Rear Vent windows

Are they the same for Caprice and Roadmaster ? Car got broken into and I need to find a replacement.

They are the same for all 91-96 B-body wagons. Just make sure the hinges are firmly attached to the glass, because they do not like to be reattached. I keep a stock of them. Passenger's side is harder to find than driver's side for some reason.

thanks for the info

On this subject, my passenger side one popped out. I tried twice now to reglue it back to the hinge with rear view mirror adhesive. The first time was a total fail, this second time I got one hinge on and the other completely non-bonded. Any hints here?

By the way, I used some strips of thin foam that I stuck in the hinge to provide some pressure to keep it against the glass while the adhesive dried. I guess it worked once!

A previous owner apparently used clear RTV in the past.

Getting a good one from a donor is about the only remedy. I have not tried window urethane, but I would give it a try if I could not find a replacement.

I tried 4 times with the rear view window adhesive, and no luck. Fred, I hope you have some spares on hand!

I was referring to the urethane that is used to install the front or quarter windows.

That might work, though I have no experience with that sort of glue. Using the rear view mirror adhesive is problematic for several reasons, in case anyone was wondering. First, since you're gluing onto a black surface and not a clear windshield glass, you can't see behind it to mark the position of the hinge. Also since you're not bonding onto glass, the glue itself doesn't seem to bond correctly even when clamped down. Under tension, like when you're trying to close the window, it just seems to pop off. And, unlike a windshield mirror where the position isn't terribly critical, you're trying to align two hinges where the distance between them is in fact totally critical. In the situation where both hinges have popped off, like mine, you're probably SOL unless you take it to a pro or know someone like Fred who has replacements stashed away for us.

So if one of you wants a passenger-side vent window to experiment with, I have one with one hinge sort of glued into the approximately right location

And also, thanks Fred

If you carefully clean the area inside of the old hinge mark, without removing the outline, you can position the hinge correctly.

It was hard to tell in this case- someone already had attempted repair before I did and botched it in probably the same way. Once I scraped off the residue I couldn't see any useful marks in this case, because there were a bunch of marks.

The big fail here was trying to fix it while it was still on the car and held on by one hinge. All the wiggling and movement pretty quickly broke the other hinge loose and once that happened, I think DIY repair became almost impossible. If anyone wants to attempt to reattach the hinge, my best advice would be to remove the window entirely, and don't bother with rear view mirror adhesive. In all honesty the clear RTV that was on there seemed like it did a far better job. Maybe JB Weld would do the trick.

I am kind of curious now, however, if the window urethane would at least stick to this properly. It may be worth testing if I can find a small enough sample of the adhesive. If one hinge is still good, and the remaining hinge can be backed to provide a flat mating surface with the pane, and you can figure out a way to hold it in place while it dries, that may just work.

I have found the liquid mirror adhesive to be worthless for anything but the gel kind works for my mirrors. Finally found the gel type at O'Reily's the last time I needed it. I will never try the Permatex adhesive again.

I second the Permatex not working. The 3M was slightly better, but still didn't work.

the trick is to use a dremel and scuff the glass where the hinge attaches, then use super glue,.

YRMV
NWEOI
PDCC

The black coating is pretty rough already, but yes, a thick CA gel glue may do a better job holding it on. That stuff tends to have pretty poor shear strength. Maybe I'll give it a shot just to see what happens while the spare from Fred makes its way across the country for me.

Thick CA does not work any better than thin CA.

The gel gives you a little more flexibility in working time. The end result is the same as the thin stuff as long as you don't get the layer too thick.

Another mod I'm doing while I have the windows apart- I'm replacing the roll pin that holds the latch on. I didn't like the idea of tapping that thing out anyway.

a #10 bolt is almost the same diameter as the 5mm pin (4.826mm to be precise). I found that a #10-24 x 2.5" has an unthreaded shoulder almost exactly as long as the dimension needed (1.25"). Cut off most of the threads and install a nut. Seems a lot easier and safer to me than trying to press that roll pin back in.

Also a 3/16" x 1.25 clevis pin would fit pretty nicely in there. It's a little smaller diameter-wise than a #10.

Nick - the super glue does actually hold on to the glass pretty tight! I gave it a try to see what would happen, and that hinge is stuck on there really well now.

It wasn't flat when I pressed it in place with the window installed, since I had no idea where the hinge markings were. But as a validation of an experiment, I would say the Permatex gel super glue with the rubber in the matrix would do a pretty good job if you can get the hinge lined up properly.

i usually give advice drawn from my own practical experience,.

as i said,. rough the glass up where the hinge will attach,. use super glue,. all is good,.

the trick with any adhesive is to have microscopic little troughs for the adhesive to flow into,
when it all hardens its has a better 'bite'

thats why as a kid you roughed up the tube from your bicycle tire when you put a patch on it,.

well at least us poor kids did,.

Now with the vent windows i urethane them permanently closed,.
I,ve found if i,m running very fast it stops the vents from trying to pop open,..

I have used windshield urethane quite successfully.

Got a window off my brother's wagon, which is off to get parted by jayoldschool. It already had the grey trim piece around it, and was already tinted pretty much the same colour too.

I used tape to mark off the hinge location and used windshield urethane to reglue the hinge. Let it cure for 2 days. So far, so good!

How big/small amount of windshield urethane can you buy? One of my rear vents is looking a little wobbly, and I'd like to address it before it falls off. And, where do you buy it?

It comes in 10 or 12 oz. tubes for a cauking gun. You need about 1/8 of an ounce, if that. If you know a window installer, he may squirt you a dab, but you have to use it in about 15 minutes.

You can buy a whole tube at your local parts store. A window repair shop may give you a small dab. Take your glass with you. You can not repair it, unless it is completely apart. Clean the glass until it is sterile, and use some adhesion promoter on the metal, or the urethane may not stick. The urethane is not happy on bare metal.

Has anybody tried rear view mirror adhesive?? If not, I'll try it and see how it works.

It has been tried and does not hold.

There is a UV cured adhesive recently advertised on TV (as seen on TV) that may work. If someone wants to spend $20 for a couple of tubes, it could work. It is supposed to adhere to almost anything. It is probably a UV cure epoxy, vinylester, or polyester now available in small quantities. The nice part is that you do not waste it, because it only cures in the presence of UV light.