[T3] pop-out windows on a fastback

[Phil Hof]

On the ’71 the holes are there, as stated.  They are too large for a screw to get a good bite on them as-is, since the maximum thread size is limited by the hole in the latch end.  So some sort of reinforcement is required.  I actually tried it before I know better, and in only a few operations, the windows would neither stay fully open nor fully closed.  I used small wood blocks to hold them open, and a bungee cord from side to side to hold them together, closed.  So when it came time to restore Clemmie, I know I had to do something to make the mounting secure.  Those screws take a lot of force in the open position, trying to rip them out.  Alex came up with the nut-backed plate idea, in preference to rivet-nuts or other pop-in solutions.  Since I needed a new headliner, it was easy to take care of this while it was stripped out.
The small holed for the frame pegs (a third of the way from front to back) were also in the window opening bodywork.  I believe that is all that holds it together.  The rest of the rubber and frame installs much like regular fixed-glass.
Like in my Bugs, the pop outs allow for relatively quiet airflow through the car even at low speeds, if you crack the vent wings and open the pop-outs.  And when parked in the sun, the car stays far cooler with them open, yet the car is secure.
Once you solve the nut plate problem, the rest of the installation is pretty straightforward.  I think ISP West has instructions for the seals on their site, but I could not find them recently when I briefly looked.
I don’t have pictures of the early model hinge area, though.
-Phil

> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 3
> Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2014 14:39:17 -0600
> From: "Jim Adney" <jadney at vwtype3.org>
> To: type3 at vwtype3.org
> Subject: Re: [T3] pop-out windows on a fastback
> Message-ID: <52D05A75.3418.1761EB8 at jadney.vwtype3.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
> 
> On 10 Jan 2014 at 13:10, Bobsnotch at aol.com wrote:
> 
>> Yeah, it's basically a "tapping plate" for the sheet metal screws to  
>> anchor to. On the 71 and later cars, that plate was eliminated because VW  went 
>> with "flow thru ventilation" on those cars (with the blower motor), and  felt 
>> the need for the pop outs wasn't needed. On the 71 to 73 cars, the holes  
>> are there, but the plate is missing. 
> 
> Is the OE "tapping plate" inside the C pillar or spot welded to the 
> outside surface? ISTR that the holes are sort of countersunk, so I 
> wonder if they would hold the screws even without the extra 
> reinforcement.
> 
> 
> -- 
> *******************************
> Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
> Madison, Wisconsin, USA
> *******************************