rolldown side windows

[David Sturch]

Graham,
I will be doing it on my Chevron. I know all of the parts I will be using. It will be a matter of sourcing them. I will be using a power window regulator that we used in the trucks that we use to build here. It a cable driven system so it easy to set it up for any width size tempered side glass. Run channel with a miniwedge in the front and lower belt seal outer and inner. I will be able to mount my mirrors in the mini wedge.(triangular piece front of door) Since the doors on my car have quite an arc, I will set a tinted curved Lexan piece in the top and then have the side glass come up to it.
The GT40s relativly flat so it would fairly easy to do.
Dave

 

[Simon]

I think trying to put roll down windows in a '40 is a waste of time. However, It would be interesting if somebody would price up the tooling to make glass side windows. I would suppose several mfrs would have to club together to make it financially viable so I guess it won't happen any time soon!

 

[Davey]

I think trying to put roll down windows in a '40 is a waste of time. However, It would be interesting if somebody would price up the tooling to make glass side windows. I would suppose several mfrs would have to club together to make it financially viable so I guess it won't happen any time soon!

Hi Simon,

I have an old pair of "glass" side windows from a KVA... bought them a few years back of off Rob.. the stuff you buy eh?

Cheers

Dave..

 

[Richard]

David, how are you going to deal with the fact that the window is flat with the outside of the door. The way Ford solved this in the new GT and what I've seen of a few of the early attempts they inset the bottom edge of the window to allow it to slide down into the door?

 

[Dalton Veitch]

The bottom edge of the glass is already inset at the front of the door, and only gets too far out towards the rear, where it would also have to clear the door handle internal mechanism and the panel inset for the rear air intake. The solution is angling the window a bit so it is ALL inset sufficiently. So towards the rear, you add a chamfered section of infill, painted black, to visually take it back to the outside of the door. Just as Ford did. The real/replica GT40's have a door height which appears shallower than a Ford GT (I haven't seen a real GT), so the window won't fully retract, but even an easily achieved 3/4 opening would seem to me to be a huge improvement in usability for cars used as regular road cars. In Australia our ADR's require side intrusion bars in the doors, so the glass and window mechanism would need to clear these.

My 2c worth.

 

[Richard]

I think I have a way so the window is in its normal position to start with and still rolls down and miss everything inside but I need an old door and window to perfect the design. Anyone want to donate to the cause? They would not need to be much. You will get them back although a bit cut up. I too would also not go clear the the front corner but leave that area for a mirror mount or just a small window that didn't move.

The biggest issue comes because the window is 15" tall the the door it has to stuff into is at best 11" unless I can figure out a way to fold Lexan. I used to do a lot of that but at 350deg F. OK I looked it up and Lexan working temp is 210-240deg. Its been a long time.

 

[Ian Anderson]

On early original Minis (the British Leyland ones not the BMW ones) they used a sliding set of glass windows in both of the front doors.

You could slide the front one rearwards to get a good blast of air in your face or slide the rear one forwards to pay tolls etc.

Each of the 2 pieces of glass slid along a track separated from memory about 1/16 inch apart plus running felt and the rearward window was on the inside and front in the outside rail (Stopped wind whistling in between the 2 sheets of glass when going forwards.

They even had a locking system on the handles inside on some of the later ones.

Perhaps this sort of thing could be done on a GT40? It would be almost period correct as the Mini was from the same era.

Sorry cannot find any photos giving any detail shots

Regards
Ian

 

[Dalton Veitch]

DRB here in Australia have a Mk III type of window conversion that can be bolted or fibreglassed into place with a fixed quarter window and a hinge-out main window. The main window can be readily unclipped and removed. A good compromise, but I would like to see more development on the roll-down window idea.

 

[Chris Simpson]

My father had a Lotus Elite (the one with the Coventry Climax engine) in the 60s and on that the side windows were removeable and could be stowed behind the seats. Nothing to do with windows, but I remember taking a friend for a ride in it and doing 100+ mph on the road to the North of the thames between Kingston and Hampton Court bridges - and perfectly legal, I think! Nowdays I understand that that stretch of road is heavily speed limited.

Chris

 

[Dave Wood]

In an older GT40 book that references the original and some later versions, including 1 replica. The Sbarro car is shown and the power windows on that look pretty slick. They are short (in length) because of the front "vent"? and a rear section that is solid but probably retains the rear window channel.

 

[David Sturch]

Guys,

If you are serious about this I will try to get a list of what you will need for the setup. The best way to do this would be with a power cable driven regulator. The manual crank type is not flexible enough.

There are two types of Baily Moulding (H Type ) that goes into the window opening.
The soft and the hard. The hard has a metal frame. The soft is wire re inforced like your seal in the trunk of your car. The soft will need some run channel 5-6" extended on the inside of the door. I will try and do some sketches up and post them to give you and idea how the window system works.
Dave

 

[Graham]

Guys,

If you are serious about this I will try to get a list of what you will need for the setup. The best way to do this would be with a power cable driven regulator. The manual crank type is not flexible enough.

There are two types of Baily Moulding (H Type ) that goes into the window opening.
The soft and the hard. The hard has a metal frame. The soft is wire re inforced like your seal in the trunk of your car. The soft will need some run channel 5-6" extended on the inside of the door. I will try and do some sketches up and post them to give you and idea how the window system works.
Dave

Dave, You have a PM!

Graham

 

[Randy V]

Please DO post your information here on GT40s Dave... MANY of us are interested!
:thumbsup:

 

[Graham]

Randy,

Quite right. In my PM I have asked Dave to share his knowledge. I'm pretty sure there are a lot of guys out there interested in doing this mod :thumbsup:

All the best,

Graham.

 

[David Sturch]

Graham,
E-mail has been sent. I will need diamentions of the GT40 door and pic's from you guys since I am building a Chevron. There will be two ways it can be done since the door area is smaller than the window opening. A filler at the top or the glass does not go fully into the door. The last Vendors I dealt with at GM used the metal sleeved Baily Moulding in Black about 3/4" in width. I don't know if they are still around. Same with the belt seal for the lower outside. These were plastic (h) type with a wiper and felt against the glass. One will be needed in the inside as well. This one is usually on the door pad. The regualtors we were using were just two rails with L brackets that attached to the inside of the door and a clamp that slid up and down the rail by internal pully, one rail contained the motor. The sheathed drive cables criss crossed in an X pattern between the two. I think these may be made by Johnson Controls. I had one contact in the plant in Whitby but it has since closed and moved to Ajax. they may make something that may work in the right lenght. The door handle rods or cable may have to be redesigned or rerouted also. I will have to see about the parts.
Dave

 

[David Sturch]

Gent's
Now that you have me started, I started searching on the internet. Here is a single center mounted unit by Ford that could be modified (shortend) and mounted in the center. A gasketed bracket is pressed on the lower piece of glass that attches to the regulator. With this setup you have to extend the Baily moulding in run channel 4" to 5" into the door. It would be fairly simple. The problem is they never give diamentions of the part.
Dave

Ford Contour Power Window Regulator & Motor Driver Side Front at 1AAuto.com.

 

[(C)arlos]

Hi guys,

I use a slide window and I am very happy with the result. I made a few short test drives and it works very well a lot of air comes in and I can reach the parking ticket machine
Also it doesn't disturb the original look to much .....


...Here is a picture....

Also it is compliant to german regulations, see the watermark ?

 

[Dave Wood]

Guys,

If you are serious about this I will try to get a list of what you will need for the setup. The best way to do this would be with a power cable driven regulator. The manual crank type is not flexible enough.

There are two types of Baily Moulding (H Type ) that goes into the window opening.
The soft and the hard. The hard has a metal frame. The soft is wire re inforced like your seal in the trunk of your car. The soft will need some run channel 5-6" extended on the inside of the door. I will try and do some sketches up and post them to give you and idea how the window system works.
Dave

In Ford drag cars(lightweights) of the early 60s, they used seatbelts to raise and lower the window. Cut out a bunch of mechanism weight and seemed to have an ideal raising/lowering system. If you are wanting workable windows, that may be a way to simplify it as well as not add an excess amount of weight. Kind of fits with the character of the car too.

 

[David Sturch]

Dave,
You could do without the belts and do a tee shaped aluminum attached to the bottom of the glass with a slot in the bottom part with a bolt and speed nut.
I think the pictures that Chris M. posted is the way to go. If you have a road car you'r really not worried about weight. If the glass is done in Lexan ,mouldings, regulars and harnesses would not add more than 40lbs to the whole car. It's just more convenient and look's nicer.
dave

 

[Jim Cowden]

I made these windows.
I made the frames then urethaned the windows into them.
The frame has a seal around the outside.
The window is held in with toggles that are turned 90deg.

I find it gives a large opening.

Jim