1968 Thunderbird Landau Coupe needs parts !

Excaliburss

Excaliburss

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Joined
Dec 4, 2016
Thunderbird Year
1968
Hi, I am still looking for a nice usable driver side top rail gasket ( wheater strip ) My car is a Coupe with the little rear side window, that slides back. If there is anybody who has that, please take contact.
 

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Hi, I am still looking for a nice usable driver side top rail gasket ( wheater strip ) My car is a Coupe with the little rear side window, that slides back. If there is anybody who has that, please take contact.
Been looking for the same parts. Found a non electrical window one on ebay. So you can keep looking there. The closest i've come to finding the reservoir was a 67 mustang. They do not make exact ones anymore. Some mercury cougars and mark III have interchangeable parts also. I feel your pain. It seems like everyone forgot about the 67-69
 
Mac's Auto Parts has these weatherstrips. The website is www.macsautoparts.com and search for part for your year of TBird. I think the part number is 66-69329-1 for your 1968. This is for a set of the roof rail weatherstrip, for the left and right side. Call them if there's any question about which set is right for you.

I just bought a set of the roof rail and beltline weatherstrips for my 1970 two door sport coupe. These are not cheap.

I'm just a customer; I'm not affiliated with them.
 
Thanks for replies ! It is to bad they only sell in pairs as my right side is still perfect and last another 50 years.....
Question to Toothaker : I want to bring my car to the body shop for a pro repaint and I am not sure how to take the chrome/beltline of the car. There is a long one on the door and a short one on the small rear window. Hate to damage them. Could you give me some advice ? I do not have the 67-work shop manual. Also the trim around the vinyl top I am not sure about.....are there any screws there or just clips ? Appreciate any help here. Thanks
 
Excaliburss, you won't like the answer. :)

You have to dismantle the door.

1. Remove the arm rest. Drop the aluminum cover, then remove the four bolts that hold it on.
2. Remove the inside door panel. No screws, but 10 to 12 clips. Some of mine were rusted, so I ordered new ones from summitracing.com - they are available a lot of places.
3. Remove the glass - yes, you have to because it covers the screws holding the beltline. I found a Youtube video by West Coast Cougar documenting how to replace the door glass. There are minor differences between the Cougar and Thunderbird, but the principles apply. (you might be able to drop the glass down a bit - I will try this with the driver's side when I get to it.)
4. Eight small screws hold the chrome to the door, and the outside beltline window fabric is stapled to the chrome. One of the screws was unreachable until I drilled a hole in the tab that hold the door panel.
5. The door panel has the inside beltline fabric piece stapled to it. You will need to cut the staples and attach the replacement to it. I will be using pop rivets. The West Coast Cougar video says to reuse the old one if it is in good shape. Mine needs replaced.
6. Found rust under the chrome. Ground it down to bare metal, and rattle can painted the portion that will be covered by the chrome. If I later paint the car the right way this will all be pulled anyway. If I go cheap, they can mask the chrome and paint right up to it. Either way, the rust is stopped for now.

The back seat window is very similar - pull the arm rest, door panel, glass, etc. just to get to the beltline.

I did all this because my window was broken when I bought the car a couple of months ago. Plus the armrest was broken, and the door panel is broken.

I dread doing the driver's side.

Now, working in reverse:
1. Install the chrome beltline.
2. Drill small holes and screw the new outside beltline fabric into the chrome. The new fabric has huge holes where the screws holding the chrome go, and aren't useful for holding the fabric. (This is where I am with the project. Will upload pictures soon).
3. Replace the glass, or in my case install the replacement glass.
4. I will install sheetmetal behind the door panel, between the panel and the fabric, and pop rivet it into place, strengthening the panel. Plus, I am experimenting with something regarding the panel. If it works, I will share what I learned. :)
5. Pop rivet the new inside window beltline felt to the door panel and install it.
5. Using a 'plastic welding kit' I bought from Mac's, I will repair the armrest and reinstall it.

Then I will tackle the back seat windows on the right side, and replace the window seal while the back window is dismantled. Then I get to do it all again on the driver's side.20171030_183322.jpg 20171030_183335.jpg
 
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If there's interest, I can keep taking pictures as I work through this project.

I realized I missed answering a question regarding the landau roof, and the chrome/aluminum trim around it. My car is a sports roof model, so I don't have first hand experience with the trim around the vinyl roof, but I will share what I read somewhere. There are screws at the ends/corners that penetrate the roof and have nuts on them. The trim and headliner cover these, so these will need to be removed - carefully. The screws are cast into the pieces, so breaking the screw destroys the trim. Between the screws there are clips that have to be gently pried up. If you damage the clips, replacements are available. Again, not my personal knowledge.
 
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Oh man, thanks so much for your help here !!! I was already afraid for all of this. Why on all earth did they build these beautiful cars that way ? This will be quiet a challenge for me old chap, but it has to be done to get the car mint.
I will let you know when I get there and post my experience. Once again : Thanks for your time and advice/pics !!!
 
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