One of the first things I always do after purchasing a car I plan on driving (as opposed to a restoration project) is to replace all the glass window rubber, weatherstripping, door bumpers, and windlace. This is usually a day to day-and-a-half job depending upon whether I’m removing the front and rear glass as well or just working on the side glass, but can make a world of difference right off the bat when it comes to the comfort level inside the cab. A rattletrap cab with banging doors and glass is really obnoxious when you’re trying to enjoy that new project and it doesn’t impress your buddies one bit (not to mention your wife). Besides that, allowing the door glass to rattle around inside the door is only going to ruin it that much quicker. And if you’re like me, you like to fix things before they break not put up with them until they do.
It should come as no surprise then that the first thing I did after purchasing my ’68 Chevy was to pull the old door glass and vent window assemblies out and replace all the rotten rubber bits. It’s a fairly straightforward process with the exception of the vent window assembly. These can be a bit of a pain for the first timer since the assembly is riveted together and replacing the vent window rubber requires removing said rivets, installing the rubber (it’s tight!) and replacing the rivets with a rather awkward riveting tool. It can be a handful for one guy, but with a decent work area and a vise, it can be done; and the end result will be well worth it.
I lucked out with my C10; all the glass was in great shape when I picked her up. The rubber parts though did leave something to be desired. They were cracked and in some cases completely missing, leaving the cab with the resulting bangs, clunks, and rattles as it tooled down the road; that’s no good.
The first step in accessing...
The first step in accessing the window assemblies is to remove the clips that retain the door handle and window cranks. Then the door panel can be unscrewed from the door.
The vent window needs to be...
The vent window needs to be removed first. The two bottom screws that attach the division bar to the door are removed…
…followed by the upper three...
…followed by the upper three screws that attach the vent window frame to the door A-pillar.
With the screws removed and...
With the screws removed and the door glass completely lowered in the door, the vent window can be tilted backwards and lifted up to clear the doorframe.
A final twisting maneuver...
A final twisting maneuver is necessary to clear the lower division bar mounting tab.
To get my doors nice and tight again, I gave the good folks over at LMC Truck a call and put an order together using their super handy online catalog. They know how thick some of us shop rats can be and made things easy by grouping like items into kits. For instance, their window channel kit contains the inner and outer seals, door glass runs, and felt inserts to do both doors. That’s about as easy as it gets. I also added a couple other things to finish off the doors so I wouldn’t have to come back to them at a later date such as the door weatherstripping and door bumpers.
I set out on a Saturday morning while the C10 was still sitting in my driveway. By that afternoon, I had all the glass back in, the mechanisms on both the doors replaced and the window regulators greased up, painted, and in their respective locations. A new pair of door handles and window cranks with the proper colored escutcheons wrapped up the install.
It truly is amazing how big a difference a few rubber parts can make in transforming a rattle trap old truck into a tightly assembled machine. Now the doors open easily and shut nice and tight with a firm “thud” instead of the previous “clank” while the windows roll up and down as if they were new. What was a day’s worth of work will make a world’s bit of difference keeping the noise, wind, and heat out as the project progresses and we install things like a decent stereo and an A/C system. Stay tuned! CCT
The sash channel of the door...
The sash channel of the door glass is relieved in two spots so that the regulator rollers can be slid out. A bit of up and down and back and forth will align the reliefs with the rollers, thus freeing the door glass assembly, allowing easy removal up through the doorframe.
With the door glass set aside,...
With the door glass set aside, the inner and outer door seals can be removed using a pair of pliers and an upwards tug…
…to make removing the rear...
…to make removing the rear door glass run a snap.
Once apart, I decided to give...
Once apart, I decided to give everything a good cleaning and a quick spray with satin black paint. Here, I’m cleaning the sash channel so that the window will operate smoothly. Note the aforementioned reliefs that allow the window to be removed from the regulator.
The stock vent window rubber...
The stock vent window rubber is noticeably worn and brittle to the touch, preventing it from properly sealing against the glass.
To rebuild the vent window...
To rebuild the vent window assembly, I picked up a new division bar and felt kit that came complete with the necessary rivets and installation tool.
The first step is to remove...
The first step is to remove the vent window and frame from the window assembly. This is done by removing the top rivet…
…as well as the lower spring...
…as well as the lower spring assembly. The spring assembly is what holds the vent window in the proper location in the window assembly.
There are also four rivets...
There are also four rivets that hold the division bar and vent window assembly together. These need to be removed as well.
The rear portion of the vent...
The rear portion of the vent window assembly attaches to the division bar and needs to be removed and installed on the new one from LMC. Once the rivets are removed, a little coercion may be necessary.
The lower mounting bracket...
The lower mounting bracket also needs to be swapped over to the new division bar.
The vent window handle kit...
The vent window handle kit is disassembled by removing the roll pin that holds the handle to the shaft.
Painted and clean, here is...
Painted and clean, here is the vent window assembly and seal kit with the new division bar and felt ready to be riveted together.
The rear seal is first riveted...
The rear seal is first riveted to the division bar using the provided hardware and installation tool from LMC.
Next the front seal is installed...
Next the front seal is installed in the vent window assembly frame…
…followed by the vent window...
…followed by the vent window itself. Note the relation of the items on the vent spring pivot.
This is where things get tricky...
This is where things get tricky as it’s time to attach the vent window to the assembly frame.
It’s a handful, but a few...
It’s a handful, but a few careful blows with a hammer gets the rivet installed and the two pieces assembled as one.
At this point, installing...
At this point, installing rivets should be second nature so attaching the vent window assembly to the division bar is easy.
I like grease as it makes...
I like grease as it makes things operate nice and smooth and since I want my windows to operate effortlessly, I apply some grease to the teeth and drive gear of the window regulator…
…as well as any of the contact...
…as well as any of the contact or friction points on the mechanism itself.
One thing that really helps...
One thing that really helps making those doors shut nice and solid-like is a few strips of peel-and-stick insulation material. It doesn’t take much and makes a world of difference.
The door glass run in the...
The door glass run in the ’67-’72 C10s simply pushes into place, making the installation a snap.
One of the welds on our lower...
One of the welds on our lower door glass channel broke, so we opted to simply replace it with new items from LMC, which is shown here.
Now it’s time to drop in the...
Now it’s time to drop in the glass. I use 3M weld and spark deflection paper for all kinds of things in the garage, and it works great to protect glass from scratches. Simply drop the door glass in and line it up onto the sash channel.
The vent window assembly goes...
The vent window assembly goes in just like it came out, only in reverse. It’s a bit nerve racking trying not to scratch anything, and as you can see, I really don’t want to damage that pristine paintjob!
Once it’s in, simply push...
Once it’s in, simply push it up into the corner and tighten up the fasteners evenly until the vent window operates smoothly.
New door glass stop bumpers...
New door glass stop bumpers prevent the sash channel from crashing into the stop bracket when the window is rolled down.
The icing on the cake for...
The icing on the cake for the door glass install is to push in the inner and outer window seals. Simply line up the tabs with the holes in the door and push them straight down until they snap into place.
Since we had the door apart,...
Since we had the door apart, I opted to solve another problem— poorly operating door latch mechanisms. LMC offers these guys up brand spankin’ new, so replacing the old, crusty stock ones was a no brainer.
Next the door panel seal is...
Next the door panel seal is glued into place…
…before the door panel is...
…before the door panel is installed, followed by the new escutcheons, window crank, and door handle.
And there you have it! Not...
And there you have it! Not much to look at as the beauty is really all contained inside the door, but one trip down the road and there’s no doubt about the improvements that have just been made!