1/4 Glass Seal

39 STD

39 STD

Senior Member
What holds the 1/4 glass in on a 5W coupe? The glass seal, the garnish moulding or some type of glue/sealant. :confused:
 
1/4 windows will not be watertight if you just use the garnish molding as water will seep in from the exterior side of the window. After quarter window glass was installed I also applied a bead of the NAPA product (shown in photos) on the exterior between the glass and the body so as to form a nice smooth "radius" with my index finger. This prevents the rain from seeping into the quarter window opening between the glass and the car body and also prevents the rain from "clouding" up the edges of the laminated glass 1/4 window. The sealant wipes off with mineral spirits or gasolene. You can see the bead in the photos. Did it in 1988 and it still works fine. DO NOT USE SILICONE as it won't last.
 

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Thanks, 19Fordy. I can't see how just the garnish & seal could completly seal the weather out. I'm wondering if a small bead of sealant on the glass seal, body side, before install would also help.
 
I've never used any sealants in any of my restorations and have yet to have a leakage problem. The authentic rubber seal and window bezel properly installed should and does do the trick.
 
39 STD said:
Thanks, 19Fordy. I can't see how just the garnish & seal could completly seal the weather out. I'm wondering if a small bead of sealant on the glass seal, body side, before install would also help.
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I think you would be OK doing that. I think I did that also, but can't remember. I did put a small amount of sealant inside the rubber window channel before installing the glass- but not enough to seep out onto the window when glass was inserted in the rubber. I did not put any sealant on the inside surface edge of the 1/4 window garnish molding so as to make it easier to remove the garnish molding later on, if needed. I didn't want it sticking to the glass. The reason I put the "bead" on the outside (on my first post) was also because I didn't like the appearance of the space between the outside body and the glass. It just seemed logical to seal it for the sake of appearance and potential leakage. If you are restoring a 100 point car check to see how it was done at the factory as I am not an expert restorer.
 
I like your idea of using this to seal those qtr windows. I will get some and use on my coupe today, good insruance. Can't tell from your picture, are you saying the bead is at the top of the rubber? On rubber and the body? Don't know if I will do that, but I will certainly use it at the lower edge of the rubber seal. Joe
 
okiedokie said:
I like your idea of using this to seal those qtr windows. I will get some and use on my coupe today, good insruance. Can't tell from your picture, are you saying the bead is at the top of the rubber? On rubber and the body? Don't know if I will do that, but I will certainly use it at the lower edge of the rubber seal. Joe
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The bead is really a "fillet" that I made with my right index finger as I applied the sealant to fill in the space that exists between the car body and the window glass after installing the glass and the garnish moulding. It is the "grayish black bead" that you see in the photos. The top edge of the rubber is hidden by the sealant. I think I also put a bead of sealant on the side of the rubber glass seal that faces towards the outside of the body. I also put a light bead of sealant in the bottom of the rubber seal so as to "seal" the edge of the glass and prevent potential clouding due to water penetration. I did all this in 1988 so it's been a while. But I do remember thinking this when I did it. "If I were a drop of water how would I seep thru the quarter window to stain the upholstery, cloud the glass and cause rust." Maybe it's overkill but it worked for me.
 
19Fordy said:
I think you would be OK doing that. I think I did that also, but can't remember. I did put a small amount of sealant inside the rubber window channel before installing the glass- but not enough to seep out onto the window when glass was inserted in the rubber. I did not put any sealant on the inside surface edge of the 1/4 window garnish molding so as to make it easier to remove the garnish molding later on, if needed. I didn't want it sticking to the glass. The reason I put the "bead" on the outside (on my first post) was also because I didn't like the appearance of the space between the outside body and the glass. It just seemed logical to seal it for the sake of appearance and potential leakage. If you are restoring a 100 point car check to see how it was done at the factory as I am not an expert restorer.
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NO sealants were used on 1940 Ford glass from the factory. On a top show car, there would be a deduction if any sealant were visible.
 
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