Front vent window gasket trimming?

[Juha Vane]

I'm assembling something I haven't disassembled so I'm stuck.
Read a lot of post about vent windows but nothing how to trim the gasket.

There is a vertical rubber that goes in the vertical chromed channel.
Then there is the front rubber that has the curve, like "L" backwards.

How are the "joints" where these 2 rubbers meet trimmed?
- The bottom, horizontal rubber need no trimming, as at least my gasket when
installed in the vent window bottom track, the chrome part that has the curve,
rubber is flush with the end.
- But the vertical gasket that bend back is too long.
Should the L-gasket just butt to the vertical gasket?
Apologise for my English, I'm not native.

[ryan base]

juha, your task is beyond my scope of experience so i can not say with authority the proper method, but in general, check as many other 'b's' as you can and remember that these replacement parts often need fitting. the fitter must carefully decide which is the best course, knowing the gallery will inspect and criticize the work.

[Juha Vane]

Problem with that is that we probably have about 50pcs 356 here and
most of them hide in garages, can't go and look how these are done.

[Martin Benade]

I am afraid I don't have your exact details, but however you do end up cutting it, leave it 1 or 2 mm long. When you tuck it in there will be no gap that way.

[Juha Vane]

The gaskets fitted fine with liquid soap without trimming, I might trim the vertical part ends a bit,
but waiting for them to settle. These rubbers I bought from Classic-Parts in Germany.

But then a new problem? The vent window has a spring loaded friction thing that is meant to make
the window turning so stiff it remain open while driving. When tightening the nut #19 that controls this
friction stiffness it pulls the whole window assembly down.
I can not figure out how this should be done. How should this be assembled so that I can tighten the spring
but the window is not pulled down?

Vent-window.pdf

(111.89 KiB) Downloaded 64 times

I feel a bit frustrated when I stumble with almost every step when assembling this nice little car.
I would like to go driving!

[Mike Wilson]

Do you have the brass shims, #14, in the space between the base of the vent window? They don't go under the base on the stem.

[Juha Vane]

Now I don't fully understand. The brass shims have a round hole, the stem is not round,
it has cut on both sides and washer #16 had slotted hole so it will turn with the window.
I have now assembled it so that when I push the window in the frame and the stem come
thru, I have put all these parts as in parts diagram in the stem.

[Mike Wilson]

#14 should be the brass shim with the round hole. The diagram doesn't show the vent window base. The stem slips through the base but there is a gap in the base. The round shims go on the stem in this gap. The top part of the stem is round and this is where the shims go.

Perhaps someone can post a picture of the correct assembly.

[Mike Wilson]

Juha: did you figure it out?

Mike

[Juha Vane]

Hi Mike,

Not yet, been traveling. In the other photo with the red screwdriver
mimicking the window shaft I see the gap in the base. I also noticed
the thin brass washers. But as the shaft is round and if I put the brass
washers with a round hole in this gap, they to my understanding do not
prohibit the window to come down. I made a washer with a slotted hole
and put this in this gap. Now when the shaft is partially slotted, the round
part of shaft can't go thru the washer I made and the window can't go down.
But this is not right, there should not be any home made washers, but I can't
figure out what else would stop the movement.

I'll try to take some photos on Monday.

[Mike Wilson]

The stem should slide down through the round washers in the gap.

Mike

[Scott Halperin]

How did you attached to straight piece of trim? It seems like I need to use contact cement to hold it in place.

[Mike Wilson]

Scott: if you are referring to the vertical piece of rubber, it fits in the channel without glue. In fact, I don't glue either piece.

Mike

[Norm Miller]

Juha,

Do not become too frustrated.
I spent more time re-assembling the vent window's than I did rebuilding the engine.
It is a insidious German jigsaw puzzle.

Norm

[Juha Vane]

Yes, I must believe that this car has been very expensive to build, lots of hand fitting.
But of course the builders had experience so it was probably easy for them.

And I of course forgot to take the photos, but still don't understand what is holding
the window in place if the spring is tightened.

Also I'm anxious, I'm leaving tomorrow for our Porsche club mini-parade to Sweden
and was really hoping to go with the 356, but no...