restoring vent windows

I had the same problem with my '54 coupe. The new rubber is thicker than the original. Sometimes I could get it closed, but not often, and I always thought it might crack from the pressure. Can you take off some of the rubber from underneath where it fits into the frame?

Chip

original. Sometimes I could get it closed, but not often,

of the rubber from underneath where it fits into the frame?

I dunno. I could *TRY* it, not sure how successful it would be, that is why I was asking to see if anyone else had been here.

nate

Wish I had a better answer. I sold the car before I figured it out!

Chip

All of the repo rubber is thicker, including the windshield rubber. You have to work with it a little to get it to fit right into the slots. You will need to take a dremal with a small fine stone and remove some of the inner surface area. Take it slow, a little at a time while refitting it to check for correct, but tight fit. It will take a couple times, but it will work. Don't take any off the outside/exposed surface (unless) you can't take anymore off the underside and it still won't close. If you have to remove some from the outside then be very careful, as to much and it will leak.

Also, you might check the window itself to ensure it seated all the way into the frame. If you used the incorrect rubber pinch strips it may be bunched up behind the glass and not allowing it to slip down all the way?

I've had to do this operation to all of the repo stuff from SofC/SI, and to a lesser extent on the Fennessey stuff.

Bo

Nate What setting rubber did you use for the vent windows? Mine did the exact same thing and I don't think the setting rubber I used lets the window into the frame enough. Bill

Didn't use any - I filled the channel up with 3M glass adhesive and squooshed the glass in. I had some setting tape and I just couldn't get it to work.

But after a couple people posted reassuring me that the repro rubber was not quite as original, I took a harder look at my original stuff - other than the rusty painted frames, bubbled glass, and busted pivots, latches, etc. they looked pretty good. So I just scrubbed the rust stains off the rubber and installed the "new" chrome frames in the old rubber and outer frame and now they work fine. thanks to all for reassuring me that it was really the rubber and not something I was doing wrong. I haven't been able to leak test yet as I have not replaced the fuzzy on the leading edge of the window glass, but at least both vents now open, close, and latch as they should and you can see through them, which is a marked improvement over what I had before :)

nate

Wait 'til you try to replace the rear window gasket...

JT

You all are reminding of the nightmare we had in '82 replacing the windows in Grandad's '54 pickup, and I think that was still leftover NOS rubber :) not repos.

Are the repo's truly repoduced for Studebaker, or are they a 'find' that works for studebaker?

p.d.

Grumpy AuC>