1951 Chevy Pickup Glass

[Custom Dave]

It's time for me to replace windshield and door windows ('51 doesn't have vent window). Does the flat glass split windshield require the standard gasket (from LMC ?), or can I use a modern gasket with a lock strip, keeping the metal lip stock? Second question is: instead of using the '51 metal-edged door windows, I'd like to use smooth edged flat glass, requiring a thinner glass run channel, to make it a modern window. Anyone done this, or anyone have knowledge about the right glass run channel ?
Custom Dave

[Trekster]

A '51 has the vent window. They also don't have metal edged windows. You might have a '50 or older. The window channels are thinner on the '51 on up trucks. So, yes, you can install just glass if you use the thinner window channels.

Anyway, the windshields should be the same.

[mr48chev]

if you have a 51 and it has one piece door glass rather than having a vent window someone most likely switched the doors as Trekster suggested above. That' pretty common as a lot of guys didn't/don't care for the vent window. Also if it has been a modified truck for some time the vent windows was a tell tale sign that it wasn't a 47/48 truck when NSRA had the 48 and earlier cutoff and a lot of guys switched doors for that reason.

If you don't want to run the metal rim around the glass you will have to have the glass cut enough larger to compensate for the metal not being there along with getting the correct glass channel.

[Custom Dave]

Thank you Trekster and mr48chev. It wouldn't be the first time that a vehicle I owned turned out to be a different model year than I thought or was on the title. The title said it was a '53. But then I think a guy at Harmon's said that if it didn't have a vent window, it was a '51. So he was wrong. I notice that a previous owner had welded over the fender air vents, so that should help identify its year. The VIN # should help identify it. Where would I look that up?
As far as the windshield is concerned I'll just order the standard gasket I guess, and to achieve the rimless window, I'll order the class run channel for the model that doesn't have the metal rim. What year doesn't have the metal rim and also not have the vent window ? If that doesn't exist then I'll just order the glass run channel for the rimless window model and take my chances on whether I'll have enough of it.
Custom Dave

[mr48chev]

47 to 50 doors didn't have vent windows. They had the vent on the side of the cowl on the drivers side.
51 dropped the side vent and added the vent windows but still had the turn down door handles.
52/3 had the vent windows and push button door handles.

All that said guys regularly swapped doors and still do swap them all the time so vents or no vents isn't a positive indicator.

If the vin number matches the title it doesn't really matter about the rest of the truck unless you are going for a 100% showroom correct restoration.

[Custom Dave]

Hi mr48chev,
So from what you say, mine is probably a 47-50 because it has three features of those models: the cowl vent (covered over) and no-vent windows, and turn down door handles. I'm a custom guy so original is not so important to me. So when did they switch to frame-less door windows? If I order the glass-run channel for that year, I should be able to make the change to frame-less windows that way.
Custom Dave