Finally got around to doing the windows and just finished one. My take-aways:
- DO use the Posidriv bit that comes with the kit to remove the screws (or your own; I already had a set of Posidriv bits). It may look like a Philips screwdriver will work, but the Philips bit is designed to cam out above a certain torque, and you're more likely to strip a screw head with a Philips bit. Use a hand driver rather than a power driver, too, so you can be as gentle as possible in removing the screws.
- You may want to order a couple of new screws to replace the bottom middle rail screw in each window; mine were fairly rusty and they're cheap, relatively speaking
- The instructions say not to remove the bottom middle rail screw, but I found it much easier to remove it and disassemble the vertical rail and fixed window from the bottom frame section. Having them still attached makes them fairly fragile (I ended up bending the bottom screw), and makes cleaning the bottom frame section much more difficult.
- Don't bother with the Goo-Gone supplied in the kit. The instructions say "you may need to soak the channels up to an hour". Heck, I had to wait overnight. On the second frame section I used 3M 08984 Adhesive Cleaner (available at auto parts stores), which works in a few minutes.
- The outside painted surfaces of my frames were dull with the paint oxidized; with the window disassembled they were easy to make shiny again with some polishing compound.
- MWC7612: RUNNER WINDOW BOTTOM SLIDE DEFENDER: yes you definitely want to replace those while you're at it. Mine were brittle and cracked from UV exposure and essentially none-operational
- MWC7614: SEALDRAUGHT RAIL -DEFENDER: This is the "sqeegee" that the sliding window slides against. Yes replace these; it's easy and mine had gotten hard and brittle
- MUC1008: WINDOW SEAL ROOFSIDE DEFENDER: The seal between the window frame and the body panel. My originals were very compressed, so yes I'd recommend replacing them. Use the 3M Adhesive cleaner to remove all residue from the old seals
- MUC1005: FILLER STRIP WINDOW SEAL DEFENDER: These cover the rivets. I got new ones, but they're just cosmetic and not critical. You can decide to change them later without removing the window again, so I don't think they're an essential item.
- MWC7617: GLAZING STRIP ROOFSIDE WINDW DEFENDER: Glazing for the fixed window. Easy to replace but expensive; a judgement call and you may want to go with the old ones if they're still pliable and in good shape.
- MUC4025: RUBBER STOP SLIDE WINDOW ROOF SIDE DEFENDER: Don't bother. The originals are glued in place and are a bear to remove, and there's no real need to replace them
- MWC7615: GLAZING STRIP REAR WINDOW:The glazing between the vertical middle rail and the fixed window. Don't bother: the fixed window is wedged into the rail so tightly I was afraid of breaking something if I tried more to remove the window, and the strip seemed to be doing its job just fine. Replacements are also ridiculously expensive.
- MUC3768: FILLER STRIP WINDOW SEAL: Cosmetic filler strips used two per window. I just cleaned mine up and re-used them. These also can be replaced with the window installed, so there's no big need to replace them with the window removed.
I'm pretty happy with the way the window turned out; the felt replacements work great and the window looks and works better than new. The most time-consuming part was cleaning and polishing all the old parts, especially the windows which has mineral deposits along the bottom (taken care off with toothpaste and elbow grease).
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