[Zmagnette] Vent Windows

Mon Mar 3 15:33:46 MST 2014

Thank you Steve.  The instructions you provided will be incredibly helpful and you managed to answer a number of my questions before I even got to ask them.  :)
Thanks again for following up on my request for assistance.
Dick

From: steve at betterwitnesses.com
Date: Mon, 3 Mar 2014 12:50:52 -0800
To: zmagnette at autox.team.net
Subject: [Zmagnette] Vent Windows

As promised, I have tried to document the bits and process I have successfully used to install those pesky quarterlight seals into our beloved Mag-neats. The process is basically the same for both the ZA and the ZB, though the part numbers for the main front seals themselves are different between the two - the vertical bits are the same, just the Metro Molded Products P/Ns are different... (and the names are changed to protect the innocent...)

On Vent window
Seals… The front vent
window seals as supplied new on our cars were a one-piece molding that included
all three sides of the triangle around the window. We are not quite so lucky
today!Lou & John
sell a quarter light seal that is in two parts. The “main” part that forms the
base and the hypotenuse of the vent window triangle is made by Metro Molded
Products and is a very good bit of kit that, when properly installed, forms a
very good wind and water tight seal. There are two types, one for ZA and one
for ZB models, and the difference is in the location of the upper vent window
pivot. The Metro Molded Products part number for the ZA is WR 6500 and the ZB
is WR 6501. Lou has also sourced the vertical bit from MMP, but until I have a
chance to excavate my storage area, I am not quite sure what MMP’s part number
for this is.In all normal
instances, I would not hesitate for one second to advise folks to buy directly
from Lou. The Vent window seal is one of the very rare exceptions. Metro Molded
Products is in Minnesota, so, to get the bit from Lou, we are looking at two
separate trips across the pond. This adds a lot of complexity and cost to what
is already a rather expensive part. The other reason is that, in my experience,
there is a bit available from NTG Motor Services that that forms the vertical portion of the quarterlight seals that is actually easier to use
and install.What I have done
on the vent windows that I have rebuilt is to use the MMP kit (left and right
hand) WR 6501 (for ZB and Varitone cars) that I purchase directly from MMP. For
the vertical bits, I use P/N R482B from NTG (2 required).There are a
couple of tricks to making this restoration work well.First, the lower
vent window pivots are ALWAYS very rusty. Take care here as the center
(critical) pin is not available new. As a matter of fact, this pin is not even
called out in the Service parts list, though the springs, washers and nuts that
make it work are (#83 through 91 in the SPL). Make sure that you soak this
assembly in PB Blaster or some other quality rust penetrant/remover. Take your
time and be patient! It is very important to save the pin! Also note that the
upper pivot is NLA and should be guarded and protected.When all is
disassembled, clean all of the parts very thoroughly and wire brush/abrasive
blast everything as required to get back to the underlying metal surfaces.  The main – fixed - frame of the quarterlight
should be painted black - primarily as a corrosion inhibitor. I typically use
Hammerite smooth black for this task. Be aware though, that the metal surfaces
should have a bit of a texture from either sanding with a fine abrasive paper
or through blasting – this will provide a “tooth” to ensure proper mechanical
bonding of the paint. If you use Hammerite, absolutely allow 3 to 5 days for
the paint to cure because the contact adhesive used to secure the WR 6501 into
this channel will dissolve it if the paint is not fully cured. When all is
properly clean and the paint is fully cured you can commence re-assembly.If you look
carefully at the WR 6501 (or WR 6500), you will see that they are “handed”. The
lip that actually seals the moveable window is on the weather side of the
quarterlight from the pivot points toward the front of the car and this lip
will be on the passenger side of the moveable window from the pivots
rearward to the vertical divider that is between the vent and the drop glass.
This is designed to allow the window to pivot outward when opened.The critical
alignment points here are the hole for the lower pivot and the hole that allows
a 10-32 screw to pass through the quarterlight frame into the door at the top
near the upper pivot and a spacer and sheetmetal screw on the bottom between the pivot and the vertical seal.Dry fit the WR
6501 into the fixed frame ensuring that these points line up.At the rear of
the window opening, make note of the position and shape of the 6501. Take the
R482B and place it into the slot on the vertical part of the fixed frame. The
lip of the R482B should be on the passenger side of the frame. What needs to
happen is a very tight miter joint at the top where the WR 6501 and the R482B
meet, and again at the bottom rear corner where these bits meet. Use a very
sharp – new – single edge razor blade to make these cuts. The joints should be
under a very slight compression fit and should form “nice” corners. The lower
point is easy as it is a 90 degree angle, the upper one, not so much (30
degrees) Trim just a sliver off of each rubber piece until you are satisfied
with the fit.When you are
satisfied that all is in order, it is time to adhere the rubber seals into the
fixed portion of the quarterlight frame. Use a good strong contact adhesive to
do this. I would recommend 3M formula 30F (available from Grainger’s) for this
task as it is less toxic, water clear when dry and stable to higher
temperatures than DAP or other similar contact adhesives. Following the
manufacturer’s instructions, start with the R482B and adhere it into place,
centered from top to bottom, in the channel on the vertical portion of the
quarterlight frame. Follow this with the WR 6501, ensuring that the holes for
the pins align with the frame, the ends make a tight miter fit with the R482B
and the hat shaped portion of the seal is fully home and bottomed out in the
fixed frame (and with your OTHER hand…). You should ensure that no adhesive is applied to the WR 6501 other than the "hat" that sits inside the fixed frame  - the "lips" just sit snuggly on the painted surfaces of the door frame when all is assembled and installed in the door and use the fixed frame's location and the two securing fasteners to hold it all in place. Set this aside to fully cure.After this is
fully cured, take some black RTV sealant and place just a bit into each of the
mitered joints to adhere the edges. RTV will harden as it cures which will
adhere the miters, and, can be molded to clean up any discrepancies in shape.
Work the corner joints until the miters give the appearance of uniting the two
parts of the seal into what appears to be a single piece. Allow to fully dry and cure before you assemble the remainder of the quarterlightsNow is the time
to turn your attention to the moveable part of the vent windows. Make sure that
the channel that the glass fits into is nice and clean – this is a chrome bit,
so maybe a trip to the platers is in order? The glass is held into this chrome
bit by a 1/16” thick piece of malleable rubber seal. This seal is available
from any reputable auto glass shop in strips and is also used to seat the drop
glasses into their channels to raise and lower the glass. I have had good luck
by just going into the glass shops and asking for “seating rubber” and have
rarely been charged more than a couple of dollars for more than enough to do
the entire car.When all is ready
(glass spotlessly clean, chrome done etc.), place the ever important pin
through the moveable frame with the angle pointing toward the front of the car
and the “T” shaped head seated in the frame. Fold the seating rubber around the
hypotenuse and the base of the glass. Place the moveable frame around the glass
and press and pull/push until the frame is seated tightly onto the glass and
the pin feels snug. Using an Xacto knife, trim the excess seal from around the
frame on both sides.When all is
complete to your satisfaction, it is time for final assembly of the
quarterlight.Apply some white
moly grease to the pin and insert it through the hole in the fixed frame making
sure that the flat washers (item #91 in the SPL) are in place. Apply just a touch
of moly grease to the cup on the upper pivot. Put the upper pivot up to its’
locating spot in the seal and the fixed frame and put screws (#93 in SPL) into
place and are just snug.Assemble the
springs and washers onto the pin (items #84 through #90 in SPL) and tighten
until there is enough resistance on the swing of the moveable glass to hold it
open whilst driving, but not so much that this binds or is difficult to operate.Close the vent
and latch it to ensure that the seal in the fixed frame is touching the
moveable frame on the weather side of the quarterlight from the pivots forward
and on the passenger side of the vent window from the pivots rearward and that
the vent glass forms a seal where it abuts the R482B along the vertical edge of
the glass. On some cars, I have had to add some RTV at the lower rear corner to
make this a tight seal. If necessary, add a bit of RTV, shape it (wet finger
tip and/or a rounded bit of 1/8” wooden dowel work well here) and ALLOW IT TO
FULLY CURE before testing again. When you are happy with how all of this works,
it is time to install the quarterlight into the door.On the doors, it
is important that you install the latch mechanism FIRST before you assemble the
glass!Place the
quarterlight assembly into the door towards the rear of the door slightly from
where it will eventually fit. Once the whole thing aligns with the slot in the
door frame, slide (you may need a bit of gentle persuasion here) the
quarterlight frame forward until the outer lips of the WR 6501 touch the
painted portion of the door frame (inside and out) and flex into position. This
is easy to see when it is right – this is also WHY it is very important to
tightly secure the WR 6501 into the fixed quarterlight frames…When the fixed
frame is fully home in the door, the seal will form a nice even lip between the
frame and the painted portion of the door and the two holes that fix the frame
into place (item #95, 97 & 98 on the lower bit and item #96 just up from
the upper pivot in the SPL) will align. Install items #95 through #98, and you
are done with the quarterlight and ready to finish assembling the doors.For the rear
quarter window, the procedure is very similar. I usually end up replacing the
metal channel that frames the glass due to corrosion. This frame is available
from John & Lou. I also use Lou’s curved section seal, though here too I
like to use a vertical bit from NTG. NTG’s item number for this bit is R483B.
The rear quarter windows do not need the fussy bit of mitering the corners
where the R483B meets the curved section. In assembling this bit, I install the
seals onto the glass, then press/pull the metal frame onto the seals then
install the whole assembly into the door, making sure that the lips on the seals
conform smoothly to the painted parts of the door frame. The vertical seal
(R483B) is then placed onto the glass and sandwiched into place when you install
the drop glass tracks.Easy Peasy! Steve H.

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