loose windows

85_SS_302_Coupe said:

Maybe the dew wipes? If they're wore out then they're not as snug against the window as they used to be. It wouldnt surprise me if the windows rattled after a few months when they were new.

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dcormier said:

Alright, I have an update on this. Today a friend and I replaced the window bushings (from 50resto.com) for the passenger door to try handling the rattle in that window. Man, was it a royal pain.

The bushings themselves are quite small. About 1" square. They go around the guide rail for the window. You do have to get the guide rail out for this to work, and that's no easy task.

I will get pictures next week when we do the driver's window (which rattles much more), but in the mean time I have a couple of tips:

1) Pop the existing bushings out of their holes before attempting to remove the guide rail. This will give you a degree or two of extra play in the rail which will be very helpful. The rail can be removed without doing this. But as we discovered, it's not easy at all. The rail itself has a bolt at the top of the door and on the bottom of the door.

2) Once you've gotten the existing bushings out of their resting places go ahead and lower the window to the bottom (carefully, since it will now have more wobble to it). Getting the guide out will take some work. How we did it was to have one person pull on the part of the door where the guide bolted on to the top (there's a lot of flex in that piece of metal) so we could get the top of the bar out of it's position. We moved the top of the bar away from the hinges on the door.

One thing you need to be very aware of at this point is that the piece of metal at the top of the bar has some very sharp corners on it. It works pretty well for someone to keep their fingers between this piece and the window, especially if they're tinted. We discovered this the hard way and I now have a nice 2.5-3" scratch in the tint. Even letting this piece bump the tint leaves a pinhole in it. The tint was old and needed replacing, anyway. The other window has some bad scratches in the tint already, so now they match.

Anyway, you'll kind of have to fight with the bar to get it out of there, but it's doable. I promise.

If you removed the bushings before removing the bar, they're probably in the bottom of the door right now. Remember to grab these and toss them so they don't rattle.

3) Once the bar is out of the way, I would suggest (with the window all the way down) pushing the window as far away from the door hinge as you can. This will make it so you have get the lift arm out of it's guide. Once you've done this, clean out that guide rail with a Q-Tip and raise the arm so you can clean off the plastic piece at the end, too. We thought it was a good idea to roatate that end piece and put it back with the two previously unused sides at the top and bottom since they wouldn't be at all warn.

4) Go ahead and get the lift arm back in it's guide. Be sure it's in there in such a way as to use the "new" sides, not the old.

5) What we did when we put the new bushings in was to put the lower one in place, and put the other on on the bar (so we would have that extra play while we were putting the bar back to make it less of a pain, but could still get the bushing on).

6) Now for the really fun part: getting the bar back in it's place. We had one person slide the bar into place and another watching and guiding it (you'll probably hit the guide for the lift arm once you get the bar into the space where the top bushing goes, otherwise. That's what happened to us). Once you get it into the carige for the window, get it into the hole in the bottom and then allign it witht he top. Again, I cannot stress how easilly the piece at the top end of the bar can mess up window tint as well as the glass. Be very careful when working with this piece.

7) Once you get the bar into place, put the bolts on the top and bottom rather loosely. The top hole for the bar has some play so you can adjust the alignment. Get it tight enough so the bar can move some. Raise the window to the top so you can lubricate the bar and the guide for the lift arm.

Assuming nothing else is wrong, you should now have a window that goes up and down smoothly and doesn't rattle! Enjoy.

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7991LXnSHO said:

I am so glad you posted this. My power windows rock back and forth when part way up or down. I am picky enough to think it did not come this way new. A while back I posted a question, and until now, no one had a real clue. At least I know what I am in for. I already had the bushings. I anxiously await the pictures to see if my bushings are missing and where they go! The top metal square plate that slides over the rod seems to be loose and I do not know if this is the problem.

Anyone with glass shop experience have an easier procedure? I am wondering if we can pull the glass first to protect the tint and glass?

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