West Bend, Wi. — There’s something special about working on an old car — the craftsmanship, the quirks, the history. For Josh Uelmen at Glass Doctor in West Bend, Wi, that magic came alive as he tackled a tricky driver’s side window replacement on a customer’s vintage Ford Deluxe.
“We’re working on the ’48 Deluxe,” Uelmen said. The shiny, grey classic was parked in the bay inside the shop on Main Street. “The front window was cracked. It’s flat glass, so they don’t really make them anymore. We decided to cut a custom piece right here so he can get it back on the road by the weekend.”
Uelmen explained many door windows on older cars were made from flat glass, which means with the right tools — and a bit of skill — they can be replicated in-house.
“A lot of times, we’ll take the old piece out, use it as a template, and cut a new one,” he said. “Some enthusiast sites online still make them if you send in the specs, but for a project like this, we can just cut it ourselves and fit it.”
The Ford’s driver’s-side window was no ordinary job. Uelmen pointed out the unique crank mechanism that allows the glass to tilt open before rolling down — a two-stage design rarely seen on modern cars.
“It’s neat to see how they engineered these things back then,” Uelmen said. “Today’s cars have stationary glass glued in place. This one cranks open first, then drops down. Makes for an interesting fit.”
The seals on the classic car were left untouched.
“Most of the time, unless it’s a full restoration, owners choose to keep the original seals,” Uelmen said. “They’re brittle and hard to replace. We don’t want to risk breaking them, especially when the car isn’t out in bad weather anyway.”
Thanks to having the right piece of glass in stock — and the right tint to match — Glass Dr. expects to have the Ford’s window finished by the end of the week.
“He dropped it off Monday,” Uelmen said. “We’ll have it ready for the weekend. That’s pretty quick for a job like this.”
For Uelmen, these vintage projects are a welcome change of pace.
“It’s always fun working on something with history,” he said. “Every old car teaches you a little something new.”
