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Wed Oct 29, 2008 9:29 pm

Anybody have any tips or pointers on installing that chrome window trim? We've struggled for hours on just one window and either the corners don't lay flat or the trim pops out of one side while working on the other.

We've tried everything we could think of (clamps, silicone grease, super glue) but nothing works. Then finally (after hours of hard work and sore thumbs) we had it in there. But the stupid thing popped out when we tried to install the window into the Bug.

There must be a better way, tool, procedure, or something we're missing.

Any help would be very, very much appreciated.

Thu Oct 30, 2008 5:30 am

Been there,the stuff i got was a flimsy alum that wasnt wide enuf to start with so wont have enuf metal to fully curve all way into groove in rubber thats why it pops out,threw it in trash-used chrome-less type. Maybe someone knows of a correct type out there.

Thu Oct 30, 2008 6:11 am

OK, I just did mine, I think youve got to use the good German type.
With everything out of the door, (glass, vent wing, inner scraper,) this is how I did it;
For the outter curved chrome/ window scraper I rubbed bar soap on the pop in spring clips and their corresponding holes. CAREFULLY ease the piece into the opening and into position and line up all the holes with the clips. See that the clips are perfectly lined up so they are headed straight into the holes in the door, and push them in with your thumbs, try doing two at a time (two thumbs) with even pressure. (DONT kink the chrome piece! Its fragile, if a clip is not lined up, see if you can get it lined up maybe with a probe or very thin tiny screw driver etc.)
NEXT goes the wing vent, slide it in there with care, watch what youre doing and do it slowly so you dont damage anything, ease it in, and when youre in, give it a couple taps with the heel of your hand and put in the bolt (bottom) and screw (top).
THEN goes the retaining clips for the curved felt channel into the door followed by the felt channel. Use a thin piece of wood or piece of masonite to use as a backer to put in the felt channel and tap the channel into their clips.
THEN the inner scraper goes in. Use soap on the clips and holes again. Start by inserting the scraper end between the vent wing and the door first, then line up the clips/holes perfectly, snap them in, make sure the clips stay pointed into the holes an not get cocked in a different direction.
Do everything slowly, watch how everything is lining up. A nice looking job depends on all the little details.
LAST goes the glass. Dont start rushing now, get the glass running smooth in the felt channels.
:D

Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:45 am

Excellent tips on installing the door windows (which I will be doing soon... although I think I'm dreading a little). I'll definitely print up the advice and keep it close by.

Right now I'm just struggling with the chrome (actually aluminum) window trim that goes into the rubber seals around the side windows, rear window, and windshield. The trim is U-shaped and is supposed to fit into a groove in the rubber.

Both the rubber and the trim are from West Coast Metric, so I think they are good quality. I think the problem is pilot error.

Thu Oct 30, 2008 11:46 pm

Here's an update: Called around some local VW enthusiasts. It seems hardly anybody does this chrome trim thing anymore. Most have abandoned and gone "Cal look". One guy did say that he thought the VW factory had some kind of wood tool they used to press this stuff in.

I figure there has to be someone out there in this big wide world who has been down this road before, knows the procedure, or even knows what this tool looks like (I might be able to fab one if I had a description).

Any suggestions out there?

Fri Oct 31, 2008 9:14 am

I understand your pain. I used to put windows in for a living and still won't put the chromes in my beetle. It is just a pain in the arse no matter how you look at it. ](*,)

The use of aftermarket chromes or rubbers will always result in a harder job, thats the beauty of aftermarket. \:D/

Mon Nov 03, 2008 1:12 am

Mach1 !!!! I too feel your pain. If it isn't hard enough to get the "chrome" in the rubber while the window is out of the car...it is quite another thing to keep it in the rubber while installing the glass into the car! I did my windshield of my '70 2 times before I finally got it all to stay together. I did it all by my lonesome. But iIn hindsight, I would have had two friends (mechanically inclined) come and help, one per side that would hold the chrome in place at the top and bottom corners while I was pulling the glass from the inside.

The rear window is nearly the same pain in the bottom with just as much blood loss and finger wounds as the windshield.

It can be done. Just be patient (and sober if that is possible). And make sure that the glass is not just centered left to right, but also try to keep it from wanting to slide more to the bottom or top depending on how you start the install into the car. I installed mine from the bottom up & found that it is very easy to let the windshield ride up on the window opening while you start to pull in the rubber onto the metal seam from inside. If this happens you will not be able to get the windshield in at the top & you will have to start over.

Sorry this was so wordy. I talk too much.

Wed Nov 05, 2008 9:40 am

Thanks for the support and sympathy. I took a breather from this part of the project for the last several days as I concentrated on other (less frustrating) things. But now I'm going to go after it again this week. I feel confident that it can be done, and from what I've heard I should just plan on several days of slow, meticulous effort.

If anyone discovers what the special tool the VW factory once used I'd be very grateful to hear about it.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.... or lack of it.

Thanks

Wed Nov 05, 2008 9:56 am

Look towards the end of the post:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=256863&highlight=
Also Wolfsburg West sells a DVD for 3 bucks that covers trim install, seats, and some other stuff. Not real long but good info, you can see how its done. Worth the $3.00 dollars. Go to thier site and search on DVD. Keep us posted.

Wed Nov 05, 2008 11:13 am

The Big Blue Bentley talks about this I believe. I'll take a look later tonight,

Wed Nov 05, 2008 1:05 pm

Vwman55 wrote: Look towards the end of the post:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=256863&highlight=
Also Wolfsburg West sells a DVD for 3 bucks that covers trim install, seats, and some other stuff. Not real long but good info, you can see how its done. Worth the $3.00 dollars. Go to thier site and search on DVD. Keep us posted.

That was a great thread and answered a lot of questions. Thanks. The DVD seems like a good investment. Too bad they don't have that on YouTube (I could watch it right now if they did). I'm figuring the $3 just covers the cost of the disc (not to mention free shipping according to their site). So they aren't in it for the money, directly anyway.

Jeckler wrote: The Big Blue Bentley talks about this I believe. I'll take a look later tonight,

I didn't know there was a blue Bentley book. I've got the orange one. What does the blue book cover?

Wed Nov 05, 2008 2:45 pm

Vwman55 wrote: Look towards the end of the post:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=256863&highlight=
Also Wolfsburg West sells a DVD for 3 bucks that covers trim install, seats, and some other stuff. Not real long but good info, you can see how its done. Worth the $3.00 dollars. Go to thier site and search on DVD. Keep us posted.

x2

It is a good DVD to have. Lots of valuable info.

Wed Nov 05, 2008 6:20 pm

From the Bentley....
1. Insert a length of cable, preferably a piece of 2-3mm dia. electrical cable with insulation, into the groove for the trim moulding. This can be done by passing the cable through a piece of tube which is flattened at one end slightly. Place the flat end of the tube in the groove and pass it right round the windshield so the the cable is laid in the groove in the seal. The ends of the cable should meet in the center of the lower edge of the windshield.

2. Starting at the cable ends, place the trim moulding in the weatherstrip. Pull the cable out slowly and follow round pressing the moulding in the groove.

3. Push the sleeves over the moulding ends.

Then it goes on to say to insert the cable in the outer slot for installation in the car.

That was for the windshield. It says to follow the same instructions for the quarter and rear glass.

Wed Nov 05, 2008 7:14 pm

The trim has to go into the rubber BEFORE the window is installed in the car.
I have installed many windows in VW's, and that is the only easy way I have found to do it.
http://classicvw.org/glass_howto.html

Wed Nov 05, 2008 10:03 pm

Ah, I see. A quick visit to Amazon clued me into the BLUE Bentley book. It's for the older VWs (1966-1969). Which makes sense. The ORANGE Bentley (1970-1979) hardly mentions anything about windows. Maybe because VW moved away from the chrome trim? Just a guess.

Anyway thanks for all the tips! I'm feeling a lot more confident to tackle this again. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Thu Nov 06, 2008 6:06 am

Jeckler wrote: From the Bentley....
1. Insert a length of cable, preferably a piece of 2-3mm dia. electrical cable with insulation, into the groove for the trim moulding. This can be done by passing the cable through a piece of tube which is flattened at one end slightly. Place the flat end of the tube in the groove and pass it right round the windshield so the the cable is laid in the groove in the seal. The ends of the cable should meet in the center of the lower edge of the windshield.

2. Starting at the cable ends, place the trim moulding in the weatherstrip. Pull the cable out slowly and follow round pressing the moulding in the groove.

3. Push the sleeves over the moulding ends.

Then it goes on to say to insert the cable in the outer slot for installation in the car.

That was for the windshield. It says to follow the same instructions for the quarter and rear glass.
Thats interesting. Would you pull the wire underneath the trim towards the glass or underneath towards the outside of the seal or over the top of the trim towards the outside of the seal? Seems that over the top of the trim would be opening the groove up while pulling the trim down into the groove. Anybody ever try this method? All the advice I have gotten is to start in the corners. I think the key is to go slow and take your time. If you don't do something everyday its going to be a learning experience for sure.
Good Luck With Your Project Ω

Thu Nov 06, 2008 5:50 pm

Well after about two hours this is how the windshield turned out.

It's not perfect, but looks pretty good overall... for non professionals that is. That's carpet pad underneath to help protect the glass.

This is what we found out. Window cleaner works really well as a lubricant as suggested. We used a cheap Wal-Mart brand that cost us about $1.00. (Windex was three times that much. Two bucks isn't much, but it all adds up on a nickel-and-dime project like this. And why use a name brand?). Anyway, we learned that too much makes it too slippery, so a little goes a long way.

The rubber went on fairly easily by bending back the seal to open the deeper channel as it pushes on. It did slide off from time to time. (Again maybe too much window cleaner.)

We used 14 gauge insulated stranded wire in the channel for the chrome trim. (As also suggested). The wire was pulled out and slightly down which made the chrome trim pop into position.

We'll tackle the rear window next, then the side windows. Hopefully they're shouldn't be a problem (now that we have some experience). Once the trim is all in, we'll install in the car.

I'll keep you posted.

Fri Nov 07, 2008 4:05 pm

Could you post a picture using the wire to install the trim from the next window you do?
Thanksº

Sat Nov 08, 2008 12:40 pm

Okay here's the rear window and one of the side windows. They take about two hours each to do. The corners on the side window were a royal pain. They have a hard time laying flat. I'm hoping when they are in the car the rubber will push against them. We shall see.

Vwman55 wrote: Could you post a picture using the wire to install the trim from the next window you do?
Thanksº

I'll take step-by-step photos on the next side window. Unfortunately, they sent me the seal for the wrong year, so I have to wait a few days before the correct one comes in. Once that arrives I show you how we do it (not sure it's the right way to do it, but it seems to work).

Stay tuned.

Mon Nov 10, 2008 10:55 pm

Mach1 wrote: That's carpet pad underneath to help protect the glass.

Until you said something, I thought that was a marble floor. :lol:

Those windows look great! nice job. Hey, if the 14GA breaks on ya when installing the glass into the car (mine did), get some vinyl coated aircraft cable of the same diameter. Its tons stronger......but be cautious at the tight window corners. It will cut your rubber if not careful and be handy with that glass cleaner or soapy water. Can't wait to see you car with glass in it. Do post!