solved! i searched and read 8 pages worth of threads, but they didn't help, so this is for anyone else in the future who has to do this...
the side glass installs from the outside of the door, cut the old bracket off of the used window (if you have a used one). trying to drill out the rivets inside the door was a waste of time i found, i ended up using a dremmel to cut the rivet heads off, then punching them out. tip the front edge of the glass down, inserting towards the front of the car. i needed help to pull the inside skin of the door out about 1/2", and the track the mounting bracket mounts to about 1/2" also. it's a really tight fit, but it eventually worked. thanks to all for the help, especially PUNISHER RACING