1958 Ford F100 Pick Up Door Glass, Door Glass Guides, Door Latches and Locks Replacement – San Diego

A customer at JBA Performance Center was complaining that the windows didn’t role up on his 1958 Ford F100. At first it seemed like one of the window rollers broke which is a common problem, but after pulling the door panels it was discovered that there weren’t any glass to begin with. Most of the parts are reproduced except the front window guides, so I had to hunt around San Diego for some used ones. I got lucking, and managed to find both sides. Someone tried replacing all the window channels, but were all damaged because of the lack of the lower guides and glass. Another set of channels were installed, and they aligned properly with the used window guides. The only part of the window system that were actually in the doors were the window regulators. They were inspected and lubed before the glass went in. The new door glass are not available as an assembly, so the new glass guides had to be installed on the glass.  After everything was installed, the windows rolled up and down smoothly.  Next, were the door latches and locks. The doors had to be slammed shut, and if you were lucky they would close.  The door latches had a reciprocating star shaped catch that weren’t very safe back in the 1950′s. They’re also harder to adjust them compared to the latches from the mid 1960′s. New latches and locks were installed, but it took some work to get them open and close properly most of the time. The last thing that needed replacement were the inside door latch release mechanisms. They have a dual function. They open the doors, and lock the doors from the inside. Because the springs were very worn, the door would not always shut solid. They are used only, and hard to find.  In the meantime, the doors will have to be shut carefully.