I have searched all over the forum and have a haynes book on the way, but have some spare time until it gets here. I have a 1973 MK3 with manual roll up windows and am taking them apart to paint it. I have the door panel off and have taken the 4 screws off that hold the regulator to the door skin, but nothing is blatent as how to remove the glass. if anyone could help, I would appreciate it.

Robert

 

Removal

Refer to Section 6, and remove the door

Carefully ease off the waist rail finisher

Wind the window approximately half-way

Remove the regulator mechanism securing screws.

Pull the regulator away from the door panel enough to move it forwards so that the rear arm comes out of the window channel.
Then move the mechanism back to release the arm from the front channel and lift it away.

Support the glass with one hand, remove the wedge and tilt the forward edge down into the door so that the top rear corner of the glass comes inside the top of the window frame.
The glass can then be lifted out.

 

Thank you very much.

 

Although I agree that this is what the Haynes manual says, I believe it should be 'horizontal' no 'vertical'. The goal is to get the regulator so that the ends of the two arms are as far apart as possible. This allows you to extract the regulator arm ends from the window channels that are attached to the glass.

I would advise recruiting help from a friend to hold the glass in place while you mess with the regulator. That's what we did and it turned out to be a pretty easy job.

Good luck,
Jeff

 

follow-on question

has anyone actually changed door glass? That is removed that bottom frame from the glass and attached it to a new piece of glass. My door glass is pretty scratched up and I see 7 has some used but good pieces but my experience in working with glass usually results in a broken piece of glass.

I'm worried too because one of my door glass pieces actually comes loose from the frame when the temps get up there and short of taking everything apart and trying a new rubber gasket material I can't get the frame pinched hard enuf to the glass to keep things together (frame will seperate from the glass when rolling the glass down). I got in there and used a small c-clamp to try and pinch the frame tighter to the galss with mixed - not totally successful - results.

Haynes does not talk about actually replacing the glass in the frame as this would be a generic proceedure I guess - but one I'm not familiar with. Would my best bet be to take the old and new to a glass shop and ask them to transfer the frame?

 

I replaced both my roll-up windows last month since I was tinting the windows and wanted to start with non-scratched glass. Seven Enterprises said they have a supplier for new glass. Instead I had a local auto-glass shop cut me new glass using my original as a template, then he sent them somewhere to get tempered. $150 and they came out great.

Regarding mounting the regulator track to the glass - the glass guy gave me some stuff that resembles natural rubber but has adhesive or something in it. He said any decent auto-glass shop that cuts windows will have this stuff. I removed the regulator tracks from both windows (2 each) and reinstalled them on the new glass. Although I understand your goal with the c-clamp, I would think it would be pretty easy to crack the glass if you clamp the regulator track to the glass with a clamp.

I'm not sure what you're referring to when you say 'take the old and new to a glass shop and ask them to transfer the frame'. To what frame are you referring (or do you mean the regulator tracks on the bottom of the glass)?.

FWIW, taking the regulators out to change the glass gave me a chance to recondition the regulators - now they work a champ!

Jeff

 

150 for two new door glass sounds like a good deal - unlike the 300 I got when looking to recover a seat I can replace for 300

yes I'm taking about the piece at the bottom of the glass that forms the track the regulator turn wheels on. That sticky stuff on mine is gone and sounds like if I could just pull the glass out, stuff a piece of double sided carpet tape across the channel and drive the window home again . . . until ready to do the 150 change if I can find such a good deal

thanks

 

Also, tighten the frame channel when the window glass is out of it, so you have someplace for it to go when you squeeze it, and don't close it down too far or you won't be able to get the window seated in the channel again.