I was installing my windows, hit the new channels with some 3:1 RV window lube....after some recommendations from other guys. Well that was a mistake, the felt soaked up the lube and loosened. Turning the rubber soft. It must have some kind of solvent in it. Anyways, now I am tasked with either pulling the channels or trying to glue felt in them.... Replacing the channels is probably easier but I would have to redo the wipes and take a chance on trashing the paint. Anyone tried or successfully replaced the felt? My sides are okay, just the felt in the bottom. Im thinking some vhb tape...
Lube, in the fabric channels? That sounds ridiculous. Like buttering the front of your shirt so it will slide over your head better. Throw them away and get some new ones.
The "loop" part of hook & loop strip (Velcro) can be bought by the foot, and you can get self-adhesive type, about 1.5" or 2" wide. Wrap it around a steel rule , after removing the backing, and you can press it into place using the edge of the ruler. If you get the width which is wider than you need, just fit it in the middle of the channel, and when it all pressed home, and some sticks out over the edge, just trim off the excess.
The correct lube in the felt channels isn't an issue at all. I use GM weatherstrip silicone lube for many years and never had it loosen or ruin felts or rubber. I did replace felt material in my OT '69 Suburban door glass tracks, but the felts were extremely dry and worn before. So gluing in wool felt over the worn felt was easy. Not sure how it would ever stick if there's lube soaked into yours now? I cut strips that were probably 2" wide and used weatherstrip adhesive in the channels. Then used a stick I cut to the right thickness to work the felt into the channel. Once I had the felt pushed into place I then rolled the window up and let it dry. After it dried I left the windows up and used a razor blade to cut along the edge and removed the excess felt. I did this probably a decade ago and my windows work great, and don't rattle.
Hmmmm You goofed up. You used the wrong stuff. No stuff is good, as in no lube at all. Maybe a spray of a dry type silicone..... maybe. I would not do it. Three in One lube for RVs (sliding windows) ? Nope. You have ruined the felts. Stop the bleeding and get new stuff.
Not my article it's from a Rambler "experts" web page.. Fabric store felt was used. The author is cheap never uses expensive stuff.
Mmmmm. I must doing it wrong. I used Motorcraft (Ford) silicone spray on all my window channels.... no ill effect on either 57 and the windows run smooth in either direction. I also used velcro on the vent windows.. worked real slick and the adhesive was a 3M product.
I think I shared the fabric store felt idea with Tom (the Ramblerlore page owner) a long time ago. I tried it with regular felt and glue -- that didn't work well, the felt soaked up to much glue. I got some self-stick felt sheets and that worked fine. Been in my car for around 20 years and it's still there. I do think Tom's approach using silicone sealer is probably a better one. The self-stick felt sheets are only 12" x 12", so you don't get a continuous run. Can't tell unless you're getting REALLY close and personal with it though. I cut the self-stick in 1.5-2" strips, folded them in half lengthwise, then pulled the backing. Worked them in with a popsicle stick. The silicone Tom used is probably a better adhesive than the rubber cement like stuff on the self-stick felt. It has held up in the weather, but it doesn't normally get a lot of rain. I used the car as a daily driver in all sorts of weather for the first 4-5 years I had it though, so it's not like it was a garage queen all the time (like it pretty much is now). But it's NOT a trailer queen! If I want to go somewhere with it and the weather isn't the best, I drive it anyway. No skipping shows or not driving just because it might rain!
In my time working on 40's-60's British cars, I've used contact adhesive to fix window channel felts in place. works a charm.
I just used weatherstrip adhesive to do mine and put it in the channel quickly before it could dry. Then once it sat with glass rolled up for maybe 10 minutes I used a razor blade to trim excess off and it was done.
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