Terminated
GTFO_0009
- Thread starter
- #1
After hunting since pretty much day 1, I finally found LE windows a couple months ago. From what I know, you can't just buy them from Ford. Even if you had a VIN. Pretty sure I was told you need an RO and possibly core returns. Still, I found them anyway. Fast forward to the last couple of days, and I finally took the time to tackle this project.
This is definitely not a project for the faint of heart. Obviously the rear section of interior needs to come out so you can gain access to the window. Just used hand tools to remove the window- feel like you have more control with a hand tool over power to make sure you don't scratch the hell out of the pinch weld. Side note- a second pair of hands does make getting the glass out a lot easier.
After cleaning everything up and prepping the LE windows, it was time to get them in. Removing and replacing the glass isn't hard, but it does get a bit complicated when you factor in the LE's chrome trim, my lack there of and my dislike of chrome haha. So, while I was prepping the glass and tinting it (lot easer to tint them outside of the car on the dining room table), I also de-chromed them. However, this meant that the window would need some sort of trim work to match.
Mitchell suggests Betaseal Express for the job, which has a drive time of 1 hour. However, there's tons of urethanes and some of them are air bag safe in half that time. Once everything is prepped and ready to go, lay down your urethane, press in the windows and viola, it's starting to look like a car again.
And what they look like in the car, trim-less
From this point, I decided to get the interior back in, then tackle the trim. Since I no longer needed my OE windows, they were the perfect donors for the trim.
The rubber moulding does not just line up on the LE glass. It took some test fitting and modifying to get it there. However, once it's fitted it does look pretty good. Overall I'm pretty happy with the end result. The trim fits tight against the inner seal on the window- I'm going to mess around with it a bit more though and make it all "one piece", for an even cleaner appearance. It essentially matches the door's 2 piece belt trim.
And, the fruit of my labor...
This is definitely not a project for the faint of heart. Obviously the rear section of interior needs to come out so you can gain access to the window. Just used hand tools to remove the window- feel like you have more control with a hand tool over power to make sure you don't scratch the hell out of the pinch weld. Side note- a second pair of hands does make getting the glass out a lot easier.
After cleaning everything up and prepping the LE windows, it was time to get them in. Removing and replacing the glass isn't hard, but it does get a bit complicated when you factor in the LE's chrome trim, my lack there of and my dislike of chrome haha. So, while I was prepping the glass and tinting it (lot easer to tint them outside of the car on the dining room table), I also de-chromed them. However, this meant that the window would need some sort of trim work to match.
Mitchell suggests Betaseal Express for the job, which has a drive time of 1 hour. However, there's tons of urethanes and some of them are air bag safe in half that time. Once everything is prepped and ready to go, lay down your urethane, press in the windows and viola, it's starting to look like a car again.
And what they look like in the car, trim-less
From this point, I decided to get the interior back in, then tackle the trim. Since I no longer needed my OE windows, they were the perfect donors for the trim.
The rubber moulding does not just line up on the LE glass. It took some test fitting and modifying to get it there. However, once it's fitted it does look pretty good. Overall I'm pretty happy with the end result. The trim fits tight against the inner seal on the window- I'm going to mess around with it a bit more though and make it all "one piece", for an even cleaner appearance. It essentially matches the door's 2 piece belt trim.
And, the fruit of my labor...
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