1932-34 Truck rear window question

[Flowmeister]

The rear window is held in by the moulding that is held on by 22 little
machine screws and lock washers and nuts.
Question is, does the lock washer go against the nut, which is typical, or does it go against the screw head?
Looking for answer from an original truck that hasn't been taken apart.
I'm trying to put them on the back, against the nut.
It's kind of ruining my life right now.

Thanks for any input and answers.

 

[sidevalve8ba]

I wish I could offer some helpful advice. I went through the same thing a few years ago with my '32 pickup rear window. What a PITA! My fingers were just not the right size (too big) and not agile enough to comfortably get the machine screw, lock washer and nut working in that cramped space. I hope someone else can enlighten us both on an easier way to go about this task. For what it's worth I put the lock washer next to the nut.

 

[34pickup]

I seem to recall there being no washers on the screw heads. I will try to post a photo of my back window as it was years ago before I started restoration on it. Looks like screws against the molding to me.
Have you tried magnetizing the washer/nut so that it sticks to the mounting flange in the back? I have done this on some things and it worked. But I haven't mounted my back glass so I haven't tried that in this situation.

 

[Flowmeister]

Thanks for the replies sidevalve8ba and 34pickup.

Pain in the... for sure, my fingers are also not the right size for this task
I only have 3 more on the bottom to do, but the frustration of this made me think
maybe the washer was meant to go on the front/screw side.

I bought new lock washers, and they are stainless, so the magnet trick won't work,
but I did make up a little gizmo to hold the nut and washer, but even with that, it is one
of the more frustrating things I have had to do putting a truck together.

 

[DavidG]

Here's a photo of another example from a remarkably original cab that clearly has never been messed with. Judging from the photo, there were no lock washers beneath the heads of the screws.

 

[1932BB]

I spent one whole day installing a rear window in my BB. That evening I went down to inspect my good works to find I had over-tightened the bolts and cracked the window!!! makes me wonder how it was done on the assembly line??

 

[Flowmeister]

Thanks DavidG , I seem to remember them falling from the backside when I took it apart. Henry must have had an efficient way of doing these at the assembly line.

One more to go!!!

Thanks again, all

 

[Krylon32]

Disassembled my original cab several months ago and the washers were on the back. How they did this on the assembly line boggles my mind unless the cabs were assembled off site at a slower pace?

 

[MGG]

The rear window had never been removed on my 34 BB until I replaced the glass. The washers were on the back side under the nut and I put them back the same way. I used one finger to hold the washer and nut then turned the bolt with a screwdriver in the other hand until it started. Then I used a small box wrench on the nuts on the back side and did most of the tightening with the screwdriver and the final tighten with the wrench. Before I started, I cleaned up and chased all of the threads to prevent frustration when in the awkward position trying to get them started. Be careful not to go too tight and put the glass in a bind which may cause it to break.

 

[totto]

MGG has describe the way I did my rear window; remember that people in 1934 were not real tall and more like 5' 6" and about 125lbs. People were much smaller in that time frame and had small hands/fingers. That's my opinion.

 

[Straightpipes]

Use an open end wrench. Tape the nut to the wrench on just one side with a small piece of duct tape. Slide it in there and screw it . When ts together just pull the wrench out. Thats the way I did it.

 

[Flowmeister]

Thanks for the replies 1932BB Krylon32 MGG totto and Straightpipes

It's done and checked off the list, gladly.
I really wonder, as many of you also do, how this was done at the factory level.

My new rear glass is tempered, so things would have had to go really wrong for it to break, but anything is possible restoring old trucks.

Here is a picture of the little tool I made to hold the nut and washer on the backside.

Thanks again all!