Front Window Frame HELL Restoration

[Scandell]

Did you restore your front window frames? WHAT A PROCESS! YIKES! I am going to have them sanded and repainted... but I have a few questions:

I have read and reread all available info of the forum about this subject...

1. How do I remove the riveted latches in pics 4 and 5?

2. How many pieces does the window frame disassemble to? (It kinda looks like another piece is supposed to come out of the vent location of the frame.)

3 How in the world do you slide the surrounding vent window rubber in?

4. I noticed that their are two movebale screw points on each side of the window frame(Picture 2)...won't new paint fuse them stuck??

5. Am I supposed to slide rubber up that shaft in picture 3?

Moderator note:
Here are a few links to a vent wing press tool inside other Bus restoration or other threads:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=4566733#4566733
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8031551#8031551
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7737787#7737787

A user also posted a video here in this post:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=10006283#10006283
_________________
"Come on over...and we can work on it together."

[the.fordhams]

Just done mine so I can give my view on some of the processes;

1. did not do mine,

2. looks like you have all the pieces apart and accounted for - except maybe the vertical bar between the sliding windows or is that laying on the horizontal part? anyway make sure the tabs are on top and bottom of this vertical piece

3. start at the bottom near the pivot and carefully tuck each edge in with a blunt flat blade screwdriver. I started with one side and then used the screwdriver to tuck in the other. No sliding.

4. they will but they'll free off again. Use a tap and I'm sure the process of cleanign the threads will free off the trapped nut plate.

5. Again just tucks in with a screwdriver - I was confused which way round this goes but I'm sure its with the blades towards the glass if that makes sense.

The hardest thing for me was sliding that damn long piece around the outside of the frame - I used plenty of silicone spray and then carefully pushed and pulled around the tight bend with a pair of pliers.

Good luck,

Al
_________________
63 OG Turkis Bug project
65 OG Safari Beige Notch
65 OG Pearl SO42 Patina
67 SO42 welding project
03 Eurovan Weekender
08 Touareg 2 V6

WANTED :
Bob King VW dealer Wilmington NC dealer tag surround and any Literature for 03 Weekender

[Major Woody]

I disassembled ours for blasting and here is my experience.

I left the vent wing latch base in place as it was not broken. Also left the lock tab in place and just duct taped it off for blasting. If they need to be removed, you need to grind the head off the rivet.

The paint won't freeze anything into place so badly that it can't be moved again.

That little wind deflector piece is supposed to be gray when you are all done with painting and reassembling.

Use Windex to assist with getting the seals to slide in the channels.

[Scandell]

[the.fordhams]

The little curved piece that goes in the bottom corner of the vent window. I too did not remove my latch or latch plate and had mine blasted and painted. Just mask off with some good stuff.

Did the wind deflector come in chrome for deluxes or was it grey or body color?

Al
_________________
63 OG Turkis Bug project
65 OG Safari Beige Notch
65 OG Pearl SO42 Patina
67 SO42 welding project
03 Eurovan Weekender
08 Touareg 2 V6

WANTED :
Bob King VW dealer Wilmington NC dealer tag surround and any Literature for 03 Weekender

[Major Woody]

I don't know and I should have been clearer that it would be gray for a commercial family vehicle. I saw that the vent pivot latch base was black and that it was a late deflector and just reacted with "that one should be gray"

[Scandell]

1 Down...1 to go.

_________________
"Come on over...and we can work on it together."

[Kevin T]

Lookin good! what did you use for paint?

[BarryL]

Some deflectors are bare aluminum. Don't know when that occurred.

[lurkinstock]

[Major Woody]

That looks good.
When you clamp them back into the door, you will need to notch the bead side of the base seal where the angle changes near the center post, on the inside. Glue the butt ends of the "bead" together with 3M Weatherstrip Adhesive (the HD black stuff not the gorilla snot) and then use tape to hold them onto the door while you're installing the door frame into the door or they'll be pulled apart. Use K-Y Jelly to help the frame slip in. Pull the tape out at the last minute.

Once you get it into the door, you'll need to clamp the door frame to the door in order to suck it down tight onto the base seal. I used several gigantic bar clamps and started with the back edge of the door. When you get to the front, you won't be able to use the bar clamp becuase of the angle of the door frame. At that point you could use a vice grip quick grip bar clamp between the vent window opening (move the seal out of the way temporarily to avoid damaging it) to hold it in place tightly while you install and secure the 4 bolts that hold the front portion of the frame into the door.
Don't tighten the two nuts under the sliding door run channel until last. If you try to use them to pull the frame down, you run the risk of tweaking the run channel.
Before you install the door frame, run a tap through all your threads to get the paint and rust out, and use anti-seize.
There is another thread here with instructions on properly mashing the vent window rivet (use a steel ball bearing and a pair of vice-grips with the jaws ground flat/smooth). Following those instructions, I was able to get my vent window rivet installed perfectly.
Wait to finally tighten the vent window pivot nut until after you have installed the vent window rivet. Leave it loose.

[Riff Raff]

[Scandell]

[Scandell]

Process: (I'll go into more detail later")

1. Dismantle ONE of your frames. (Use the other as a constructed reference)
2. SandBlast all 5 main parts (Removed latch and latch plate with drill)
3. Lightly Sand then Spray some self-etching primer on the bare metal.
4. Bought some white-blue paintscratch.com spray cans... ($90 bucks & a 3 week fiasco)
5. Spray Painted all parts
6. Sprayed a light clearcoat on top...just because the SS paint I bought wasn't quite shiny enough. ($5 Clear coat from Pep Boys)
7. Riveted a WW new latch and latch plate. (Non-Stock Stainless Steal Pop Rivets. yikes. lol (Rivet Gun and Rivets $25))
8. Installed WW rubber and felt kit. ($90 per frame )(Very Easy to do...took 30 minutes)
9. Placed Windows back in...screw long latch plate and bottom main part in place.
STILL TO DO:
10. Install Vent Glass and Seal.
11. Install Vent Wing Window...
12. Install Onto Bus.

THEN DO IT AGAIN!
_________________
"Come on over...and we can work on it together."

[jazzed]

You'll have fun with 10 and 11, trust me

[Major Woody]

[zozo]

[Major Woody]

[Scandell]

[Stocknazi]