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1950 Mercury Operable Quarter Vent Window Install - Full Function For Quarter WindowsOperable quarter vent windows for a ’50 Merc From the June, 2011 issue of Street Rodder By Brian Limberg
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When I was asked by Chuck Barnes and the crew from Nostalgic Auto Body in Island Lake, Illinois, if I wanted to chop a ’50 Merc they were building, I replied with a quick, Heck yeah! I’d chopped a few cars over the years, but never a Merc. They say that chopping the top and finishing the sheetmetal is only 40 percent of the job. Reworking the garnish moldings and modifying the windows typically takes longer than the chop itself. When I was wrapping up the chop on the Merc, we started talking about reforming the quarter vent windows to make them open and close just as they did from the factory. I knew there weren’t too many Mercs out there with operable quarter vent windows, so this idea was both challenging and appealing. My own shop, The Tin Man’s Garage in Elburn, Illinois, specializes in design, metal shaping and fabrication, and chassis fabrication. Most of my regular customers come to me looking for unique ways to build and shape parts and pieces that sometimes seem impossible. This job took a lot of work and required a lot of careful planning and detailed modifications to make it work and fit properly--but I loved the challenge.  Here’s a look at the components...  Here’s a look at the components used to reform the quarter vent windows. Top to bottom: quarter garnish molding, steel hammer form, replacement window channels, plywood pattern, plus latches and hinges.  As the project started, everything...  As the project started, everything was chopped and welded back together and I had the finished garnish molding. Note that the reworked rear corner radius is much tighter than the original.  Measurements were taken of...  Measurements were taken of the original glass before removing the stainless channel. Since the roof had moved forward, care was taken to correct the geometry of the window hinge axis, so the windows would open without binding. The original hinge angle was 103 degrees.  The 103-degree angle was transferred...  The 103-degree angle was transferred from the lower axis to the top of the frame. I then measured forward to the original upper pivot point: 2-3/8 inches.  I cut the channel and moved...  I cut the channel and moved the axis point rearward 2-3/8 inches, which aligned the hinges, and then TIG welded the channel back together.  The original window gasket...  The original window gasket had to be cut down and installed. Everything had to be located from the hinge points out, and careful planning for the minimal amount of seams in the most inconspicuous locations helped hide the seams in the window gasket. Denatured alcohol was used to clean the rubber. It helps clean the mold release agents left on the window gasket by the factory.  Before installing the gaskets,...  Before installing the gaskets, I applied tape approximately 1/16 inch from the estimated edge of the gasket to mask it and help clean up adhesive. I applied adhesive to the gasket and the frame. When it had tacked up, I removed the tape and pressed the gasket in place. If the gasket is stubborn, clamp it tightly while it dries, to prevent it from moving when the car is painted and reassembled.  After the window gasket was...  After the window gasket was glued in place, a wood pattern was made based on the outside of the replacement window frame. The pattern was notched to allow it to open and close around steps in the rubber surrounding the hinge axis areas. Careful fitting is critical. If the frame is too tight against the rubber, the window will drag and may not open properly. If it is too loose, it will leak and let in wind noise. Notice the radius difference between the stock glass channel and the wood pattern (arrow). Also, note the lock position centerline drawn on the pattern. A detailed stamping fits around the latch, so all measurements must be located and fit from this centerline reference point.  The original stainless window...  The original stainless window channel is crowned around its perimeter. I measured from the start of the bend to the crown and recorded the measurement of 1/8 inch. The goal is to retain the crown on the finished window channel.  I used a piece of 3/8-inch...  I used a piece of 3/8-inch cold-rolled 1018 steel to build a hammer form, machining 0.030 inch off the face of the plate so the channel would fit snugly over it. The size difference between the plate and the wood pattern is where the 1/8 inch is subtracted from around the frame. The hammer form stops at the leading edge, approximately where the channel will end. The holes are for placing C-clamps.  This latch point will be used...  This latch point will be used to locate the new channel. There is a right and left side punched in with a chisel so it is not accidentally erased or confused with the other side. Also, take note of the leading and trailing edge of the latch area; it has to be straightened out before starting to tighten the radius.  I clamped the hammer form...  I clamped the hammer form in a bench vise and marked the form and channel to locate and align the latch centerline marks.  With a C-clamp on the top...  With a C-clamp on the top mark and a Vise-Grip on the centerline (slight pressure), I began heating the sides of the channel, using a zero tip on the torch. Working the area slowly is the key. After each heating session, I released the Vise-Grip and retightened it an additional eighth turn, then reheated the channel and watched it slowly shrink.  When the channel began shrinking...  When the channel began shrinking into the hammer form, I gently lifted the front and it pulled in the last little bit, keeping the channel in place as it cooled to hold its new shape.  When it had cooled, I checked...  When it had cooled, I checked the latch centerline. Although not seen in this photo, I drilled an 1/8-inch hole in one of the original rivet holes and hammered in a dull drill bit as a locating pin so the channel wouldn’t shift while I finished working on it.  As the channel was bent, the...  As the channel was bent, the sides began to pucker out and needed to be shrunk. As the weld cooled, I tapped in the sides with a body hammer. It may be helpful to use a flat dolly, but be gentle. If you hammer too hard, you will actually stretch the metal and leave marks, which will be hard to remove.  Notice the tight channel radius...  Notice the tight channel radius on the upper left side of the hammer form. On the lower right, the leading edge of the channel has naturally aligned and is touching the form. This is helpful to keeping the channel straight as it is re-formed.  The upper section is completed...  The upper section is completed the same way—clamping the high point and heating each section a little bit at a time while hammering the sides to shrink it as it cools.  The reformed window channel...  The reformed window channel was clamped at each section for cooldown. With the clamps removed, the form was clamped to a corner of my bench. The channel fit tight, which made filing and sanding easy. I sanded all flat sides first, and then repositioned the form upright in the vise to touch up the crown around the channel and blend both sides together. Sanding started with 80 grit, and finished with 180. Final sanding and polishing will be done when the project is complete.  If everything was done correctly,...  If everything was done correctly, the outside of the channel’s crown should line up with the outside of the original wood pattern—and it does.  After the original latch was...  After the original latch was welded in, I test-fit the reworked channel into the garnish molding and frame to confirm that it all fit correctly, and the radii matched. The rubber had a slight pucker in the tighter corner, which disappears when the window is locked closed. Notice the centerline of the latch lines up precisely with the centerline of the bracket.  The original top and bottom...  The original top and bottom hinges were carefully relocated, according to previous measurements. Note the small stop (arrow) that slides over the L-shaped splined lower hinge axis to control the amount the window will open.  With the channel in the correct...  With the channel in the correct location in the frame and the latch locked and centered, I marked the new lower hinge location with an X (A). Two mounting holes (B) for the L-shaped hinge axis were drilled using a 1/8-inch bit, followed by a counter sink bit for rivets. I used a small cutoff wheel to cut the X in the channel and used pliers to bend the four resulting triangles back and forth until they broke off. The rectangular opening was cleaned up a small die grinder and files. The original hinge opening and holes (to the right) will be welded closed later.  After the lower hinge axis...  After the lower hinge axis was riveted in place, the channel was clamped to the frame and the latch was locked. A 5/16-inch 24 TPI bolt (arrow) shows the location and angle of top hinge in the upper portion of the channel. I’m holding the original shoulder bolt that will go through the top of the frame.  The location of the new upper...  The location of the new upper hinge hole was marked and drilled. Then the insert was fitted and spot-welded in place (A). The original hole (B) was welded, filed, and hand-sanded  Both hinges were now installed....  Both hinges were now installed. I clamped the channel in place in the frame once more, and trimmed the leading edges of the channel so it fits nicely against the step in the rubber for the glass transition.  Everything was still clamped...  Everything was still clamped in place when I made this cardboard window pattern, estimating the position of the leading edge of the glass. Tracing the inside of the channel to the cardboard gave me a reference to check for consistency with the outside of the channel.  After removing the cardboard...  After removing the cardboard pattern, I did some estimated guessing regarding thickness of the glass setting tape and the crown. The 1/4-inch Birch plywood pattern was test-fit multiple times with setting tape to check and adjust the final fit. Remember, you can always take more off by sanding a little at a time and rechecking as many times as it takes. Excess tape was trimmed off with a razor blade.  Here is a completed window...  Here is a completed window channel. The wood pattern will be used as the template for final glass cutting.  Here’s a complete and operable...  Here’s a complete and operable quarter vent window from inside and out. Notice the nice consistent fit with the rubber and opening.  Back seat drivers will soon...  Back seat drivers will soon enjoy “traditional air conditioning” at their complete control.
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The Tin Man's Garage, Inc
IL
630-262-0752
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