Center door windows

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Philip Lawrence
Posts: 426
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2019 11:42 am
First Name: Philip
Last Name: Lawrence
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1914 Touring
Location: Auburn, CA
MTFCA Number: 5591
MTFCI Number: 25062
Board Member Since: 2014

Center door windows

Post by Philip Lawrence » Thu Jul 22, 2021 6:13 pm

Can anyone tell me what I can do to replace the weather strip on a center door? I can't seem to find anything even close to what was used originally. I know this problem has existed with every center door out there. What were the solutions?

Here is an example of what I have. I believe this is original. What looks like a rusted channel is actually a brown felt that wraps around the steel window frame and is covered with a thin black material that very well may be a glass setting tape. It's hard to tell now as it is dried out and brittle. The edges were tucked into the window frame channel and the glass inserted.
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Will_Vanderburg
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First Name: William
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* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 2
Location: Jackson, NJ
MTFCA Number: 28382

Re: Center door windows

Post by Will_Vanderburg » Thu Jul 22, 2021 6:52 pm

This is original window lacing. Made of felt and sewn
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William L Vanderburg

1925 Touring
1922 Center Door Sedan


Wayne Sheldon
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* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1915 Runabout 1913 Speedster
Location: Grass Valley California, USA
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Re: Center door windows

Post by Wayne Sheldon » Thu Jul 22, 2021 7:01 pm

Tough one. The 1916 center-door I had years ago was pretty messed up when I got it. I looked at almost a dozen cars, and read (pre internet!) what I could find. I don't recall much in the way of weather stripping. My car had no sign of any around the windshield or door jambs.
The side windows were interesting. And NOTHING anywhere near correct was available for it. The channels were smooth wood, about an inch wide down lower, tapering narrower to the top. There was this strange rolled felt thing, covered in leatherette, glued to the sides of the windows, sort of an oval shape about 3/4 inch wide. When the window was raised to the top, the narrower top channel kept the window from rattling (much). The lower bottom of the window had a metal channel with a rolled "hook" along the outer side that was pushed out and hooked over the metal ridge provided for it on the outside of the body. To lower the window, one first lifted the strap, then pulled the bottom inside (about a quarter inch) and then lowered the window, hooking the strap at the desired level. Or resting it upon rubber 'stops' at the bottom.
On my car, I got some replacement wind-lace foam. Cut it a bit more than half way through lengthwise, and covered it in vinyl top material. That in turn, was stretched over the edge of the glass, the thickness of the glass creating the oval shape, and glued to the glass. It wasn't easy, getting everything shaped and glued together was tricky. However, it came out looking very close to right, and worked fine as long as I kept track of the car. (I wish I still had that car!)

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Mark Gregush
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* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1925 cutdown PU, 1920 Dodge touring, 1948 F2 Ford flat head 6 pickup 3 speed
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Re: Center door windows

Post by Mark Gregush » Thu Jul 22, 2021 9:56 pm

As I recall from many years ago while I still had my 1921 coupe; While that might help seal the weather out, I think it is more for anti-rattle. Are all your windows the strap type? If they are and because of how they closed sitting on the shelf on each side, you really could not put weather stipping in the grooves. I am thinking it was a heavy broad cloth that was folded over the edges of the channel, then the glass/setting tape held it in place, not fuzzy like the later types.
I know the voices aren't real but damn they have some good ideas! :shock:

1925 Cut down pickup
1920 Dodge touring
1948 Ford F2 pickup


Topic author
Philip Lawrence
Posts: 426
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2019 11:42 am
First Name: Philip
Last Name: Lawrence
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1914 Touring
Location: Auburn, CA
MTFCA Number: 5591
MTFCI Number: 25062
Board Member Since: 2014

Re: Center door windows

Post by Philip Lawrence » Fri Jul 23, 2021 9:27 am

Thanks for the replies. I should have mentioned that my sedan is a 1920 year model, produced in 1919. The windows are raised and lowered by a strap. The weather strip is attached to the steel window frames and held in place by the window glass.

I believe everything is original as the glass in the car is the original plate glass. I can't believe that the weather strip on the windows was changed at anytime without changing out the glass too. I'm having safety glass installed and the weather strip needs to be changed also as it's falling apart. I'd like to know what others have done on their Center Door Sedans in the past to find a solution to this problem. Thanks for the help.

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