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I'm looking for any tips or tricks for adjusting the side glass on a '70 442 convertible. The glass doesn't quite roll up all the way and also is out of alignment. When I roll up the sides, it wants to overlap a bit as well.
Lastly, what's the special "tape" that glass shops use to put over the edge of glass before installing the side stainless? I know some shops use a cement or glue but my understanding is glass shops have different width tapes and then tap on the stainless.
Take off the armrest and door panel, take your time with this task. A quarter inch ratchet works good inside the door, only adjust one stop, then check your progress frequently. There are several adjustments, up & down stops, in & out, forward & back., its easy to make one adjustment and mess up something else...
Good luck!
Take off the armrest and door panel, take your time with this task. A quarter inch ratchet works good inside the door, only adjust one stop, then check your progress frequently. There are several adjustments, up & down stops, in & out, forward & back., its easy to make one adjustment and mess up something else...
Good luck!
The up / down is pretty straight forward and clear. It's the forward / back and in / out that is throwing the curveball.
The 2 bolts that hold the top of the regulator track can be adjusted in 2 directions; side-to-side and front-to-back; see the red arrows in my pic below. The difficulty is in trying to adjust only the front-to-back without losing the side-to-side alignment. The material used for installing the quarter window chrome is called glass setting tape. You can get it from a local glass shop but I found they typically don't stock material thin enough for our purposes. I ordered some on eBay that was 1-1/2"x 1/32" thick that was called Sealstrip. The seller was Classic Industries Auto Parts.
I strongly suggest purchasing the 70 Fisher body manual for the car. A real one not a copy.
This isn't just "adjust the quarter glass and be done" read on...
You don't mention if you have hand-crank or power windows? Not that there a huge difference but there is some and they're all a PITA.
If you have power now's the time to clean all grounds.
Its very important to make sure your door to fender gaps are where you want them and the hinges are good and tight. If not adjust & repair these items first!
The top needs to be adjusted properly so the roof rail is flat.
Adjust the door glass first, then adjust the quarter glass....NOT the other way around.
Take care to mark the original locations of everything so you can go back to the original starting point if necessary.
Pictures and hand drawn diagrams strongly recommended, especially if this is your first foray into glass adjustment.
Remember its quite possible somethings broke or warn out and the original factory adjustment locations may not be far off once the new parts are installed.
Order the new parts first, replace, then adjust.
Take the interior panels off both sides. Remove the front seats... much more room to work, your neck and back will thank you,
With all the interior panels off you can use one side as a reference while adjusting the other. Now its all open, clean n grease the tracks with the right lubricant that doesn't eat the nylon rollers.
Only do one adjustment at a time on one window (starting with the door glass).
Your final adjustments will happen with the top secured door closed and both windows up. This is where the little tweaks happen.
If you're thinking of replacing the roof rail seal, door seals or window sweeps do it before any adjusting.
With new rubber I slightly over adjust to compensate for settling.
Use a weather seal conditioner once a year to keep them soft.
The rubber seal under the chrome quarter trim is available from several sources.Here's a link showing all of it. The inner chrome trim seals are sold separately. https://www.ebay.com/itm/27163029723...iew_item&gQT=1
Last edited by droldsmorland; Apr 21, 2025 at 07:42 PM.
Lastly, what's the special "tape" that glass shops use to put over the edge of glass before installing the side stainless? I know some shops use a cement or glue but my understanding is glass shops have different width tapes and then tap on the stainless.
You can use glass setting tape, intertube, or water garden pond liner and trim off excess after installation, or Soffseal makes these molded strips.
droldsmorland:
Very thorough advice posted above. Would the body bushings have any affect window alignment? I have new bushings in my '72 convertible but they're not fully tightened to 35 lb-ft as spec'd in the assembly manual. would this affect the top and window fitment?
I'm getting ready tp do the same with a '72 Supreme 'vert that I bought last summer. I haven't done a window adjustment in 40 years. A refresher for sure. I do have the Fisher Body service manual.
droldsmorland hit the nail on the head. Convertibles can be a pain in the nuts - especially if the top frame is not adjusted properly. You may find you have to play with the top a little bit in the vertical and front to back directions to insure the rubber follows the glass line. For sure, start with the front windows. The A-pillar is your only fixed datum in the whole damn thing. Everything else can move. If you're happy with the door gaps and alignment, get the leading edge of the front window where you want it in relation to the A-pillar. That means front to back and in-out. Only after you're happy with the front do you move to the quarter glass. Obviously, the rubber seal edge should align properly with the front window.
This is where the top frame alignment can bite you. If you're happy with the glass (in relation to the A-pillar), are there any uneven gaps between the glass and top rubber? If so, that's your top frame alignment.
I've spent a fair few days taking a run at my big car window adjustments. The execution is different based on vehicle size, but you may find some advice there applies to your Cutlass/442.
The short version is start with sound and correctly aligned doors/hinge pins, then adjust the top to your liking, then do the fronts using A pillar as fixed datum (fixed point). If, after the front is done, the rears don't line up / overlap on the leading edge of the rears, begin again starting with the rears. The fronts have more adjustment latitude than the rears.
You may need to shim the top roof rails with 1/4" of 1" wide rubber to force the roof rails tightly on to the tops of the window glass, but ideally this will not be necessary.
Do this work when you have lots of time - hours or days. And when you're in a patient mood. This job is all about iterating / trial & error until you're satisfied.
