Windlacing tricks needed

[Tired iron]

Am now attaching my new windlace to the tack strips and I don't like the way it looks when I go around the 90 degree corner. What's the secret to getting that right without bunching up? I've read about adding a wire, but don't know if that would help for the tight corner.

[Eneto-55]

It appears to me that the bead (or whatever is inside) is not stiff enough.   It might also help if it were sewn closer to the foam bead, but I'm not criticizing what you've got there, because it not at all an easy thing to find.

 

I have looked and looked for original type wind lacing already since the 80's.  (On my 46 at least, there is a wire mesh webbing embedded in the foam, and then it forms the flange.  That allows it to actually do the job it is there for, to help reduce wind noise.)  I had purchased a whole roll of what is the closest thing I've seen to the original, in a place in Dallas that sold weather stripping for walk in freezers.  But that was back in 1982, and the outside of the roll had deteriorated so much over the years of being stored in the trunk of the car (inside the shop) that I was about to throw the whole thing out, until I realized that the inside part of the roll seems OK.  But I'm still reluctant to use it, because that's not an easy thing to get to (to replace) once the dash and the headliner are installed.

[Dave72dt]

If you had some extra yardage of that windlace, I'd suggest putting some relief cuts in the corner.  You can snip almost to the stitch line.  I'd try it on a sample piece before attempting it on the final product.

[Bob Riding]

Check out Restoration Specialities. I used them on my '40 wagon and was very satisfied. Check out page 115 from their catalog for different types of windlace. Mine has a woven look and is color-matched to my interior.

[Tired iron]

15 hours ago, Eneto-55 said:

It appears to me that the bead (or whatever is inside) is not stiff enough.   It might also help if it were sewn closer to the foam bead, but I'm not criticizing what you've got there, because it not at all an easy thing to find.

 

I have looked and looked for original type wind lacing already since the 80's.  (On my 46 at least, there is a wire mesh webbing embedded in the foam, and then it forms the flange.  That allows it to actually do the job it is there for, to help reduce wind noise.)  I had purchased a whole roll of what is the closest thing I've seen to the original, in a place in Dallas that sold weather stripping for walk in freezers.  But that was back in 1982, and the outside of the roll had deteriorated so much over the years of being stored in the trunk of the car (inside the shop) that I was about to throw the whole thing out, until I realized that the inside part of the roll seems OK.  But I'm still reluctant to use it, because that's not an easy thing to get to (to replace) once the dash and the headliner are installed.

I made up this windlace  color/material matched. I used a soft rubber tubing for the core. I think your note about the wire mesh explains my issue. I'll experiment with reinforcing the corner section by opening up the windlace at that point.

 

And good call on not throwing that roll out. You can have the fabric/vinyl of your choice sewn up around that core. Upholstery shops do it all the time.

[Eneto-55]

Here are some photos of what I have.  (As I said, I purchased this in 1983, and have searched for something like it in the field of walk in freezers, but the stuff they have for that sort of application now is not useful for our purpose.)

 

The wire mesh in this stuff is very fine - to my recollection, much finer than what was in the windlacing on my 46.  But I don't have any pieces of that original stuff anymore, just a short piece of the fabric that was around it.  The wire mesh in this stuff seems to have rusted inside the rubber, and it breaks easily.  If I could find a, say 1" wide band of wire mesh in a roll, I would make my own, by slitting a groove into some good quality rubber bead, and "cement" the wire mesh into the cut using black rubber silicone.  And then glue the cloth to the flange with the same stuff.  That would be stiff enough to keep some pressure against the door when it is closed, to help control wind noise.  Of course I guess if we only ever drive it in the "non-salt season", most of the time the windows will be open anyway.  And these cars don't make as much wind noise as modern cars do, with the windows down.

[Tired iron]

I rummaged around in my shop and, wow, a roll of tubular wire mesh. I cut off four 6" long pieces and slit them open longways. Then I mocked up the widlace so I'd know where the 90 degree troublesome corner is and thrn opened up the windlace there, snuck in the wire mesh and re-sewed thr windlace back up. Worked really well to tame the windlace into a smooth arc at the corners. Thanks for your ideas!

[JerseyHarold]

I did a quick Google search for the part number on the windlace roll in the photos.  I didn't dig too deeply but it looks like Jarrow products still makes it.

[Eneto-55]

33 minutes ago, JerseyHarold said:

I did a quick Google search for the part number on the windlace roll in the photos.  I didn't dig too deeply but it looks like Jarrow products still makes it.

I must have never used the part number in my previous searches.  But to tell the truth, I'm hesitant to use it now, because of how it has deteriorated in the 40 years since I bought it.  The coating on the foam bead is cracked, and the wire mesh seems to have rusted inside the flange.  (It was in the trunk of the car, inside the garage all of these years.  But northeast Oklahoma is a rather humid climate, with very hot summer temperatures.  If it was easier to get to for replacement (on our cars), I wouldn't hesitate, but it requires the removal of the dash to do it in the order of original assembly.  AND the headliner.  It's not something a person wants to skimp on, even though I put a wad into this 100' roll.  (I thought I still had the invoice - seems I saw it recently - but I couldn't find it now.  By my memory, it was around 80 bucks for the roll, in 1982.  It was going to be for both my Plymouth, and my brother's 49 DeSoto, both of them still in the dismantled state....)

 

I wish now that I had saved a sample of the original.  Does anyone have photos of theirs, with the cloth cover removed?  (All I kept was a strip of the cloth cover.)

Edited January 28, 2023 by Eneto-55