The passenger door glass on my '57 Tudor Ranch Wagon needs replacing.  I have the new glass ready to go, but am looking for some instructions/suggestions on how best to go about the task.  I've removed the inner door handle, window crank, and upholstered door panel, so I've got a clear view of the project.  Unsure if the wind wing has to come out, but suspect that it does.  Anyway, if anyone knows the step-by-step procedure, or knows of some existing literature or video available for this task, I would greatly appreciate hearing from you.  Many thanks, Ron...

MAC's Auto Parts sells a 1957 Ford Thunderbird and Car Shop Manual for about $25.00. I have 2 of these for the 56 Car and Truck and they are pretty good.
Rono

  Ron Lane,  Meridian, ID

Been a long time since I did a car with a vent wing, but I did my bird not long ago. You need to pull the clips that hold the rollers in the mechanism at the bottom of the channel the glass rides in. Then, I think the window will pop off the mechanism and rotate enough to come up and out. Might have to loosen the channels to get them to give clearance. You might have to raise it a bit to pull the clips, then roll the mechanism down for clearance. The rollers ride in tapers pins on that mechanism, and you can install them on the bench, and then push the pins into them in the door. Much easier than trying to assemble them in the door, that's nearly impossible. My local glass shop told me to use a modern urethane to seat the new glass in the channel, rather than the old fabric kind of strips. Your choice on that.

If there's a lot of wear on the channels, news the time for new channel liner and whiskers. Mine were worn thin, and it made a big difference in rattles and wind leaks. I pulled everything out and replaced the rollers and channel liners. You're half done once the windows out.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

Thanks, guys.  I finally located my '57 Ford shop manual and found a description on page 11-11 that makes the project look pretty straight forward.  I'll know more this weekend.  Thanks for your input!  Ron...

Well, got the job done yesterday.  I followed the suggested procedure on page 11-11 in the '57 Shop manual and it went fairly smoothly.  A couple things I learned along the way:  first, the wind wing does not have to come out or even be unbolted; next, the window's "fuzzy" channel is all one piece that runs from the wind wing channel at the top of the door all the way across the top, makes the 90 degree turn at the top-right corner of the door (as seen from the inside  of the car looking at the passenger door) and all the way down to the bottom of the door where it's held in place by a 3/8" nut that's easily accessible on the outside of the door.  Unfortunately,in my case this "fuzzy" channel was in rough condition when I took it out and it's apparently not available after market, so I had to clean it up as best as possible and re-install it.  Before I installed the new glass, I covered it with blue painter's tape to protect it from scratches during the install process.  Glad I did because I could see on the tape where it had made contact in several spots even though I went as slow and careful as possible while lowering the glass back into position.  Fortunately, the tape did its job and the new glass is scratch free and looking good.  Now it's on to installing the sliding flat glass on the sides in the back (the car is a two-door wagon).  I'm not the one who removed this glass, so I've got to first figure out the dance here, too.   If anyone reading this has a two-door wagon, I hope you can PM me so I can hit you up for a couple of pictures along the way if needed.  Thanks, Ron

Join the Jalopyjournal.com
Look up Hot Rod Primer (HRP) on the Hamb (Hokey Ass Message board).
He has a restored wagon and I'm sure he will be happy to help.
Jim

Thanks.  I'll do that.  Ron...