Door and Window Seal Replacement Part 1

Today was the day to begin this project! Weather was nice (70 here in Ky) and even though I got a fairly late start, I got more done than I had anticipated. Biggest problem so far, I forgot to press the record button on the GoPro. So, for the first door, I have no video. I started on the drivers door, so I hope to record the passenger door so at least you can see the steps taken and the order in which I did them. First things first! For anybody getting ready to take on this project, listen to the advice of everybody who’s done it before you. Everybody told me to pay more and get the German kits, you wont regret it. If you get anything out of this how to, let that be the #1 piece of advice. BUY THE GERMAN parts/kits, not only is the quality better, but the rubber seals fit so much easier. Everything I’ve ordered thus far has come from Jbugs.com. I’ve only ran into a couple of snags which Ill explain later, but for the most part, I couldn’t be happier with the way everything is going together. I spent about 7 hours total so far on the drivers door. Not being in any rush, plus I’ve taken the time to clean the doors and replace a couple of other items while I had it striped down. I didn’t have the right size rivets for the vent window lever, if I did, I would’ve easily completed the drivers door today. But again, Im in no rush. Ok, lets start with the step by step, you can refer to the pics above.

1. Remove the window crank and door opening handle cover. I ditched these because I’m installing new ones along with the missing hardware (spring and buffer) on the window crank. (no pics for this part, but its self explanatory)
2. Remove door panels. Carefully! Mine are new and I wanted to keep them that way, so I carefully pried them off using a plastic scraper. (again, no pics, I thought the GoPro was working)
3. Remove the 4 bolts that hold the window to the window regulator. This differs from year to year. In 1968, they changed this design mid year. Mine are like the 1967 and earlier. Later models are a bit easier. Once the glass was loose, I removed the bottom bolt of the regulator and slide the glass out the bottom. Be careful not to scratch your glass. Put a rag between the glass and the metal arm of the regulator.
4. Next I removed the heavy felt window channel the runs from the top of the door from the vent window post all the way down to the bottom of the window regulator. Refer to pic #3 above. This is held in with a total of six metal clips (which you’ll replace and should come with your new window kit). Mine was still pretty strong, but dry rotted in other areas. I grabbed it at the top with a pair of pliers and gave it a good yank. It came out without any issues. Remove it completely before going to the next step. Don’t forget that on this particular model, one of the clips is way down in the door towards the bottom of the window regulator. You’ll see it.
5. Now its time to remove the vent window assembly. Since you’ve removed the heavy felt channel, you’ll see a phillips head sheet metal screw just at the top of the vent window post. Refer to pic #4 above. The screw came out pretty easy, no trouble at all. Now you’ll have to release the bottom of the vent window post. I don’t have a good pic of it, but you can refer to pic #5 above to estimate how far down in the door it is. Its held in with a machined phillips head screw. This one too came out without any issue. Once the vent window assembly is loose, it may take some fiddling to get it completely out. On mine, I pulled the top of the assembly towards the rear of the car, then slowly worked the base out. Be patient, it’ll come out without too much cussing.
6. Now its time to remove the inner and outer scrapers. First things first. On the outer scraper, at the top of the door there is a sheet metal screw holding it in place, refer to pic #6. Remove that screw. Also, the metal clips that held in the heavy felt channel, remove them as they also help secure the outer scraper. They’re not hard to remove, just pay attention to how they’re installed, a slight tap with a flat head screw driver and they’ll fall right out. All that’s left is to push the inner and outer channels away from the door skin to release the clips that secure them. I had a couple of clips pull from the scrapers when I removed them, but a pair of needle nose pliers got them out without issue. Sorry I don’t have better pics of this process, Ill take better pics and video when I do the passenger door.
7. My next step was to remove the rubber door seal. I thought this was going to be a pain in the rear since mine was so dry rotted. Fortunately, it was only rotted on the exposed part and it removed from the channel without leaving a bunch of residue behind. However, there were a few places where I had to take a flat head screwdriver and scrape out some rubber that was left behind. Refer to pic #7. The installation of the replacement rubber was fairly easy. Again, I used weather striping adhesive to hold it in place. I did have to cut at the bottom right corner because the rubber striping was about 3 inches to long. No big deal considering everything fit so well. I used super glue and weather striping adhesive to reconnect where I cut.
8. Time to disassemble the vent window. Start by carefully drilling out the mushroom rivet that secures it to the frame, pic #8. Then its just a matter of sliding it out of the frame. Again, take your time, pay attention to how everything is put together. Pic #9.
9. Since I’m replacing the vent window latches, I had to drill out the rivets that hold the latch into place. There are 2 of them. Pic #10. Drill these out carefully. Once the rivets are gone, I soaked the vent window in hot, soapy water for about 15 minutes. I then took a small flat head screw driver and pried the window frame away from the latch. If you have any resistance, you haven’t removed the rivet properly. The frame should separate from latch easily. If it does, then its time to slide the old latch out. If you’re not replacing the rubber between the vent window glass and frame, you’ll want to be careful at this stage. If the rubber is in bad shape, you’ll quickly find out now. I knew mine was in good shape, so I hadn’t planned on replacing it unless I ran into issues during this process. Slowly work away the latch from the rubber and frame. I should come out fairly easy. If it doesn’t, soak it more in the hot soapy water. Pull the window frame away from the latch and pull the latch away from the glass. Refer to pic #11. It should slide out without damaging the rubber. Mine came out without to much coaxing. Be patient and work it loose. Once its out, its time to install the new latch. This is where I ran into one small issue. Install the new latch the same way you removed the old one. This is where I realized that the rivet holes on the new latch didn’t match the originals. Also, the back part of the new latch was a bit longer than the original latch. This is where you’ll have to use your imagination and be creative. Once I got the new latch installed, I trimmed the back side that was to long with a grinder. Ill drill new holes for the rivets to secure it, unfortunately, I didn’t have the right size rivets to finish it today. Refer to pics #11, #12, #13 and #14. The quality of these replacement latches aren’t nearly as good as the originals, but its about the best I could do with aftermarket replacements. Well see how the passenger side goes.
10. I took this opportunity to clean up the vent window frame and polish the metal. Replacing the vent window frame rubber and felt channel was a piece of cake. Really wasn’t hard at all. The felt channel fell into place easily and I used black weather striping adhesive to hold it in place. I sprayed the rubber for the vent window frame with WD40 and also sprayed the channels that hold the rubber in place. It snapped in with ease. Ill tell you this though, if you try this without lubricating the rubber and channel, it will not work. Refer to pic #15.
11. Lastly, I installed the inner and outer scrapers. At this point, you’ll appreciate the quality replacement parts. Everything lines up correctly and snaps in easily. Well, not easily, but its better than fighting aftermarket parts that don’t fit and have plastic clips instead of metal clips. I used the handle of a large crescent wrench to help secure the clips. Don’t forget the sheet metal screw that secures the outer scraper to the top of the door. Refer to pic #6.
12. I also replaced the drivers side mirror and gasket. Since I added a mirror to the passenger side last year, I wanted them to match.

That was it for the day. So far, I’m very pleased with how everything is going. Well see how much cussing is involved with installing the vent window assembly with the new scrapers in place. Once that’s done, I plan to install a new vapor barrier to button up the driver side door, then on to the passenger side. If you have any questions, please feel free to let me know.

Door and Window Seal Replacement Part 1
Door and Window Seal Replacement Part 2
Door and Window Seal Replacement Part 3
Door and Window Seal Replacement Part 4
Door and Window Seal Replacement Part 5

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