Project '66 Side Glass Installation

With our hardtop now residing in our own garage instead of the Mustang Monthly tech shop, we're constantly badgered by the Mrs. with "When are you going to finish that old Mustang out in the garage?" Trust me, honey, we're working on it. We're still hunting down the elusive rebuildable 289 core. Our first try at one from friend Jack Smith (see Hoofbeats in the May '01 issue of Mustang Monthly) was too worn to overbore and use. So while searching for a good 289, we decided to continue with the interior buildup. In the past few months, we've assembled the dash and installed the headliner (along with the front and rear glass). Our next step is to reassemble our door internals and install and adjust our door and quarter-glass fit and their mechanisms. These adjustments vary by year, so make sure you have a Ford shop manual handy (either in print or on a CD-ROM) to observe the exact adjustment procedures and their proper order.

A while back we ordered everything we would need to convert our hardtop to a black Deluxe interior from Virginia Classic Mustang. This month we get to blow the dust off of their excellent repop Pony door panels as well as the window regulators, the cranks, and other Deluxe trim we've been waiting patiently to install. To make everything quiet when we take our maiden voyage, we called upon CJ Pony Parts for all of our rubber items for Project '66. This go-around, we'll break open our packaging for door and glass weatherstripping and end seals. Once our glass is installed, all that's left to complete our interior is to mount our Deluxe seats, Ssnake-Oyl restored seatbelts, and carpet set; tune in next month for that. Then it's on to our drivetrain buildup and we'll soon be able to twist the key (hopefully in time for Silver Springs in January 2002).

2 The rear-window run felt is usually quite worn after all of these years. Remove all traces of the old felt with a razor blade and/or narrow gasket scraper, such as this Handi-Scraper from Sears Craftsman. Scott Drake makes the kit shown in the lead photo and we picked ours up from the restoration shop responsible for Project '66's paint and bodywork, Classic Creations of Central Florida, a Scott Drake dealer.	3 After cleaning and painting the rear run, the new felt kit can be installed. Make sure the kit is lined up with the run before pressing firmly, as the adhesive is quite strong and doesn't like to be reapplied. If your front run--which is part of the vent-window frame--is worn, it can be replaced as well.	4 Separate the old window regulator from the equalizer arm assembly. The equalizer arm assembly has three plastic rollers attached to the arm ends. Remove the rollers, then clean the ends with sandpaper or a wire wheel to remove years of dried grease and rust, which hamper the roller's movement.
5 Assemble the equalizer to the new regulator (ensuring you have the correct side) and fold them as shown for insertion into the door shell. We have a few substeps to handle first, so our freshened regulators and equalizers will be set aside for the moment.	6 Since we're installing a Deluxe interior, we need to add the courtesy lights to our door shells. We get this question quite often, so listen up if you've been thinking about adding these. The opening is 5 inches long by 2 inches high. The opening is set forward from the door edge by 5 inches and is 11/2 inches from the lower edge of the door. When cutting the hole, be cognizant that the mounting ears (which the screws pass through) differ from side to side. You should be able to use the light housing to make your own template.	7 Once the opening has been made, position the light in the opening and use the screw holes as guides for drilling the screw's pilot holes. Remove the light and apply touch-up paint to the bare metal edges, then install the light with the two supplied mounting screws.