Yesterday I replaced the rear window of the Zed (or Zee) The new window was a present from Sinterklaas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinterklaas As all the howto's talk about building the window in within 1 to 1.5 hour, not mine. I can tell you, that job is not for the faint-hearted. On the end, I had zipped and unzipped the window about 6 or 7 times. I'm a specialist on zipping in Zed rear windwos now.
The first time I zipped it, the zip didn't go beyond the left bottom corner. Dobiwallah junior was helping me, and he noticed that the corner stitching had let go. So I had to sew that back (I am a electrician, not a tailor as the doctor would have said...) The second time the zip let go in the corner, it opened right after the zip fastener. I took the window out again, and placed it on top of the old window. The new window was 8 to 10mm smaller in the left bottom corner. So, or the old window had stretched out, or the new window was to small, I could not tell, as it was not an original, but a window from ebay http://goo.gl/lFMLdx (Thats what Sinterklaas told us ofcourse). But logic would say, if the old window had streched, the zip would have deformed, and the zip spiral would have been wider as well.
So anyway, after 5 or 6 times I was finally able to close the zip in that corner. Placed the double sided tape. Pressed the tape to the profile piping, and the top zip popped out (that was a big $%$%# word) But, 2 more times, and the window was zipped again. Carefully I inserted the fabric into the profile piping and pressed the fabric with one hand on the other side this time against the double sided tape.
Now I found out that the left top corner is not exactly fitting. You can still see an edge of the fabric. I don't know yet what to do, I hate to use silicon, that looks so wrong...
I hoop the window will stay put if I drive with the top down
. It is not a plug and play job..
The old window profile piping was detoriating. The old window had a metal rod in the top. The new window does not have that.
Point of no return:
The corner had to be stitched after the first trial
The size of the new window is different:
The window is placed, only the fabric has to be inserted:
Mask taped for possible scratches:
The left top corner does not fit:
This is the damage you get if the window blanket is to small:
The dog has to find a new blanket now:
End result looks nice:
XLarge photo of the window:
The first time I zipped it, the zip didn't go beyond the left bottom corner. Dobiwallah junior was helping me, and he noticed that the corner stitching had let go. So I had to sew that back (I am a electrician, not a tailor as the doctor would have said...) The second time the zip let go in the corner, it opened right after the zip fastener. I took the window out again, and placed it on top of the old window. The new window was 8 to 10mm smaller in the left bottom corner. So, or the old window had stretched out, or the new window was to small, I could not tell, as it was not an original, but a window from ebay http://goo.gl/lFMLdx (Thats what Sinterklaas told us ofcourse). But logic would say, if the old window had streched, the zip would have deformed, and the zip spiral would have been wider as well.
So anyway, after 5 or 6 times I was finally able to close the zip in that corner. Placed the double sided tape. Pressed the tape to the profile piping, and the top zip popped out (that was a big $%$%# word) But, 2 more times, and the window was zipped again. Carefully I inserted the fabric into the profile piping and pressed the fabric with one hand on the other side this time against the double sided tape.
Now I found out that the left top corner is not exactly fitting. You can still see an edge of the fabric. I don't know yet what to do, I hate to use silicon, that looks so wrong...
I hoop the window will stay put if I drive with the top down
. It is not a plug and play job..The old window profile piping was detoriating. The old window had a metal rod in the top. The new window does not have that.
Point of no return:
The corner had to be stitched after the first trial
The size of the new window is different:
The window is placed, only the fabric has to be inserted:
Mask taped for possible scratches:
The left top corner does not fit:
This is the damage you get if the window blanket is to small:
The dog has to find a new blanket now:
End result looks nice:
XLarge photo of the window:
Btw, this is my first car that I thought, I want to keep this a very long time. If I keep it 20 years, I will be almost 70 year old. I will be one of the clichés, bald grey guy in a sports car 
Hm, I think I can handle that.