Yes...I'm pretty sure that the glass fits directly in line with the frame, so it has to be a little smaller to allow things to move around when the frame & glass expand and contract with heat and cold, not to mention the shifting around when you go over a bump in the road.

The luan board is a good idea. You could get an exact fit and then take the board to a local auto glass shop as a template. Use some liquid dish soap mixed with a little water on the seal to make things slide in easier.

I did break my rear window on the first try, but it was an old window & I think I had chips at the edges before I started, so when I pushed on the glass, the crack ran. I didn't have any problem with a new piece of glass (that windshield was New Old Stock from 51panelman & my rear glass came from Blue Oval Truck Parts).

Dan

 

This is not correct. The glass needs to be slightly larger than the opening. This is especially important for the windshield, to keep it from cutting your head off in an accident.

This is where the internet fails.....you need the hands on experience of a pro.
Call a local glass shop, most will come to your house and install it for you for a minimal charge.

 

who in the dallas area know's where windshield glass can be bought and/or installed locally for a 55? thanks.

 

So....the glass in the rear door of a panel truck is going to cut off your head in an accident??? OK...OK...I'll give you that...it does make sense that the windshield would be bigger than the frame...so in the seal the groove for the glass is offset from the groove for the lip of the frame.

This did bring one thought to mind....the windshield is installed from the outside & the seal is pulled to the inside. On the rear glass, you start on the inside and pull the lip of the seal outward (that is for the pickup). The rear window seal is a big fat thing with an extra groove on the inside for the headliner.

Which way were you pulling the seal on your panel?

For 55f100tx, a friend of mine is a safelite auto glass guy in the Bay Area....he tells me that he can get any of the flat glass parts for my 52 through his normal supply chain. You may have to call more than one shop in your area to find someone who is willing to order and install a windshield or rear/side glass that is not ordinary every day stuff for them, but they can do it.

Dan