothing was stuck...go figure. 

 

Ordering the L-shape fuzzies in the morning.  Thanks again!

Bob

[Desotodav]

A job well done Bob! Be sure not to over-tighten that nut on the 'T' piece when you get them back together.

I'll be going through the whole process again down the track with my 53 coupe truck. I'm sure this rebuild will be much easier though as I had not found all of the helpful people here when I built the 52 truck.

[ggdad1951]

A job well done Bob! Be sure not to over-tighten that nut on the 'T' piece when you get them back together.

I'll be going through the whole process again down the track with my 53 coupe truck. I'm sure this rebuild will be much easier though as I had not found all of the helpful people here when I built the 52 truck.

 

^^^ this ^^^

 

tighten and keep moving it to get a good "feel"