MTFCA Forum

I just removed the upholstery panel on the doors of my 27 coupe to see how to remove/replace the glass. After looking what I exposed I have no idea how this is done! What can you tell me or where do I find instructions on how it is done? My door handles are broken off.

When I do searches for T information I go off the forum and do a specific search for the info desired.
I just did a search for Model T 27 Coupe door glass replacement and got several older posts about how to do it. Lots of the forum posts always show up all the time doing it this way.

Bruce: At some point I need to do this during my '26 coupe restoration so the topic is of considerable interest to me as well. Too bad John neglected to post links to the trove of relevant information he found. I used the same key words and came up with little information specific to your request. On my 26 coupe it appears that you need to remove interior molding below the window and the one piece interior molding that covers the front, top, and rear of the window frame. Then the window channel can be removed, window regulator unscrewed from interior of door and the glass manipulated to disengage from the regulator. One person in the 2008 post suggests this is easier with the door removed and laid flat on a table, I suspect Ford repairmen in day did not remove the door to work on the glass.

This one old forum post does give some good information and some blurry pics of the glass and channel replacement process, which are quite helpful.

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/50 ... 1229263756

Some relevant excerpts from this post:

By Wayne Parker on Monday, December 01, 2008 - 12:46 pm:
How do you replace the window glass channels -T#8399 on a 27 coupe? Are there clips? Mine have been replaced with a non-original piece that they glued in. Do you have to pull the door panels to do this job?

By Jeff Humble on Monday, December 01, 2008 - 02:44 pm:
You will need to remove the door panel, the trim and the window. The original channel is held in place with a hook at the top and bottom and sometimes one in the middle too. The last time I replaced mine I used the top hook but for the botom I used a sheet metal screw. You will have to rivet the hooks to the channel and the replacement hooks are too wide and will need to be cut down to fit. Good time to replace the original glass with safety glass if it isnt done already.

The front and back channels are cloth covered but the top one is rubber. New rubber is available but you will need the original metal channel that the rubber fits in.

Robert Ducharme on Monday, December 01, 2008 - 11:03 pm:
On a 27 coupe, the window goes up and down by a handle driving a receiver that clips in the bottom track on the window.

The top channel just butts up against the window channels - they are inside the door structure at that point so you do not get a leak. They look like in the following picture. You can see the rubber still in the channel. Note the 3 screws that screw into square nuts placed in the recesses in the door. The first picture shows one being unscrewed.

The statement "On a 27 coupe, the window goes up and down by a handle driving a receiver that clips in the bottom track on the window." differs from information I received from Lang's recently. Mr. Lang told me the bottom window metal frame channel sits on top of the regulator arm bushing and the bushing just slides along the bottom of the channel that's attached to the glass. That bushing does not roll on the pin connecting it to the arm and the bushing does not go inside the channel, the lower edge of the channel rides on top of the bushing. Therefore, if the original is set up like this (my '26 is), the glass should come out without disturbing the regulator. I haven't got to this yet with my restoration.

Sorry for a lengthy reply, good luck with your project, jb



You probably need the upper metal channel. The metal part at the top looks like this:

I bought my 1926 coupe in 1970, which was in very bad shape and basically, needed everything repaired or replaced. It was badly rusted and had no upholstery or door panels, so it was easy to see inside the doors and what needed to be done. I was a 16 year old kid and had no experience or anyone to ask so I winged it and never had a big problem figuring out how to do the various tasks I was confronted with during my 2 years it took me to restore my Coupe. The door window were unsafe original glass so needed to be replaced With laminated glass, along with all the other glass, some of which was broken cracked or missing. The door window felt lined window channels, which is what holds the windows in were rotten and also needed to be replaced. Since it was 50 years ago I’m afraid I do not recall exactly how I did it...only that I did. Once the side channels are removed, the window can be moved so that the bottom Steel channel that the the bottom of the window secures to can be separated from the pulley on the arm that moves the window up and down, which is accessed through the door access holes. Once the pulley has been removed from the channel and the side channels removed the window can be lifted out of the slit and removed. You can take it to a glass cutter who can use it to determine the thickness of laminated glass needed and cut it for you. Installation is simply reversed. Jim Patrick.

'27, '26,...I need to do this on a '25 soon. Drivers door glass. Will be reading up on this too!!

How is the inside metal trim piece (around the front, top and back of the window) attached to the door? I think it can probably be removed by prying with a screw driver, but without knowing how it is attached I am hesitant to try to remove it.

Check out this thread from 2008:

Www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/50893/742 ... 1229263756. Jim Patrick

Bruce: On my '26, there are two screws securing the molding at the top of the door, one near each top corner. I haven't taken it apart yet so cannot verify everything, but I assume the window molding at the bottom of the window overlaps the ends of that U-shaped top piece and may hold it in place. If you would like a pic of that or anything else on my coupe, text me at 6 zero 7-five 9 two-4 eight 8 two.

FYI, I read an old post saying the replacement window glass channels were thicker than the originals and the front to rear dimension of the glass needed to be slightly smaller for the window to move freely up and down. Just something to check before having that glass cut. Best, jb

Several years ago i replaced the window channels in my 27 Tudor doors. I found the channel sold by the vendors was too narrow to fit the existing safety glass. Also my car did not have the rubber at the top but the same window channel as the sides. With some online searching I found Stanpro window channel. They make it in many sizes and found some that was an exact fit to my doors and glass. I removed the hooks from the original channel and reused. Hope this helps.