MK2: Separating door glass and pressed steel lifter / carrier

Through years of water ingress the pressed steel lifter on the bottom of my D/side window has become shafted, and needs replacing.

(Partially waxoyled steel bit attached to the base of the p/side window in the pic below)



It appears that there's a rubber liner inside the steel bracket, separating it from the glass itself. I'm assuming it's all bonded together although according to the old man, the practice used to be to have an interference fit.

Does anyone know for certain how they're attached, and how one might best go about separating and refitting the bits? Also, what sort of adhesive (if any) should be used? Nothing is mentioned in ETKA that I can see.

Half thinking it might be best to cut the old bracket off to avoid stressing the glass, then assemble the whole lot into the door and wind it up to seat it. Not sure about access to align it all and whether the motor would have to torque to squash it all together though..

Oh yeah, replacement brackets are about 6 quid from VW, if anyone is in a similar situation.

Obviously with having to exert some force and hold the glass safely this is a prime opportunity for me to royally f*ck it up, so any advice is much appreciated

 

To remove it i'd use a flap wheel attached to a grinder to sand ( or grind ) the bottom edge of the steel along its length, when you get low enought it will weaken enough to remove with out ever grinding to the glass , that its if it is a push fit, however if it is glued then you could employ the same procedure with caution not to grind too far as too damage the glass but enough to split the steel, then pry away the steel.

As for refitting the new piece ? no idea.

 

Cheers dude - I was thinking pretty similar but it'll have to be a grinding wheel as I don't have such luxury as a flap wheel

Think I'll also cover the exposed glass in cardboard to minimise the potential for damage through slippage / sparks.

Not sure if it'll be happeneing at the moment mind as I got word back from our supplier that some of the parts I've ordered from them are obsolete - so it might be that I can't get a replacement lifter anyway

I do have an entire replacement window from my old car, alhough it's later glass without the funky "uniglas" etchings, and I'd rather keep the original if I can..

 

dude dont use a cutting wheel , the vibrtion will probably break the glass
put the glass curve side down (so that it rocks) on a carpet or rug, hold a piece of wood on the edge of the runner (not the end, the edge parallel to the glass) and tap firmly with a hammer
you may need someone to hold the glass still

 

as for fitting the new one .....
mark exactly where the old one is. place the rubber between the marks then line up the runner over the top. squat down and put the top edge of the glass in the crook of your leg/stomach. you should now be looking at the bottom edge of the glass with the runner uppermost.
using the same piece of wood from earlier, rest it on one end of the runner and strike firmly with the hammer.... then the other side...then the other side until the runner is home
the wood is to absorb some of the shock

 

Thanks for the guidance - certainly sounds like you're experienced in such matters

Now you mention it, a solid abrasive wheel might not do the glass any favours

I did have a look at the glass liberated from my old car and it appears that the whole assembly is bonded on, so I'm not sure how effective attempting to tap the carrier off will be.. although from what I can see it looks fairly swollen and corroded so I might get away with it.

Got to ring TPS tomorrow to see about the bits; thinking they're obsolete, and not quite sure where to go from here if they are.

Cheers again

 

if its bonded on.... clamp the lower part of the runner in a vice, spray the glue with wd40 and slice away with a real sharp knife. a long flexible thin blade is best
this is harder though so good luck matie

 

Cheers guys - although it looks like this is going to have to be put on hold indefinitely, as the replacement carrier is obsolete from VW [:^(]

 

http://www.volkswagen-classic-parts.de/

find the vw original part number and fill in the details or give them a call, they have lots of original vw parts available, moast of them out of stock from vw.

 

Thanks for the link - not seen that site before.

According to their online availability checker they have this part in stock - I've enquired about cost, and providing it's not horribly expensive I'll get one sent over

Cheers again - looks like a really handy site that will definitely be bookmarked