Save for your bigger custom shops--and those phony TV shows we all love to watch--finishing a chopped car of pretty much any type is no easy task ... and I'm not even talking about the roof chop itself! Anyone who has ever dealt with trying to get a curved windshield cut down knows what I'm talking about. From there, things don't really get a whole lot easier until the cabin of your car is completely sealed from the elements--that means a backlight (and not necessarily the stock unit, as the tempered glass is near impossible to cut), quarter windows, and door glass that actually rolls up and down. Most would rather pull out their Sawzall and MIG welder than have to deal with modifying and installing glass in a chopped car, but if you want to truly say it's finished, ya gotta do it!
For me, driving around without side glass wasn't all that big of a deal until I got the Chevy painted. Once the shiny stuff was on, the lack of glass stuck out like a sore thumb, as did the lack of interior. It appeared I'd finally rounded the bend toward "Finished Custom Lane," and there was no turning back. Fortunately, the party responsible for chopping the top, Todd Gravelle, had masterfully taken care of the windshield (going so far as making a fiberglass template, which I still have) and installation of the Plymouth rear glass. I had a few options for the remainder of the glass, but, not wanting to screw anything up, I decided it was best to seek professional help.
Knowing no ordinary automotive glass shop in my area would even bother wasting its time with my Bel Air's unique requirements, I went straight to the source of SoCal custom glass--Mike Cox at The Glass House in San Dimas. He's fitted glass for everything from Concours-level restorations to Deuce coupes. I figured he'd say my situation would be cake to handle, and have me on my merry way in no time. Not quite.
Upon his introduction to the Chevy, he immediately inquired as to where the stock window regulator assemblies were. I was so anxious to get the glass done that I'd completely overlooked making sure the crucial internal door parts were still intact. They weren't, and neither were the window channels, or anything else for that matter. "OK, how about the vent window assemblies?" he asked. I quickly pulled out the freshly chopped frames. Seeing that they were only tack-welded together, he smiled, handed them back, and said, "Well, when you get these all welded and chrome plated, as well as all the regulator parts, come back and see me." Uh, OK. ...
A month later, I returned, parts in hand. But instead of trying to restore an old manual window mechanism, I ordered a power window kit from Electric-Life, hoping it would make things a lot easier for Mike. It did, fortunately. To conceal the presence of the power windows in a nostalgic manner, I ordered a pair of switches from Hotronics--the ones that accept splined cranks and mount in the stock locations. (Now I just have to make sure and alert all passengers to not try and roll the window down by hand!) We were finally able to move forward on making templates for the custom-cut safety glass that would eventually fill the voids on each side of the '53. Cool.
Probably the easiest part of the whole installation process was installing the cable-style power window kit. Mike had to make his own rear channel guides from universal stock, but other than that, everything went right in like it was meant to be. Due to the angle created by the chop, it was determined that fixed quarter glass was the way to go. That was good, 'cuz I didn't have the rear regulators either! Follow along as I get one step closer to finished--maybe it'll inspire you to do likewise.
Installing glass in an old...
Installing glass in an old car isn't too big of a pain. But when you start messing with factory geometrics--i.e. chopped top--you introduce a whole new element of obstacles to overcome. Instead of trying to make factory equipment work, we started from scratch with an Electric-Life power window kit, crank switches from Hotronics, and Steele Rubber seals from GT Restoration.
There's a reason people go...
There's a reason people go to the pros--they know what they're doing. In this case, The Glass House proprietor Mike Cox was the only one game in town. Having done more custom glass applications than he probably cares to recall, the '53 Chevy project was just another couple day's work for him. Here he's using one of the many cable-regulator templates, plotting the location for the Electric-Life kit.
The pattern is basically a...
The pattern is basically a tracing of the cable-driven unit that can be used to locate mounting holes on the inner door, as well as placement of the entire unit. This eliminates the need to cram the parts inside the door to test fit.
On a stock application, the...
On a stock application, the kit would simply bolt in and work with little or no modification; on an altered-height situation, there are a few additional things to be done in order for the glass to be raised and lowered the proper amount.
Along with a stop for the...
Along with a stop for the "down" position, Mike had to determine the amount of travel required to raise the glass into the "up" position--without going too far.
Though the car was not fully...
Though the car was not fully prepared to have new door glass installed, Mike avoided what could have been an ugly situation by fabbing up his own rear glass channels in just a few minutes.
Working around the door solenoid...
Working around the door solenoid didn't pose any problems for us, but you always want to make certain the glass has ample room to travel up and down. The Phillips screw shown in the sash channel track is the stop.
Once the power window regulators...
Once the power window regulators were handled, Mike installed the Hotronics power window switches, which mount right in the stock manual crank location on the door.
Once the door panels are in...
Once the door panels are in place, you won't even know the Chevy's got power windows thanks to the clever Hotronics switches. The shafts are splined to accept standard GM crank handles (also available in Ford spline or with square ends). Before being mounted behind the doorskin, Mike pre-wired and tested them.
The hard part will be reminding...
The hard part will be reminding passengers to not try and roll the window down manually. Even if they do, the switches are built strong enough to withstand the abuse.
The chopped-down vent window...
The chopped-down vent window frames (worthy of a story in itself) posed no problems for Mike--he simply made patterns...
...cut the glass, installed...
...cut the glass, installed with the special tape, and fit new (modified) rubber seals.
Mike even sells a vent window...
Mike even sells a vent window hinge-riveting tool to properly reassemble the frame. It's not possible to install the rubber seal without separating the glass frame from the outer portion, which is where the hinge rivet comes into play.
See--no problem. For Mike,...
See--no problem. For Mike, that is. In the weeks leading up to the glass install, the frames were taken from stock form, carefully cut down, and then re-plated in a nice chrome finish.