Replacing Traveller sliding window channels

[kenastin]

Hi, I have just acquired a Traveller (1965) and I am about to replace the sliding window channels. Has anyone got any tips? How does water drain away from bottom of channels? Do I need to silicone seal the bottom channels? Are the grooves in the timber frame there to allow drainage? if so where does the water exit? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
Ken

[simmitc]

Hello Ken, welcome to the forum and to Minor ownership. This site has a search feature, and this topic has been covered before, so you may find some useful posts. In a nutshell:

Remove rear seat support (where the bolt goes)
Remove rear door stay.
Remove mid (waist) rail capping strip.
The glass and runners now slide out. The runner should be retained by copper pins or similar, but if they are more than a year old, then the chances are that the runners will disintegrate and pull out without any problems.

The groves in the wood are indeed for drainage, and there should be a series of holes from each channel down through the wood to the outside of the panel, which is where the water goes.

The standard runners do not require sealing, except along the inside edge where the inner runner sits on the waist rail and against the capping piece. Without the sealant, water will run down the inside of the car.

[bmcecosse]

Be sure to treat the timber well before fitting the runners (Cuprinol 5 star) - and clear the drain holes.

[kenastin]

Thanks Simmitc & bmcecosse for your quick reply. I have managed to get the the glass out and find that the old channels have been glued in with some sort of mastic!! slowly clearing out the wood grooves now but I have not come across any drain holes? It looks like I am going to have to drill some holes, how big should they be and how far apart should they be?
Your help is much appreciated.
Thanks
Ken

[brucek]

Sometimes easier to look on the underside of the waist rail from the outside - it could be the the drain holes have just been blocked by the mastic/crud of years. Use a drill bit to clear the holes from below and you should then see where they are from the inside

[bmcecosse]

Unless someone has made their own timber sections - they WILL be there.....

[simmitc]

If the holes can be seen from underneath the rail then run the drill bit up by hand - (a) the holes near the centre of the arch have only very limited clearance, and you won't fit a drill unit in there! (b) it's easy to drive the drill at the wrong angle, so turning it between two fingers gives better control.

The holes should be 1/4 inch. If they are really not there, then be very careful how you drill them. They need to run at a slight angle to ensure that the exit the bottom of the rail OUTSIDE the aluminum panel. It would be very easy to use the wrong angle, and destroy the edge of the panel

[kenastin]

Thanks guys, sounds like good advice. Many thanks.