Velcro for relining window guide channels
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2002
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From: NorCal
Velcro for relining window guide channels
This clever idea of using velcro strips to reline side window channels is one I hadn't heard before. It popped up on another online group. The author did this on a Studebaker, but it should work on anything. Here's his writeup:
The windows were either pretty stuck or the channels had no lining at all, allowing the glass to slop around. Looking at the originally flocked channel liners, I didn’t know where to turn to replace the missing ones which allowed bad window rattle, and the sticky ones had linings peeling off & dirt packed in, jamming the channels.
Rummaging thru my stash, I found 1 in. wide black velcro strips – hook vs loop – and tried folding up a strip of the nylon loop material and stuffing it into a bare channel. Son of a B – it fit like a glove, and even seemed to lock itself into the tiny rolled edges of the channel so it stayed put without even glue, with the loops facing the glass. Running the window up & down, it was very smooth after I lubed all the bone dry pivot joints & applied some grease to the sector gears. Turns out the tiny nylon loops which grab the hook strip are marvelous little anti-rattle springs, and don’t hold dirt like felt/velour liners, and water washes right thru the loops to clean out the dust..
So I replaced all the sticky window channels with the loop velcro and all 4 door windows felt like new. Didn’t have to go looking all over the web for channel liners – made them up on the spot. Anyone with sticky windows overpowering their elec or hyd. window lifts ought to try this out. You can get the strip velcro at any Joann fabrics or off the web. The hook strip might work too, just never bothered to try it out as it looked funky vs the loop material’s closer similarity to original liner material.
The windows were either pretty stuck or the channels had no lining at all, allowing the glass to slop around. Looking at the originally flocked channel liners, I didn’t know where to turn to replace the missing ones which allowed bad window rattle, and the sticky ones had linings peeling off & dirt packed in, jamming the channels.
Rummaging thru my stash, I found 1 in. wide black velcro strips – hook vs loop – and tried folding up a strip of the nylon loop material and stuffing it into a bare channel. Son of a B – it fit like a glove, and even seemed to lock itself into the tiny rolled edges of the channel so it stayed put without even glue, with the loops facing the glass. Running the window up & down, it was very smooth after I lubed all the bone dry pivot joints & applied some grease to the sector gears. Turns out the tiny nylon loops which grab the hook strip are marvelous little anti-rattle springs, and don’t hold dirt like felt/velour liners, and water washes right thru the loops to clean out the dust..
So I replaced all the sticky window channels with the loop velcro and all 4 door windows felt like new. Didn’t have to go looking all over the web for channel liners – made them up on the spot. Anyone with sticky windows overpowering their elec or hyd. window lifts ought to try this out. You can get the strip velcro at any Joann fabrics or off the web. The hook strip might work too, just never bothered to try it out as it looked funky vs the loop material’s closer similarity to original liner material.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 15,254
Likes: 2,252
From: NorCal
Thanks- I will try that when/if mine ever come loose again. Last time was about 10 years ago, and I used double sided tape on the glass before inserting it in the channel. It’s still holding so far!
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 192
Likes: 26
From: Columbia, SC
I have suggested using Velcro several times on this forum. I also used it to seal off the air duct intake to avoid removing the flapper. Just lined the inside of the fiberglass duct with Velcro and cleaned the felt from the original flapper.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2004
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From: Pittsburgh
2024 C2 of the Year Finalist - Modified
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This clever idea of using velcro strips to reline side window channels is one I hadn't heard before. It popped up on another online group. The author did this on a Studebaker, but it should work on anything. Here's his writeup:
The windows were either pretty stuck or the channels had no lining at all, allowing the glass to slop around. Looking at the originally flocked channel liners, I didn’t know where to turn to replace the missing ones which allowed bad window rattle, and the sticky ones had linings peeling off & dirt packed in, jamming the channels.
Rummaging thru my stash, I found 1 in. wide black velcro strips – hook vs loop – and tried folding up a strip of the nylon loop material and stuffing it into a bare channel. Son of a B – it fit like a glove, and even seemed to lock itself into the tiny rolled edges of the channel so it stayed put without even glue, with the loops facing the glass. Running the window up & down, it was very smooth after I lubed all the bone dry pivot joints & applied some grease to the sector gears. Turns out the tiny nylon loops which grab the hook strip are marvelous little anti-rattle springs, and don’t hold dirt like felt/velour liners, and water washes right thru the loops to clean out the dust..
So I replaced all the sticky window channels with the loop velcro and all 4 door windows felt like new. Didn’t have to go looking all over the web for channel liners – made them up on the spot. Anyone with sticky windows overpowering their elec or hyd. window lifts ought to try this out. You can get the strip velcro at any Joann fabrics or off the web. The hook strip might work too, just never bothered to try it out as it looked funky vs the loop material’s closer similarity to original liner material.
The windows were either pretty stuck or the channels had no lining at all, allowing the glass to slop around. Looking at the originally flocked channel liners, I didn’t know where to turn to replace the missing ones which allowed bad window rattle, and the sticky ones had linings peeling off & dirt packed in, jamming the channels.
Rummaging thru my stash, I found 1 in. wide black velcro strips – hook vs loop – and tried folding up a strip of the nylon loop material and stuffing it into a bare channel. Son of a B – it fit like a glove, and even seemed to lock itself into the tiny rolled edges of the channel so it stayed put without even glue, with the loops facing the glass. Running the window up & down, it was very smooth after I lubed all the bone dry pivot joints & applied some grease to the sector gears. Turns out the tiny nylon loops which grab the hook strip are marvelous little anti-rattle springs, and don’t hold dirt like felt/velour liners, and water washes right thru the loops to clean out the dust..
So I replaced all the sticky window channels with the loop velcro and all 4 door windows felt like new. Didn’t have to go looking all over the web for channel liners – made them up on the spot. Anyone with sticky windows overpowering their elec or hyd. window lifts ought to try this out. You can get the strip velcro at any Joann fabrics or off the web. The hook strip might work too, just never bothered to try it out as it looked funky vs the loop material’s closer similarity to original liner material.
Great stuff...Being the Lazy Son of a ----- that I am....Would I be able to Clean, and install the softer (Loop) velcro in my Window Channels without tearing the interior door panels out? Are we talking Window posts also or just the door channels?
Thanks,
Dcamick
Last edited by dcamick; Apr 2, 2019 at 10:16 AM.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2002
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From: NorCal
Oops ... I hadn't found your posts ... apologies for reposting your info. I hadn't heard of this method, so thought others would like to hear about it, but you already covered that.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 13,615
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From: NorCal
LouieM.
Great stuff...Being the Lazy Son of a ----- that I am....Would I be able to Clean, and install the softer (Loop) velcro in my Window Channels without tearing the interior door panels out? Are we talking Window posts also or just the door channels?
Thanks,
Dcamick
Great stuff...Being the Lazy Son of a ----- that I am....Would I be able to Clean, and install the softer (Loop) velcro in my Window Channels without tearing the interior door panels out? Are we talking Window posts also or just the door channels?
Thanks,
Dcamick
Dcamick, I haven't done this operation myself; I'm just reposting it from another forum, in case it is of use to someone here.
Lou
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 15,314
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From: Close to DC
C2 of the Year Finalist - Modified 2020
Just from my weak visual memory, I replaced my channels on my '67' convertible without pulling all the guts out. Can't speak about a coupe. 
Dennis
Dennis
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Instructor
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 192
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From: Columbia, SC
No apologies necessary. I'm just saying I have posted this before and never received one comment good or bad. May not be NCRS accepted but sure worked well in both of my applications. Hopefully others will find some merit to this approach.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 17,571
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From: Fresno California
Excellent idea. I've used velcro for various things at work, and it comes in all sizes and really does hold up. The quality of the 'fuzzies' that are reproduced for our old cars in my experience has been terrible....I can see why velcro would be easier to work with and actually work better. Thanks for the post!! As a happy non-participant of NCRS, this will work great for me!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,042
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From: Sun Prairie WI
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...t-63-conv.html
... link from about 14 months ago, similar subject.
Use 'hook' -- not loop -- velcro, 1" wide, ~30" length for convertible. Good quality, non-adhesive backed; not "fabric store" stuff. Cure by inserting, slightly bending & securing a wooden rod. The 1" width will exactly fill the 3 inside surfaces of the "U" channel without trimming. Removing old fuzzie mat'l is time consuming, but worth it.