Tudor Window Felts

D

DBSHELTON

Senior Member
I need to replace all of the window felts and channel felts in my 29 Tudor. Where should I buy quality pieces and where can I get some instructions and possibly pictures and details on this?
 
I have the same question but slightly different. I have new felts in my Fordor but the rear windows rattle. So I either need new quality felts or find another solution.
 
DB - By "felts" I presume you mean the felt channels that the window rides up and down in. I recently replaced the felt channels in two doors in my Town Sedan. Felt channels are available from most of the usual suppliers. I got one set from Mac's, and then a second set from Snyder's. Unlike a lot of the parts, they were different but that's OK as I'm going to tear down the doors anyhow, this was a stop-gap. I found the set from Mac's to be a bit easier to work with (i.e., cut to length) but the set from Snyder's appeared to be beefier in the construction of the backbone. Pay attention to length, some vendors have different lengths for different cars, while some just have fixed length.

You have to get the glass out of the way to replace the felt channel. I'm not familiar with the doors in a Tudor, but if they're like a sedan (wood frame, steel skin) then the process is:

  • Remove window moldings
  • Remove the door upholstery. Be careful if it's nailed on, you'll need to renail it and if you tear the backing you'll have trouble nailing.
  • Remove the window regulator, that will allow the glass to be free in the felt.
  • Gently find the upper nail that fastens the felt channel to the wood and pry it off. Do both.
  • You should then be able to move the glass upwards and inwards within the old felt to pull it out.
  • Then find the rest of the nails holding the felt on and pull them out. Go ahead and trash the old felt at this point.
Putting things back in is almost the reverse, except:

  • Put the window into the track with the felt off.
  • With the window resting at the bottom of its travel, gently feed the felt over the top of the window and down the sides until it rests where it should.
  • Nail in the top nail.
  • Push the window up and nail in the lower nail.
  • Then proceed with the window regulator and door upholstery.
If the doors are like a pickup (all steel) then it's much easier. Get the window ready to pull out (disconnected from the regulator), take off the top plate of the door, and then extract the window through the top.

GeneBob did a series of how-to's on Tudor window removal, you might find them helpful.

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=292523
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=292488
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=292578

Good luck. BTW, if you're going to replace the felts, you might consider replacing the sponge rubber header that the window seals against.

JayJay

UPDATE: I see that GeneBob discussed the doors in this thread, so you can ignore my comments about the wooden frame door. Nicely done and illustrated, GeneBob.

JJ
 
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Thanks guys. I bought the Vintique kits from Model A Medic. They look like they may have everything I need for the job. I guess we will see.
 
How about Victorias? Does this guidance apply to them as well?


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nkaminar said:
I have the same question but slightly different. I have new felts in my Fordor but the rear windows rattle. So I either need new quality felts or find another solution.
Click to expand...

Can you squeeze the channels a bit? I did this with my L31 Tudor when I first got it as a teenager. That work for awhile until I replaced the felt channels, in the Tudor rear windows the first one was the hardest to do, practice makes it easier!
 
shew01 said:
How about Victorias? Does this guidance apply to them as well?


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Click to expand...
Sorry Shew, I have no experience with Victorias so I can't answer.

Just remember - Ford put them in there back in the day, so there has to be a way to get them out. I figured it out trial-and-error plus a little "stand back and look at it like an assembly line builder".

Again on the sedans, the top sponge rubber can be glued in place either afterwards (between the felts), or first (before the felts, and the felts pushed up against the sponge). On the two doors I did I tried one of each to see if it made a difference. I suspect when I do this for real (when I do a full rebuild of the doors) I'll do the felts first and then have a hard alignment for the sponge. But there is logic to both ways. I suspect there was variation at the factory, too!

BTW, Les Andrews discusses window removal. He only discusses removal of the top plate, which applies only to the steel doors. He doesn't discuss the wood frame doors at all. That set me back a bit initially...

JayJay
 
Though a bit off topic...replacing Tudor door window glass and felts is a walk in the park compared to doing the back windows!! I recently replaced both back side windows, the rear window and the passenger door window - did glass and tracks. Thankfully I left the passenger door window to the last. I 'invented' all sorts of new words during this project.
 
Pilotdave said:
Though a bit off topic...replacing Tudor door window glass and felts is a walk in the park compared to doing the back windows!! I recently replaced both back side windows, the rear window and the passenger door window - did glass and tracks. Thankfully I left the passenger door window to the last. I 'invented' all sorts of new words during this project.
Click to expand...

Yep those rear quarter window are a pain! BUT soooo nice when your finished !
 
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