|
|
How-To Install '70 Door Glass In A '69 MustangTired Of Dealing With The Glue-In Door Glass In Your '69 Mustang? Make The Switch To The '70-Style Bolt-In Setup And Never Worry About It Again. From the May, 2004 issue of Mustang Monthly By Miles Cook Photography by Miles Cook
|
|
This what we mean by loose... This what we mean by loose glass in the doors of a '69 Mustang. The best way to solve the problem is to do exactly what Ford did for 1970: replace the glue-in glass with '70-type bolt-in glass. We had to improvise along the way, but once we had all the parts, the conversion on both doors took about a day. We try to cover a wide spectrum of the vintage and late-model Mustang hobby in our how-to articles. In this case, we have a special treat for those of you who own a classic '69 Mustang. The '69s (and a few early '70 cars) are the only years of Mustang that Ford glued the door glass into the mounting plates attached to the window regulator. While the '69 Mustang is unique in many appealing ways (for one thing, it's the only vintage Mustang with four headlights), it's also unique in this not-so-great way. Our experience with a '69 SportsRoof was irritating. We tried gluing in the glass, only to have it come out again after a few months. Furthermore, having the glass flopping around in both doors quickly became annoying. The problem was solved by the folks at Muscle City Glass with reproduction door glass for '70 Mustangs. However, the glass is only part of the picture. You also need '70 plates to attach the glass and regulators together, which we procured from Mustangs Etc. Finally, we called on Scott Drake Mustang Parts for a set of '70 window regulators. Although they look nearly identical to the '69 versions, there is a slight difference between the two; but you may be able to make the '69s work. There are many other details you need to know to complete this swap, and we've done much of the R&D work for you. The accompanying photos and captions explain the particulars. What Glass For What Body Style?
There are two shapes of door glass for '69-'70 Mustangs, as there are with the '65-'68 cars. Coupes and convertibles share the same shape, while fastbacks have a unique shape. Muscle City Glass carries both.  This is what you need for...  This is what you need for the passenger-side conversion. We did our research by performing the driver-side conversion first to determine what was needed. Then we did the photo sequence on the passenger side. The glass is available from Muscle City Glass; the regulators are available from any parts house that stocks Scott Drake Mustang parts. We don't know of anyone currently reproducing the '70 plates between the glass and regulator. Look for them at a shop that carries used parts such as Mustangs Etc.  To begin, the door panels...  To begin, the door panels need to come off. Remove the window crank and armrest/door pull as shown.  If you have nice panels on...  If you have nice panels on your car, be careful while removing them because the metal clips are stronger than the cardboard backing on the panel. Pulling on the panel will ruin it, and the clips will simply stay in the door. As shown here, try to get the screwdriver behind the clip and pry the clip out of the door to avoid putting any pressure on the cardboard. We had pretty good luck. Out of 20 clips (10 on each door), we ripped only one mounting hole during removal.  With all the clips loose,...  With all the clips loose, the door panel comes off the door.  Once you have access inside...  Once you have access inside the door, remove the glue-in window plates and regulator. Since the glass was already removed (because the glue wasn't holding), the plates were sitting in the bottom of the door. The rear plate comes out through the largest hole in the door. Here you can see where the glass glues into the groove at the top of the '69 plate.  Next, unbolt the arm of the...  Next, unbolt the arm of the regulator from the front plate.  There are five bolts that...  There are five bolts that attach the regulator to the door: four toward the front of the door and one near the back that attaches to one of the regulator arms.  Remove these five bolts and...  Remove these five bolts and the regulator can be removed through the largest hole in the door.  Shown for comparison are the...  Shown for comparison are the plates for '69 (top) and '70 Mustangs. As you can see, they are completely different. The '69 plates are glued to the glass, while the '70 plates are secured by three bolts each. Both attach to the window regulator in a similar fashion.  Shown here is the main difference...  Shown here is the main difference between the '69 and '70 regulators. The arm on the '70 regulator on the right is straight, while the '69 version has a small bend in the arm that attaches to the front plate. Although it's a close call, the need for new regulators should be determined on a car-by-car basis because if a car's existing '69 regulators are in good condition they might work with the '70 glass and plates. You can attach the assembled glass and plates and an existing regulator in the door fairly easily to determine if your existing regulators will work. If there isn't enough clearance in the door for the arms to work on the '69 regulators, installing the '70 regulators by themselves is straightforward. Ours were worn out, so we replaced them with the new Scott Drake units.  When converting a '69 Mustang...  When converting a '69 Mustang to the '70 door-glass mechanicals, the locator brackets attached to the '69 plates can be removed and reused with the '70 plates and glass. If you get locator brackets and rubber insulation with the '70 plates, you won't have to do the following few steps. We did, however, because although Mustangs Etc. had another set of brackets in stock, we knew we would be able to use the locator brackets from the '69 plates, so we removed them to use them with the '70 plates.  We also used the regulator...  We also used the regulator tracks from the '69 plates. Unscrew them as shown.  Once the holes in the track...  Once the holes in the track are large enough, the track drops into place on the '70 plate. Our "magic bolt box" had the correct-size nuts to hold the track in place. A hardware or auto parts store should have what you need.  Since we didn't get the factory...  Since we didn't get the factory bits from a '70 Mustang, we had to make our own rubber insulation pieces to go between the locator brackets and glass. The metal from any bracket, bolt, nut, or washer should not touch any part of the door glass. It needs to be completely insulated so the glass doesn't break when the car goes over a bump or a rough road. A piece of thin-rubber baseboard molding from a home-supply store works perfectly for this purpose. Use the locator bracket to trace the pattern for the molding, as shown here. A marker or a punch to scratch a line in the rubber works well.  The holes in the track need...  The holes in the track need to be enlarged slightly with a hand reamer so they'll fit over the studs on the '70 plates.  With a pair of scissors, cut...  With a pair of scissors, cut the piece to the marked length.  On the right are the factory...  On the right are the factory bolts used to hold the locator bracket on the '69 plates. To attach the bracket to the '70 plates and glass, you'll need slightly longer bolts since they pass through the glass in the '70 application, instead of bolting to the window plate. We got these at Home Depot, where we also got the rubber baseboard molding.  With all the parts ready,...  With all the parts ready, the components go together as shown. The plates go on the inside of the glass, and the new, longer bolts pass through the plates, glass, insulation, and into the locator brackets mounted on the outside of the glass.  Again using the locator bracket...  Again using the locator bracket as a template to mark the holes, punch the holes in the rubber insulation using a punch tool.  Each plate has a separate...  Each plate has a separate nut and bolt that attach it to the glass, in addition to the two that attach the locator bracket. The bolt goes into the plate, passes through the glass, through a plastic washer, and into a special nut that fits over the washer. We got these special nuts and bolts from Mustangs Etc. along with the plates. Although you can make do using the locator brackets from the '69 plates, get four of these specialized bolts, nuts, and washers when you locate a set of '70 plates.  To provide a clear picture...  To provide a clear picture of what the assembled glass, plates, and regulator look like, we assembled the passenger side outside the door. We took it all apart to begin assembly inside the door. The glass, plates, and regulator have to be assembled inside the door because the glass won't fit into the door with the plates attached to it. Once the glass is placed inside the door, the rest of the pieces can be bolted together as follows.  We used a diagram from a Ford...  We used a diagram from a Ford shop manual that showed an exploded view of the '69 and '70 door assemblies. We noted the different shapes of the lower edges of the glass.  The regulator is the first...  The regulator is the first piece to be installed in the door. It's carefully placed in the door and left sitting at the bottom while the plates are attached to the glass.  Place the glass into the door...  Place the glass into the door through the slot at the top of the door.  The plates are the next components...  The plates are the next components to be installed into the door.  Assembly of the glass and...  Assembly of the glass and plates is easier with two people. Have one person hold the glass in place while another attaches the plates to the glass. Here, the rear plate is tightened to the glass, while the front plate has already been installed. Once the plates are attached to the glass, place them over the tube-shape tracks inside the door and locate the glass.  Next, reach down in the door...  Next, reach down in the door to retrieve the regulator and reinstall it into the door using the five original bolts.  Using nuts sized to fit the...  Using nuts sized to fit the track studs in the '70 plates, secure the track to the plate. First be sure the wheel on the regulator arm is in place on the track. If you find '70 plates with tracks already in place, you probably won't have to worry about this. But since we used the modified '69 tracks (see step 13), we had to keep it in mind.  Attach the short rear arm...  Attach the short rear arm of the regulator to the door using the original bolt. Be sure to attach the long front arm of the regulator to the front plate, again using the original bolt as shown in step 6.  With everything in place,...  With everything in place, test the travel of the glass going up and down after temporarily installing the window crank. One of the arms on the new regulator got caught on the regulator spring, so we adjusted the glass out slightly at the bottom of the door by loosening the bolts underneath the door that hold the tracks in place. Once adjusted and the bolts tightened, the window rolled up and down perfectly.  The chrome weatherstrip ends...  The chrome weatherstrip ends on each piece of '69 glass were taken off and reinstalled on the new glass. Basically a press-fit, the ends should fit into place on the '70 glass exactly as they did on the '69 glass. Once you're satisfied with how the windows roll up and down, reinstall the door panel to complete the installation.
|
|
|