Vent windows are giving me fits. New rubber seems a little too thick and glass seems a little to big to fit in window trough properly because of upper and lower pivots inside window trough. everything looks great until I try to close them all the way then it looks like crap. i trimmed off a 1/4 inch off of my inner vent window frame because it was hitting the division bar. Without glass installed and if I WD-40 the rubber the vents look good when closed. Almost ready to say hell with it and go with solid glass kit but I really wanted the vent windows. Am I doing anything wrong? Might take my new vent glass and have about a 1/4 inch taken off the straight side at a glass shop. Please let me hear some advise.

 

When I restored my vent windows, I do remember having to force the assembly a little into the opening. Said another way, the vent looked ok in the opening, but in reality under the rubber it was no where close to seating properly in the door channel. I played with the right depth of the assembly in the door channel to get proper fit against divider bar. By the wAy my window parts all came from NPD and they worked great. The door restoration was one of the harder jobs, it rivals the windshield seal replacement! I struggled for two days on the window channel installation. I read later that fitting the channel on the window while it is out of the truck gives you a good shape to begin with and I wish I had done that to start. Good luck!

Jonathan

 

shattered one of the vents after I slowly ground a small notch where upper pivot is mounted and while carrying it to truck to try the fit it just shattered while I was holding it. Scared the heck out of me. Going to glass shop tomorrow with the other one. If that works will order another piece of glass and do the other door.

 

I have cut vent glass for a 1954 F-100 from laminated glass. I cut a notch in the top.
Elmo

 

How did you cut the notch? What procedure?

 

I have used a glass cutter but it is trickey. The learning curve on cutting curves in laminated is steep and involves lots of ruined glass. The easy way is to use a sander and keep the glass cool. If the glass is overheated it will crack! I use a belt sander with a fine grit. And go very slowly.
Elmo
P.S. Tempered glass cannot be modified it will shatter!

 

Went to glass shop this morning and was told to make a pattern of my vent glass I need and they will cut and temper it. For them to glue them in the frames it will be 220.00 dollars, for me to glue them the glass will be 120.00 for the pair and 15.00 dollars for a tube of some kind of urethane glue. I complained that I only paid 19.95 for each vent window and they said that I am paying for custom work. They said because my vent is already tempered they cannot cut it to fit. I only needed about 3/8 of an inch at the top tapered down to nothing at the bottom of the flat side.

 

Our trucks did not use tempered glass. They used 1/4" laminated glass. A real glass man can cut the vent. My daughter and son in law have my old glass shop and would cut one for about $40.00. Also do not use urethane to install the vent. It will make the next replacement almost impossible. Our vent glass uses a rubber or fabric tape to go between the glass and frame. Butyl rubber can be used in a pinch but does not look right. I only have a pattern for the 53-55 F-100.
Elmo
P.S. Custom tempered glass is very high priced. I had to order a piece 1/4"x8"x10" for a heater door and it was 80$ discount price!