Dismantling window frame.

[RRHANS]

Some idiot kicked my (through the glas) mirror of my car with broken quarter glas as a result.
Is dismantling the window frame a nightmare or a straightforward job.
How do I remove the combination of glue and broken glas out of the frame?

Any tips welcome.

[AndyC]

I'd guess you're going to have to remove the frame from the door beam and secure it to a bench or good sheet of plywood, That adhesive is very strong so it will probably be a case of having to cut it off the metal. It may be worth considering obtaining a second-hand frame with good quarter light glass in place.

[RRHANS]

Have already contacted Lotusbits and asked them the same question but all the frames they have are rotten.
So I have ordered a new quarterglas, stanley knifes and a CD full of "zen" music to keep me (more or less) calm.
Oh... they also said that I would know the CD by heart by the time work is finished.

[AndyC]

It might even be worth considering having the frame chemically stripped in order to achieve it. That way, all the old adhesive would be gone, any impending frame issues would be exposed and so a good few coats of new paint over the top and it's ready for the new glass.

[RRHANS]

I will strip rustproof and repaint the window frame while its out.

Do I need to remove the window mechanism or can I just slide the frame out of the door when 6 bolts + 1 tiny screw is removed?

I will try to remove the old sealant and bits of glass with an old soldering iron and melt my way between doorframe and broken glued glass.

[jonny f]

you may have to look under the rubbrer strip between the door and glass wich runs horizontal on the out side of the car as there is a pop rivet holding the glassfiber door tight to the window frame good luck with the frames it took me 4 weekends to refurb mine at my work and im a sheet metal worker/welder

[RRHANS]

The frame is out and looks rather good, only slight corrosion on the bottom legs.
Now starts the real work, removing the broken glas and glue.

[RRHANS]

The job is done.

When stripping the windowframe and removing the broken glas and sealer, I found out that there was more rust then I expected.
There was a hole in the side of the window frame and in the chanel on top, above the quarter glass.
I have stripped the area to bare metal en welded two, 2mm thick plates into the channel to reinforce the frame using body solder and a small gassburner. This was easier than I thought. The one on top is barely visable when you look on top of the door and the one welded inside the chanel is invisible.
The inside of the chanel is large enough to put the extra metal since the space is almost twice the thickness of the glas.
I have finnished the frame with body filler, rust inhibiting primer and matt black paint.

Reassembling the frame to the door and glueing the glas was the most difficult bit.

You can not glue the quarterglass and leave it to dry and then fit it to the door.
Glue must still be wet te realign the frame into the door otherwise you can not make it fitt.
Realigning was the hardest part. I even had to use other washers then the originals to make it fitt again.
I had to check if the window was still freely moving up and down, if the door was sealing well, door quarterglass was not slipping out of the frame, quarterglass hole alignment so mirror fits....
Four hours later the frame was in.

While doorcard was out I cleaned the leather and fitted new 10 cm loudspeaker.