My 26T Coupe build thread

[roadster32]

Seeing as i hate installing window mechanisms i thought i would get this job out of the way early on

The doors came with a crude Mini based system that didn't work that well to be honest and the window didn't go full travel due to the height of a tall T window.
I thought i might be able too reuse the runners but once i got into the door itself i realised they wern't great either so the door was stripped out, while there i removed the complete inner bottom as it looked like somebody had chewed it out

On inspection the doors wern't as accurate as i thought This isn't a dig at the mould maker as he probably hadn't a decent body to start with but nothing was really very square and there are dips and wobbles on virtually every surface

the easy way out would of been with an electric kit but I did not want electric windows as i feel its more old car with windups and i like them

Here's the door stripped out but still with the window runners in, The runners came out easily as they had been glued in with Gripfill but i then spent ages sanding out the Gripfill with a finger sander








Here stripped completely







Firstly i put in a 20mm x 20mm x 3mm box perimeter frame to keep things square, this is made in 2 pieces as it needs to be removeable, this is secured to the grp inner by various contersunk bolts that thread into rivnuts in the box section.








When i removed the runners i found a void in each corner so i managed to get inside and rough the glass up and filled them up with good old strawberry









The body came with horrible surface mounted locks that you get on landrovers and looked aweful so were resigned to the bin
I tried a multitude of different locks but none would work due to the T doors being thin and nothing would clear the window.

Gomez appeared one day clutching a pair of 1/2" thick locks that had double latching and were really smooth operating and were perfect for my doors, thanks mate







The lock was mounted temporally in the right place, A slot was cut into the steel box for the lock to sit into.














I have been installing window winders in project Fordson and i was using VW beetle mechanisms that were perfect for it thanks to advice from deudetuor & Mark Bull (thanks guys)
While installing i thought they may work for the T but were a little short on travel

The main problems with the T doors is they have really tall windows that need 20" of travel, also they are pretty narrow so any mechanism needs to be quite slim.

After a bit of thought i decided that if they were extended on the bottom they would maybe work apart from not having enough inner cable length, this was solved by moving the handle gear along the runner, this came out great as it now also put the handle in a more convenient place

Before doing anything i had to sort out the top of the door itself as it was all over the place dipping and uneven so the glass was ground for a key and a couple of lengths of steel clamped in place as guides. Then the surface was built up with chopped mat and resin till level with the steel guides. this also stiffened it all up as it was pretty thin.









Here's the mechanism laid in place.







The bottom stock brackets were cut off and replaced with pieces from some spare scrap runners, they are extended 5" here.







Securing brackes were made and welded to each end and bolted via rivnuts to the framework.









I now had the mechanism mounted centrally in the door so next job was to move the handle gear along the cable runner.
The gear was secured together with rivets so these were drilled out and will be replaced with 5mm bolts and nuts, The gear operates the cable through a slot 25mm wide so another slot was cut 5" further along and reasembled.










I now had a mechanism that had 22" of travel next job was to make up a winding hanle mount, this was made from a piece of 2mm steel sheet and bolts in place again via rivnuts installed in the box section.









Next a window was cut from some 4mm ply as a template for the glass, I'm using flexible window channel so that was countoured to fit and placed in the door.












Here's what i have so far








Next job was to operate the locks some way, luckily a mate came up with a pair of lock regulators so these were modified to fit and installed (thanks Paul). the handles themselves were made from 10mm stainless and made the same way as my exterior handles.











An operating rod was made up and fitted and it all worked really smoothly and perfectly Apart from a bit of cleanup it all works really nicely and smoothly.