VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 Front Windshield Window Channel

I need some suggestion on a suitable lube to put in the front windshield rubber channel that the windshield runs up and down in. The glass was cut to fit the steel frame properly and fits in the opening well but there is some binding at times when I try to crank the window up. Now I assembled this 20 years ago and have lived with a little effort to open but I would like to lessen the strain on the gears you know.
I seemed to have made the mistake of using some white lithium grease on the rubber - over a two year peroid the stuff seemed to dry out and frankly it may be making the situation worse. Going to clean the channel out from all the crud.
Short of removing the windshield from the frame and having the glass ground on the two ends, I was wondering if there is a more suitable lube to dress up the rubber channel to make the windshield roll up easier. Would expect that if I were to ground down the glass a bit I may then run the risk of the window rattling then....
Any suggestions??
thanks,
John

I had the same problem on my 1930 Sport Coupe when I installed the new windshield. It was bidding a little in the channels and I found that the only permanent cure was to remove the windshield and have the glass shop sand down the edges slightly. Worked fine after that.

Even though my new windshield was the same as the old windshield (the old windshield was used as a pattern) just removing a few thousandths of an inch on the vertical edges made a difference especially since I had installed new rubber channels as well.

Once you remove the residue from previous lube, try a silicone oil. I normally don't recommend silicone because of several problems it can create. In this case I will make an exception due mainly to lubricity and water/oxidation resistance. Marine lubricants can also be used.

I have a Sportlite on the drivers side...cannot recall - do I need to remove that (inside handle and shaft) in order to drop the windshield out of the channel?

I figured I would end up removing the window. Will give me a chance to clean the old crud out and lube per Chipper's suggestion.
JmL

I would remove the Sportlight just to keep from damaging the light.

By the way, I have a Sportlight on my 1930 Sport Coupe also.

Hello John, I have had the same problem in the past and my problem turned out to be the glass cutter himself----when he used the old glass as a template,by drawing a line around the old one it actually increased the size of the new one by a couple thousands of an inch...when they use one piece for a template they need to grind off the guideline+a little bit extra so the new piece is not larger than the old!! Best of luck !! Jay

If I were to use any lube it would be WD-40.

My own personal experience is that anytime you use lubes such as lithium grease,WD-40,oil,petroleum based lubes, it will constantly be leaching onto the windscreen from all sorts of reasons.like when you wash the glass,get the grease on the rag and drag it around the windscreen,just hot days sitting in the sun tends to cause the "lube" to smear onto the glass! Also,they all collect dust,grit,bugs etc. If the glass fits correctly,you should not need to lube....just my opinion guys..

I agree.

I have had good luck using Rain-X as a lubricant. That stuff is designed to make glass very slippery.

Thanks to everyone who responded with their suggestions and observation....I will take the extra effort to remove the glass and have the edges "eased" a little bit - enough so that I hope I do not need to use a lub of any type.
Much Appreciated,
John Lanning

Great, and let us know how you make out.