Stubborn Glass

[Peter27]

Hi. I have removed the o/side 'No Draught Ventilator' (rear side window) as a complete unit (glass and frame). The glass is badly scratched so I want to replace it. I have removed the vertical part of the chromed frame, leaving the glass in the 'U' shaped part of the frame. Unfortunately, the glass will not budge as it seems tightly stuck in the rubber seal and frame. Any ideas how I can remove the glass without using the precision instrument, commonly known as a large hammer (I believe it is the original glass so I want to see if the scratches can be polished out and if so, I will keep it for the future)? Thanks.

[Richardhealey]

Hi Peter,
Having done as you have (removed the vertical section), I liberally used WD-40 around the glass, letting it soak in and then gently using a small flat headed screw driver worked the chrome away from the glass to start it moving and then pulled the chrome away slowly using my hands.
I worked slowly and it eventually came away quite well with out damage.
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Rich

[Jeremy]

Mine seemed similarly immovable...same as Rich, I sprayed it all (IIRC I used PlusGas which I've found is better than WD-40 for releasing stuck bits), then clamped the glass in the vice with the soft jaws and tapped the frame with a hammer and a short piece of hardwood as a punch. It was indeed stubborn but it shifted eventually.

[Series1 Stu]

I agree with all of the above and would add that getting the frames back on again after re-chrome is similarly difficult. I used tyre inner tube rubber for the seals and a rubber hammer to seat the frames properly.

Trim the excess rubber using a scalpel after the frames are fixed.

Regards

[Richardhealey]

I used tyre inner tube rubber for the seals and a rubber hammer to seat the frames properly.

Trim the excess rubber using a scalpel after the frames are fixed.

Thanks Stu, very useful information!

[Peter27]

Thanks to all for the advice - much appreciated.