Glass and Wiper Installation 
     
  Glass   And Wipers For Street Rodder's '47 Chevy Pickup 
    From the August, 2010   issue of Street Rodder 
    By Tim   Bernsau 
    Photography   by Joshua Shaw 
  During   our last trip to Hot Rods by Dean (HRBD) in Phoenix, the progress on   Project Shop Truck took a couple more steps forward with the   installation of the windshield and rear glass and rubber, and a   windshield wiper kit. 
  Project Shop   Truck, as you know, is STREET RODDER's '47 Chevy project pickup, with   work being done at HRBD and progress being recorded right here on these   pages. The buildup is unusual in that our nostalgia-style '47 Chevy   pickup is being built entirely from readily available aftermarket   components. Many of the parts, including the wiper kit, came from Chevs   of the 40's. 
  Cutting and   installing glass is a specialized skill, which is why rod shops bring in   skilled specialists to do it. HRBD relies on Bell Glass Company,   located in Phoenix, for many of their project vehicles. 
  Rich Williams, from Bell Glass, along with his   brother and father, has been doing this for 30 years, and installed the   two-piece windshield and rear glass on our '47 Chevy, using glass from   JR Distributor International and rubber from SoffSeal. 
  
    
       
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        The   first step in installing the windshield was working the rubber gasket   over the edge of the glass, maintaining tension around the perimeter to   ensure a good seal. This requires a little more effort on a two-piece   windshield, but not much.  | 
       
    
       
        This   hook tool was helpful for fitting the glass inside the rubber molding.   Rich Williams also used it when he installed the rear glass.
            
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        Rich   used the hook tool to work a length of rope into the channels between   the rubber and the glass on both sides of the windshield. The excess   rope was taped to the glass to keep it out of the way.  | 
       
    
       
        Charlie   Sullens and Jonathan Williams (no relation) from HRBD pressed the   windshield into place while Rich pulled the rope from the inside of the   truck. As the rope is pulled out around the perimeter, it pulls the   rubber channel over the lip of the frame. 
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        Rich   took the hook tool to the outside of the rubber gasket to make sure he   had a proper fit on the exterior.  | 
       
    
       
        The   corner windows of a five-window truck add more work and are a bit   trickier because of the compound curves. This glass was installed in the   opposite manner from the windshield. The rubber window gasket was   installed first and the glass was worked into the rubber. A few shots of   silicone lubricant around the rubber molding made this process easier.  | 
       
        There   was a lot of careful pounding and finessing involved, and Rich's hook   tool was really paying off. "The guys who did this in the old days were   true craftsmen," Rich says. Same goes for the guys who do it now.  | 
       
    
       
        A   separate piece of rubber locking bead fits in the crease between the   rubber gasket and the glass to secure the corner window in place. Rich   used a small tool with a ringed end to work the locking strip into the   crease.  | 
       
        The   rear window was added the same way as the corner glass: rubber first,   then glass. Repro bodies, believe it or not, are not always perfect and   sometimes the windows are not a precise fit.  | 
       
    
       
        This   rear glass was a little too tall. Rich took it back to Bell Glass for   some grinding and when he brought it back it was just right.  | 
       
        Since   we have a windshield, we figured we should have windshield wipers. Our   New Port Engineering wiper kit from Chevs of the 40's includes this   12-volt wiper motor, which offers two-speed with park.  | 
       
    
       
        Jonathan   at HRBD mounted the motor underneath the pickup dash out of the way of   the heater hoses and yet-to-be-installed gauges. 
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        The   motor comes wired to the control knob, which was mounted in the center   of the upper dash, where we won't have to hunt for it.  | 
       
    
       
        Looking   up from underneath the dash, you can see where the linkage arm-which   moves laterally to control the wiper arm movement-is mounted on the   underside of the cowl. You can also see one of the wiper transmission   assemblies (arrow) extending through the sheetmetal.  | 
       
        Right   to left, here is the uninstalled transmission assembly, the chrome   transmission bezel, and the octagonal nut that holds the bezel in place.  | 
       
    
       
        Installing   the wiper arms is a simple matter of pressing them onto the splined   ends of the transmissions.  | 
       
         
        With   the arms and blades in place, all that's left to do is wire the system   to power and ground, finish the rest of Project Shop Truck, and hope for   rain.  | 
       
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