Project No-Flight Update
December 2006
It is really January 2007 as I am writing this but since I spent most of November and December trying to get this to work I am going to credit this as 2006 progress ... that way I'm only about 3 years behind schedule <LOL> .
The object of this installment is trying to get windows and inside door mechanicals, since as they came with the car the doors were completely gutted. I had given up long ago on the idea of finding enough original and repro parts to rebuild the doors like stock, and had gone to a slightly enlarged side window and fixed vent panels. It all seemed so easy until ...
Plan A: The original plan was to buy the "molded" Speedglass windows from Percy's. I ordered a pair planning to cut them down to size (they come WAY oversize) and put them in and that would be that. My plans began to unravel as soon as the windows arrived and I cut out a window from my pattern.
It turns out that the "molded" windows are only curved in the vertical direction and do not have the front-rear curve of C-2 side windows. Further, the curve is a "generic" one and is much to small a radius for the C-2.
I thought I would try to heat and reform the windows. Through the generosity of the Corvette Forum members I was able to get a pair of used original Corvette side glass panels to use as a form (Thank Dan , aka DansYellow66). I bought some strip heater from a plastics supplier which are used to bend plastic and, clamping the plastic panel to the original glass to get the correct curvature, proceeded to try heating and reforming them. The strip heaters would only softening a very small area of the panel at a time, so I planned to heat and reshape one area at a time. The heaters warmed the plastic enough to eave a nice wave pattern (you can see in the top photo if you look closely). The panel did seem to reshape a little while hot, but sprang back to the original shape once it cooled. In later conversations with Percy's I learned that their windows can't be re-heated and reformed ... which I by that time had figured out by myself. I also later found that unlike plexiglass that will form at 280F, the hardened plastic needs to be heated to about 700F to shape.
Plan B: Everyone knows that Plan A never works, that is why there is always a Plan B. I did some searching to see if I could have someone form glass side windows for me that are larger than the originals to fit my enlarged window opening. I found one company who could, but the cost was $3500 per window ($3000 for the tooling and $500 for the window). That put a quick stop to Plan B.
Plan C: I decided to try using a flat panel and adding the curvature by using a formed bottom rail, as I will need a rail to attach the lift strap to eventually anyway. Try C1 showed the process had promise, but cutting the window to my pattern did not account for the extra length needed once I curved the panel, so it ended up being 1/4" too short. Try C2 finally began to show results. Using the original glass for a pattern I cut two (getting brave this time) blanks, leaving the end a "little" long.
After a half dozen fitting and trimming passes I arrived at a panel that would slide freely in the window tracks and by virtue of being cut with a slight taper, having a smaller curve at the top and a larger curve at the bottom to match the door opening.
Once I had the bottom curvature where I wanted it just from springing the panel in the tracks I was able to make a pattern and bend some aluminum channel to form new window bottom channels.
The channels are held in place for now with a spacer shim, but will have thru-fasteners added when I put on the mount for the window lift strap.
While I was working on the alternate plans for the windows I also came up with a final (I hope) solution to my doors missing inner panels. I fabricated a cross panel that holds the door release handle. I will close it off with a two-piece inner door panel, one upper and one lower, that will be supported in the middle of the door by the cross panel as well. When done the aluminum strip will remain visible as a trim strip.
The result of this long process is that the car finally has side windows that follow the correct curvature of the window opening. I have the panels for the fixed vent made, but am waiting until I get the aircraft push vents installed before gluing them in place on the car. The widows will have to come out one more time (at least) to install the final window channels which is why I left the majority of the panels with the protective paper film on them. For now I have a temporary two-piece channel, which I need to replace with a single piece once I can find someone who can make me a set of longer than stock window runs (I tried making a set but just don't have the touch or procedure right for getting the metal buttons that hold them in place installed to the window run)
