40's Pickup door glass - Channel or no Channel?

[411Ton]

Ive seen lots of pictures of 40-47 trucks, some with the channel on the door glass, some without. My research seems to indicate that in 1942, the channel was chrome plated steel and the doors themselves along with the regulators were changed to accommodate. So 40/41 doors are unique in this regard, and unless you're changing the complete door and glass to the later channel style, you have to source 40/41 door hardware. Does the Hive agree?

[ActionYobbo]

I know the 39 and 40 trucks had metal channel’s around the door window glass but the pickup did not. There is no difference in the felt that goes in the door to support the glass but the strip that goes across the bottom of the window opening is too thick in current repro kits available. They work fine on glass only but interfere with the metal frame on the trucks glass.

[Kube]

Originally Posted by 411Ton

Ive seen lots of pictures of 40-47 trucks, some with the channel on the door glass, some without. My research seems to indicate that in 1942, the channel was chrome plated steel and the doors themselves along with the regulators were changed to accommodate. So 40/41 doors are unique in this regard, and unless you're changing the complete door and glass to the later channel style, you have to source 40/41 door hardware. Does the Hive agree?

I know what you are referring to. 1940 PU, NO glass surround.

[Mart]

My 41 pickup has no metal frame around the glass. I believe this is as factory.

[411Ton]

Thanks folks. I am restoring a 41 3/4 ton pickup truck(should I call it Express?) and the original glass is in one door, no channel. I'm going with that as the rule then. Thanks!

[Karl Wescott]

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To avoid confusion, can we refer to the part that goes around the glass as "window surround frame" (does anyone have a better idea?), and the part that holds the glass at the bottom and the regulator interacts with as the "bottom channel" (Ford nomenclature).


The bottom channels appear to be different between the non-frame windows and the framed windows as the bottom channel has attachment tabs for the frame. The regulator interface appears the same to me.

[TJ]

I didn't think that the steel frame around the glass did not start until 1942 on the pickup.

[fordyford]

I agree with Karl on terminology. My observations are that surround frames were a war time thing. Chrome was not found on these due to metal shortages in those years. The frames came painted black. If you have one in chrome it could be some ones custom improvement. Tacoma cream paint was used as the replacement for chrome on most trim items such as door handles, light rings, ornaments, grills. The fuzzy guide channels were the same on all styles.

[scooder]

My 1942 pickup has no metal frame around the door glass, I believe this came in during the US war years.
Martin.

[411Ton]

Tacoma cream paint was used as the replacement for chrome on most trim items such as door handles, light rings, ornaments, grills

Can I get further explanation on this? Are you saying that instead of decorative metal, they painted things in this cream color?

[Doublepumper]

^ Grille, hood trim pieces, headlight and parking light surrounds and outside door handles were painted Tacoma Cream on my '46 pickup. Door glass frames painted black.

[Fritz]

I haven’t seen any definitive information on when the metal frames appeared. The V8 club book doesn’t mention it either. It does state that late production 1941 pickups had hood trim painted Tacoma Cream instead of being chromed. I have a late production 41 pickup with painted trim, but a chrome instrument panel bezel. It’s my understanding that the painted bezel began in 1942.

My pickup also has the black painted door window frames, but it’s hard to tell with a lot of these trucks what has been replaced with later or earlier stuff. It has a 41 cab and doors as far as I can tell. It seems to me also that in transition periods, such as this Ford did not have much consistency or rhyme or reason.

I did always wonder why someone would paint the chrome hood trim, until I learned about the late models having paint.

[Doublepumper]

According to the Ford Trucks Since 1905 book, page 219. The door glass metal surrounds first appeared in 1945.