ok so hopefully nobody looks at me too cross eyed but.


say I want to eliminate my wing windows on my 68 cutlass and say I have a spare set of 69 skylark doors in my basement. is it possible to remove the wing frame work out of my doors and use the 69 windows? will they bolt to the regulators and are 68 69 doors even compatible internal structure wise. if I can get away with this I would naturally change the weather striping because they have been imprinted by the wings all these 49 years. thank you.

 

Why don't you just get a '69 Cutlass?

 

well when I first got the car when I was 18, im 24 now, I liked everything about the 69 more but ive grown to like the 68s more. plus my 68 is LOADED with power options, pwr windows, pwr trunk release, pwr antenna, ac, rear window defrost, speed alert buzzer, pwr brakes, I added disks upfront and I added a tictoc tach, also has courtesy map lights above the stereo and in the rearview mirror. so nah I just want to remove the cherry buster wing windows. if it makes any sense, I added rally mirrors and moved them to the front of the door where they would be on a 69 and up so I don't have to brake my neck to look if somebody is coming up along side me and now I have to look through the windows to see the mirrors.

 

The easiest way to do this would be to swap to 1969 Cutlass doors. You'd need the 1969 roof rail weatherstrip also.

I'll suggest, however, that you DON'T want to do this. The 1969-up cars without vent windows came with the upper ventilation (two ***** under the dash for non-A/C cars). This somewhat replaces the air from the vents. 1968s don't have this. Note that 1969-up Sport Coupes retained the vent windows and did not have the upper ventilation. Given how that car is equipped, why change it? This is a lot of work for very little effect.

 

I've got vent windows on my '67 Delta, and I love 'em! They both do a nice job of directing air into the car, and they scream that its a 1960s car. I wouldn't have it any other way!

 

well I guess its a cool feature to have just because its a 60s signature that only that year has, seeing that the 69-72s don't but what happened is I moved the mirrors forward near the front of the door so I didn't have to turn my head to see them, now I look at the mirrors through the window witch is fine but I want to relocate the seat back further than factory but if I do this the post from the vent will be directly in between my eyes and the mirror splitting it right down the middle. if I have to hack the door up and do actual internal damage to the door then im just going to leave it how it is.

 

You have to hack the door up. You need to replace the inner and outer window wiper weather strips. You need to replace the inner door panels. You need to replace the window mechanism. You need to modify the top of the inner and outer door sheet metal.

Unlike the vent window elimination kits on early pickups, this is NOT a bolt-in.

 

I think that if you replace the entire window assembly, including all internal runners, etc., you can swap window types, but since all cars had vent windows in '68, it is possible that you may find some holes that don't line up.
It would be an experiment, and a fairly large PIA experiment as they go.

That being said, I like vent windows, and often find myself wishing for them on my newer cars.

- Eric

edit: whoops, looks like Joe just covered it.

 

The 1968 and 1969 door shells are different.

 

It's "only that year" if looking at the '68-'72 Cutlasses. Vent windows were a staple of pretty much all American cars prior to the late '60s when flow-through ventilation was introduced.

You should have moved the seat first, then moved the mirror. Once the seat is moved, you probably could find a place to put the mirror that will work and that does not put the vent window in the line of sight. That would be a million times easier than getting rid of the vent windows. You can probably STILL move the mirror. If you did it once, you can do it again. You'll have some holes to patch, but you had some holes to patch after the first move.


I think the message in all the responses here is to find some way to achieve what you want that doesn't require getting rid of the vent windows. That's a major effort, complicated, messes up the car's ventilation system, and reduces the car's value.

Just sayin'.

 

Also do a great job of directing bees into your crotch at 70MPH!

 

This has never happened to me. It's easy to direct the air so that it comes into the car but not right at you.

 

I've had this happen in an S-10 pickup, which had no vent windows.

Vent windows actually help reduce the chance of being struck by an outside object, because the rear portion points out and acts to deflect the air stream away from you, while the front portion actually sucks air out of the car.

- Eric

 

thanks you had the answer in specific I was looking for. I had a hunch that nothing was compatible but it was a thought.

 

Same here on my 70 W-30. Stupid bee hit the sport mirror and got deflected into the side of my head.

Mmmm... depends. If you open the vent windows past center so the outside is sticking forward (as I do on my 62), the definitely are directing air in, not out of the car.

 

yes I know the seat could've been moved first but when I had the car all ripped apart doing the body work I sat in it to line the mirrors up where they are now but I had no idea it would feel so cramped to the dash until I drove the car. joe clarified the answer I was looking for and im going to leave them alone

 

Exactly what happened to me, except that the point of impact was mid-chest, and my two top shirt buttons were opened, and the bee, stunned, followed the natural force of gravity... until it woke up.



You're right. I guess I just used them in the "vent" position so much in the [ast that I forgot all about the "blast" position.

- Eric

 

ok so new question. does a 69 bench seat slide back farther than a 68. my seat is slid back all the way and I still sit close to the wheel and my legs are cramped at the pedals, HOWEVER my dads 69 skylark custom has a bench seat and when I sit in that car I sit about 5' further back from the wheel than my 68 and my legs are not bent at a 90 but I can stretch them out straight. im not even that tall im 5.7. ive had the seat out and its not like somebody hacked the floor, its in the factory holes. is it possible buick has there holes drilled further back in the floor. it blows my mind sometimes.

 

My 98 has 2 positions to mount the seat tracks, having extra holes in the tracks. Maybe modify your tracks.

 

Originally Posted by joe_padavano View Post
Same here on my 70 W-30. Stupid bee hit the sport mirror and got deflected into the side of my head.

I once had a bee fly inside my motorcycle helmet while going down the highway at about 60 mph. couldn't get stopped quick enough, not fun at all carrying the little passenger.

 

What would I have to do to the doors to swap windows into my post '69 from a non post '69? Would it be easier just to replace the doors?
Thanks for the knowledge!!!

 

I already took the vent window out and the door panel/felts off already fyi. If I get '69 glass (for a non post car). I would then just need regulators? Would that glass fit?
thanks

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