Door Glass Channel Liners

[Theorangetiger]

I just made my first attempt at installing replacement one of the door glass channel liners from SS and the results were far from satisfactory. The replacements are designed to hold in place without the rivets that held the originals. The problem is they are anything but easy to install. They are coated in a soft rubber that will provide friction and keep them in place when installed but that makes them slightly oversized and nearly impossible to press into place. As I pressed it in, one side would go in okay but the other side was so tight that the rubber would separate and shear away from the metal channel.
I tried several methods including rubber and wooden mallets and tapping on a piece of plastic the same thickness as the glass in the channel. Nothing made them go in easily and it actually got more difficult and the results got worse the closer I got to finishing. The liner got more distorted as I made my way down.
I understand there is a balance with this design with being able to press it in and have it stay but they are anything but user friendly.
Has anyone tackled this and hopefully figured something out that they can pass along?

 

[woody6]

This may not be anything you don't already know, but here goes.

I also bought the kit from Sunbeam Specialties. The metal-backed channels only go in the window tracks in the front of the door. For me, those fit and worked fine. The window channels in the rear of the door use a glue-in fabric. I bead-blasted my tracks and I know they were clean, but when the fabric or felt was installed, the window fit was tight and reluctant to slide in the track, making cranking the window tough. I found a suggestion on an Alpine forum to use seatbelt-like material for the rear slide, and to lubricate it with a silicone spray once installed. So I bought a roll of black material from Amazon and glued it in place, and the window moved much more freely.

Hope this helps.

 

[0neoffive]

DITTO with the front track install. I make a long-ish push block on the table saw and smear mystery oil on the rubber. The material from SS works well in the rear track if you iron it with some heat to smooth down the feathers and make it thinner. The bride made me get my own iron. And yes, some seat belt material is dimension close enough to work well.

 

[Theorangetiger]

Thanks for the input. I laminated some 3/16" plastic strips to make what sounds like a similar block. I like silicone spray in situations like this because it evaporates quickly and leaves no residue. They all went in fine. The lower ones were much easier, maybe because they don't have the angle of the uppers and can be supported squarely.
I had seen the instructions for the rear fabric liners and figured those would be easier. With the warning, I'll tackle those this weekend.