Door Glass Removal

[1973machi]

On a 73 Mach I that has the riveted door glass, how easy is it to drill out the rivets through that access in the door and lift out the glass and bolt in the replacement?  Or, what is the easiest way to do this?

 

[Hemikiller]

You don't need to drill them out.  

 

[timachone]

I think, the schematics from Hemikiller is more for '71/'72 Mustangs and perhaps the early '73. On a (late) '73 like mine the glass bracket is riveted, that separates it from the '71/'72, which are with bolts and washers. You can see the procedure on my restoration thread on page 2 at the bottom... I grinded the backside away and could so remove the rivets. Grinding was with a "Dremel" with small cutting discs, a Multi Tool. For the reinstallation I bought a used set of bolts and washers from a '71/'72 Mustang. After hours of trying for nothing without grinding to get it out this was easy peasy - only some minutes per side to go and out she was. 

 

[Hemikiller]

That sheet is from the 73 manual, so it's most likely an early version. I've removed door glass from 73 cars without removing the brackets or stops. Takes some finesse, but it can be done. 

 

[timachone]

That's interesting! Did you bend the top slot of the door outwards to remove the glass with the brackets? The stops are not the problem but the bracket... 

 

[1973machi]

Thanks for the help guys.  A dremel sounds a lot better than a drill.  I assume just any bolts that fit will work and there is nothing special about them.

 

[Hemikiller]

That's interesting! Did you bend the top slot of the door outwards to remove the glass with the brackets? The stops are not the problem but the bracket... 

I think I did open it up a bit, but it's easy enough to push back in place. 

 

[timachone]

Thanks for the help guys.  A dremel sounds a lot better than a drill.  I assume just any bolts that fit will work and there is nothing special about them.

No, they are just bolts and big washers  :thumb:

 

[timachone]

I think I did open it up a bit, but it's easy enough to push back in place. 

Ok, thanks, that explains your route you went  :thumb:

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

Interesting that some have rivets. I do not think any of my 73 have rivets. Could the car with rivets have been built in the Netherlands and used a different assembly process? I agree the round stops have an area that they will pass through and do not have to come off.

 

[timachone]

Interesting that some have rivets. I do not think any of my 73 have rivets. Could the car with rivets have been built in the Netherlands and used a different assembly process? I agree the round stops have an area that they will pass through and do not have to come off.

Nope, all Made in the USA, end of April 1973...

 

[PeteG41]

I think, the schematics from Hemikiller is more for '71/'72 Mustangs and perhaps the early '73. On a (late) '73 like mine the glass bracket is riveted, that separates it from the '71/'72, which are with bolts and washers. You can see the procedure on my restoration thread on page 2 at the bottom... I grinded the backside away and could so remove the rivets. Grinding was with a "Dremel" with small cutting discs, a Multi Tool. For the reinstallation I bought a used set of bolts and washers from a '71/'72 Mustang. After hours of trying for nothing without grinding to get it out this was easy peasy - only some minutes per side to go and out she was.

View attachment 52779

View attachment 52777

View attachment 52776

View attachment 52778

I know this thread is from a while ago, but had a question about those plastic pieces in the top picture. the 2 matching plastic clips in my door are completely worn out, so I am ordering the whole kit. Does the window need to come out in order to replace those? I finally got the roller replaced which was a mini headache in itself.

 

[timachone]

I don't think so, you can fish them out. I have my glass still out there anyway...

 

[Fabrice]

put my doors apart last weekend. to remove the 4 plastic pieces, you only need to tape the glass to the rubber so it doesn't go down or move.
you have 4 bolts to remove. 2 on the inner skin that holds the rail in place and on the plate. You should then be able to free them. The inner clips can be brittle but as you change them, no worries if they'd break.


and no worries about alignment either, the bolts marks left on the paint will be there to put them back exactly where they were.

Edit: You might have 2 extra bolts on top of the plastic too. can't remember :O

Edit2: my 73 from February, an official Ford export, is also with bolts, no rivets, just like my 71, as visible on this pict.

 

[PeteG41]

put my doors apart last weekend. to remove the 4 plastic pieces, you only need to tape the glass to the rubber so it doesn't go down or move.
you have 4 bolts to remove. 2 on the inner skin that holds the rail in place and on the plate. You should then be able to free them. The inner clips can be brittle but as you change them, no worries if they'd break.
View attachment 63825

and no worries about alignment either, the bolts marks left on the paint will be there to put them back exactly where they were.

Edit: You might have 2 extra bolts on top of the plastic too. can't remember :O

Seems simple enough, thanks a ton! I actually had a small piece of wood that I wedged to the right of those 2 circled bolts in order to do the roller, so I am thinking I can do the same approach with this. Held for a couple days while I was waiting for the part.

 

[Fabrice]

@PeteG41
If the designers would have thought this thru, the clips should be 1/2 the radius of the guide, forming a full circle when clipped together, but as they did not, you need to remove the rail as the larger plastic rings need to glide over the top of the rails to be removed. (once the rail is free you can let it go down). I don't think you will have problems, it's pretty straight forward.
One advise, have some rags ready as there should be loads of grease involved... I know I'd cover my seats too because there is somehow always one dirty greasy thing that wants to leave a mark on them!

 

[PeteG41]

@PeteG41
If the designers would have thought this thru, the clips should be 1/2 the radius of the guide, forming a full circle when clipped together, but as they did not, you need to remove the rail as the larger plastic rings need to glide over the top of the rails to be removed. (once the rail is free you can let it go down). I don't think you will have problems, it's pretty straight forward.
One advise, have some rags ready as there should be loads of grease involved... I know I'd cover my seats too because there is somehow always one dirty greasy thing that wants to leave a mark on them!

That would be way too convenient. Luckily mine are bolts as well, drilling out the window guide rivet ended up being a bigger task than it should have been. So when I unbolt those 4, I can slide that metal rod out, replace the plastic hardware, and just do there reverse steps to put it back in? Dawned on me after my first response the wedge trick probably wont work on that piece, but I should have no problem keeping the window up while I do it. I will say it's nice to finally have my passenger window back on the track and functional. Hated the thought of it being parked with the window down. Only took a couple days, but I am all for the small victories. Definitely a fun learning experience considering my car was made 15 years before I was even born

 

[Fabrice]

That would be way too convenient.

yeah ahaha
tho, if you think about it, the repop guys are dumb as well. They could have made these parts handy, I mean instead of the stupid clips that break, simply do 2 parts that you bolt together on the plate... oh well that's fun for the next owner in 40 or 50 years to whine about that

I can slide that metal rod out:
I don't think you even need to to do that. if you drop the rod down into the door, you should be able to access the plastics rings and get them over the end. Installing the new ones can be done after a good clean (it's really messy greasy) same way in reverse order. Make sure to use a good grease that will not drip down the next time your door is exposed to sun.

Hated the thought of it being parked with the window down.
yeah, its funny how closing a glass panel that can be broken in a sec gives us a good nite rest

Oh and while at it, spray/brush some trans oil to the bottom of your door, in the corners and enough to cover the lower lip.
I'm busy rebuilding my doors atm, something that would not have been necessary if previous owners had done that.

 

[PeteG41]

yeah ahaha
tho, if you think about it, the repop guys are dumb as well. They could have made these parts handy, I mean instead of the stupid clips that break, simply do 2 parts that you bolt together on the plate... oh well that's fun for the next owner in 40 or 50 years to whine about that

I can slide that metal rod out:
I don't think you even need to to do that. if you drop the rod down into the door, you should be able to access the plastics rings and get them over the end. Installing the new ones can be done after a good clean (it's really messy greasy) same way in reverse order. Make sure to use a good grease that will not drip down the next time your door is exposed to sun.

Hated the thought of it being parked with the window down.
yeah, its funny how closing a glass panel that can be broken in a sec gives us a good nite rest

Oh and while at it, spray/brush some trans oil to the bottom of your door, in the corners and enough to cover the lower lip.
I'm busy rebuilding my doors atm, something that would not have been necessary if previous owners had done that.

Even better that I don't have to wrangle it out! I have some white lithium grease that I sprayed on the roller channel, although I have heard mixed opinions on that since it attracts dust. Wasn't until I tested it that I realized those other plastic pieces were shot, aka the 2 clips fell out as soon as I rolled the window down. Trying to knock this all out at once to limit messing with the door panel. Not that its in great shape to begin with, but some of that old cardboard backing pretty much fell apart even being super careful taking it off. New panels will be on the backburner for a very long while.

 

[Fabrice]

Why they used cardboard for door panels and glovebox is a mystery to me... especially when you see that the rest of the interior less exposed to moisture is in abs or metal.