wing vent glass question
 

I have this standard cab wing vent which means it is painted black not stainless. I have had it for at least 17 years. The metal is good. The glass is the original FoMoCo and is in good shape. However, the pivot is broken off:
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...2b2fa8f6bb.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...2284f81202.jpg

Question: can the glass be taken out intact so I can put an pivot in and then replace the glass? I seem to think not. My buddy says maybe you can heat the vent and then pull the glass out. I think that would crack the glass.

It would be nice to have FoMoCo glass in the vent. I am a stocker but I am not so anal-retentive that I have to have original glass.

What do you think?

I put my glass in a vice between two pieces of wood and gently pulled the vent frame right off. Came off easy but, maybe I was just lucky.

Put some penetrant oil or something down in that frame and start gently tugging at it. You'll get it out.

Yes, it is possible to get out without breaking. Like Doc said you definetly need a lubricant in the channel. Let it sit for a bit then gradually pull it. Be careful not to put too much pressure on the metal as I've found the hard way, sometimes the glass will take more pressure than the frame.

I did exactly the same thing a few months ago. Overall, it was not a bad experience, or put another way, I didn't break anything and eventually got everything back together and working properly. Work a penetrating oil or mineral spirits gently between the glass and setting tape using a thin putty knife. Heat doesn't hurt, but don't overheat the plastic between the two laminated glass panes if the glass is going to be reused. The trickiest part for me was finding a way to hold the frame securely to some sort of anvil when you hammer the flare in the top of the rivets that secure the pivot. I found that I had to increase the depth of the recess in the brass rivet ever so slightly to get it to flare enough to tightly hold the pivot. I do not know if this problem was something to do with the rivets or the flaring punch. The flaring punch and rivets that I used I bought from Mid Fifty. Also, I found that I had to file the rivet head a little bit to get it to sit nicely in its hole on the outside of the frame. This also helped get a solid riveted connection for the pivot. I used mineral spirits to lubricate the setting tape for the re-installation. I found that I had to keep the glass pushed in tightly into the frame with electrical tape until the mineral spirits had time to dissipate. Without something to hold that glass tightly in place, it tends to want to squeeze out of the frame a bit. I learned that if the glass projected out even a little bit (1/16" ) past any metal ends of the frame, that the vent windows will not close properly. Once the mineral spirits had evaporated out, the bond between the glass and the frame was very strong.

Thanks for the tips, guys. I have been trying to sell this at swap meets for several years with no interest so I thought it was not possible. But maybe I am one of the few that do not want the bright metal trim where it doesn't belong....

It is raining today so maybe I will try it today. Will let you all know later.

And some pic please

I just dropped mine off at the glass shop yesterday for the same problem. I bought the setting tape from MF and a single layer was too thin, double too thick. Instead of monkeying around, possibly having future issues or waiting for the correct tape to come from somewhere I figured I could be at home drinking beer and knocking a few more items of my list of (now) less than 7,991 things to do. :-)

I like using Windex.
Super slick but evaporates quickly
doesn't stain anything
Easy to spray

Had the shop remove the vent glass (it broke when they took it apart), replace the pivot (my part) reset it and the door glass. $50. Happy to pay them for it and knock off two more items from the list.

Replaced those items, installed RH vent seal, repaired RH window crank that fell off every other day, re-hung hood and front clip, fixed cigar lighter, reinstalled cowl vent seal (why does everyone think that's so difficult? PO installed it upside down. 3m 8005, thin line on cowl and seal, spread with toothbrush, have a beer while drying then install. No clips, clothespins, cussing.), mow and weedeat, wash and wax truck, throw on cover just seconds before thunderstorm rolled through. Only 7,980 things left on list... ;-)

Sorry about not finishing this thread earlier. I had forgotten about it until BJ Mayberry PM'ed me for info about how I got the glass out of the vents in my 55 F350. I told him that Safelite took out the old cracked glass and put the new in. I then told him about this thread with all the tips given by you guys.

So, this winter I followed your tips to get the glass out in one piece. I tried windex, penetrating oil, WD40 along with a small putty knife. I put the glass between two blocks of wood in a vise and pulled on the frame. Long story short: I cracked the glass! Then I gave up. I didn't really need the frame as the ones on my 55 were pretty good. I wanted the FoMoCo glass to use. So the vent is back in my stash and will try to sell at Carlisle but now for a much lower price!

I hope BJ has better luck than I did!

Abe you forgot the BEER not to worry I will have one for you cracked glass and all. :)

thanks! Don't cut your lip on that cracked beer glass!

I did this same thing last year. I was successful in removing one side intact, but broke the glass on the other side trying to remove it. I was using a hammer to tap the frame away from the glass, and accidentally caught the edge of the glass and cracked it.I used windex to reinstall the glass into the frame.

I soaked mine in the sink with HOT water for 30 minutes or so. It softened up the rubber and made the glass easier to pull out.