Molding member for automobile window plate

A window molding member for automobiles having a body panel with an outer surface, a flange which is recessed from said outer surface, and a shoulder portion connecting said flange with said outer surface, a window plate mounted on said flange of the body panel, said window plate having an inner surface, an outer surface, a central region and a peripheral edge opposing said shoulder portion of the body panel so as to form a gap therebetween, said window molding member comprising:

• an upper segment to extend along an upper edge of the window plate, a side segment to extend along a side edge of the window plate, and a corner segment to extend along a corner edge of the window plate and integrally and continuously connecting said upper and side segments with each other in a longitudinal direction of said window molding member, each segment comprising:
• a main body covering the peripheral edge of the window plate from outside, said main body comprising first and second sections on each side of said main body, said first section being on the side of said outer surface of said body panel and said second section projecting over the peripheral edge of the window plate and toward its central region;
• and
• a leg section which is integral with said main body, and projects from an inner side of said main body to extend into said gap, said leg section having means for defining a groove-like retainer on one side of said leg section, said retainer being engageable with said peripheral edge of the window plate, said retainer extending in the longitudinal direction of the window molding member, said retainer having an inner projecting means which is spaced by a first predetermined vertical distance from a peripheral edge of the second section closest to said central region of said window plate along the upper segment of the window molding member and which is spaced by a second predetermined vertical distance from said peripheral edge of the second section along the side segment of the window molding member, said second predetermined vertical distance being greater than said first predetermined vertical distance, the arrangement being such that the peripheral edge of said second section of the main body for the upper segment substantially contacts the outer surface of the window plate, and the peripheral edge of said second section of the main body for the side segment defines a channel-like weir between the second section and the outer surface of the window plate, the flange of the body panel being at a third predetermined distance from the outer surface of the body panel at a first region which corresponds to the upper segment of the window molding member;
• the flange being at a fourth predetermined distance from the outer surface of the body panel at a second region which corresponds to the side segment of the window molding member;
• said fourth predetermined distance being greater than the third predetermined distance, and the second predetermined vertical distance along the side segment being greater than the first predetermined vertical distance by an amount which is substantially the same as the difference between the third and fourth predetermined distances.