The NOVA Project, Part 5

Around here, in the cultural center of the universe, old guys have a saying that "it's colder than a well digger's butt." Not sure what that means, but this picture has to be what that feels like.

Well, it has been like that here, for the last couple of days.  It's never this cold, this early in the season, so, I decided to do some indoor projects until it warms up a bit.
The rear window on the wagon needed some attention.  The original design was lacking.  It used glass setting tape to hold the glass in place, and when water ran down the window it gravitated towards the lowest point and thus caused rust.

It must be a common problem, because I see a lot of guys looking for new ones on the web.

The original was in pretty decent shape, I thought, until I removed the glass, revealing 50 years of decay.

They make these new frames aftermarket for about a hundred bucks.  Not cheap, but it's pretty amazing that someone re-pops them, as complex as they are.  To make sure this doesn't happen again, I changed the way I installed the glass.  

Instead of using the old timer cork, window setting tape, I opted for a more modern approach.  I filled the channel with windshield urethane and pressed the glass down into the channel.  This stuff gets on everything, so be careful or you will be wearing it.

It's pricey, but I think it is worth it.  It's about $25 per tube.  I picked mine up at NAPA.  

I used an old sheet to keep it off the table.  My wife already threatened me.  Doodle the wonder dog is waiting for me to screw up.

The sealant keeps the water from ever getting between the frame and the glass.  Some guy, fifty years from now will thank me.

I covered the backside of the tailgate close out panel in fat mat and the outside in coin mat.  It looks pretty good and functional, too.

One other thing,  If you ever decide to use a portable heater to turn the bathroom  into an autoclave for curing the windshield paint, first, remove your wife's candles from the walls. 

 I'm not sure at what temperature the candles start to melt, but they do.  Trust me, it's hard to explain.