Thank goodness for my Lotus friends! I'll cut to the chase.......the rear window is in!
First of all many heartfelt thanks to Lou, Ted, Larry and Bruce. Believe it or not it took all five of us to get that damn window installed. And it took 2 1/2 hours before we were done. AND we now know the absolute right way to install this window with the least amount of effort. Everyone had a different take on what we should do and how to do it. We tried them all. Then......we took the collective suggestions and combined them to come up with the right answer and it worked like a charm.
Dan stopped by after we finished to see what we had done and meet us all personally. He has a 73 TCS and is going to be starting his full restoration soon. Great to meet you Dan.
Here are the steps:
1) Install the rubber molding on the glass
2) Get some nylon string. Enough to wrap around the molding section for the fiberglass opening TWICE and leave long ends overlapped in the middle so you can pull on them. Grease the string with silicon or Vaseline jelly before wrapping the rubber molding.
3) Grease the fiberglass opening to allow for the rubber molding to slide over the edge.
4) Install the window from the inside of the car out. Place the window with rubber molding centered on the opening with two people applying pressure against the glass and molding. SLOWLY pull the edges of the string from the outside so the rubber molding slips over the fiberglass opening (on the outside of the body) while the two people on the inside apply pressure against the window and the molding (its helpful if you can stand in the engine bay when doing this). Have another person (or two) use plastic tools to ensure the molding is pulling over the fiberglass.
5) Work you way around the window pulling the string slowly. If something doesn't fit right, don't worry. You have a second chance as there are two loops of the string (brilliant).
6) Keep pressure downwards on the glass and out wards. Everything needs to be constant and adjust based on what you see and feel.
7) Once the molding is installed, grease the lock strip section of the molding.
Using the special lock strip tool is almost a must. We had two so very lucky the installation of the lock strip went so well. Never the less, you still need to push various areas of the lock strip with plastic tools and fingers to ensure it is fully inserted. It is important to have someone inside the car to apply pressure where ever you are installing the lock strip so you don't PUSH THE WINDOW OUT.
9) Stand back and admire your success. Take a group photo and then take everyone to lunch!
Note, the photo of the string next to the hose clamp is to provide scale of the nylon string.
