Rear Glass for '93 Caprice SW Needed!

A local street person saw fit to break out the rear glass on my recently acquired Caprice SW. That he was recently out of prison (and will soon be returning I have anything to say about it) for armed robbery, makes the brief time I had to interact with this miserable waste of flesh full of gratitude that he didn't want more than the opportunity randomly act on a violent impulse toward an inanimate object.

The initial search through the used parts marked turned up one with a wiper scratch in it in Portland, OR and nought else. If anyone has one to sell and is willing to crate & ship, I'd appreciate some off-site contact. This item is in the "Unobtainium" category in Oregon right now since the last one I knew of the yard crushed last week! Sigh.

Thanks in Advance
Deane Bristow

Shipping is going to be EXPENSIVE. It might be useful for you to call yards within a few hour's drive of you to check around for glass. It is very simple to remove and install. Sucks about your wagon.

Best of luck.

you may try over on the Impalassforum.com there are a few more Pacific NW guys over there, that may have a lead for you....

if the price on the one with scratch on it is 50 or less, buy and and run it, until you can find a better one.

Well, the idea of yard within a few hours is the problem; Newport is right on the coast and it's hours to get most anywhere else in Oregon. 'Love drive but still hours away for anything. I found a listing for one in Riley ID @ $77.00 with $125.00 in shipping. If it's there on Monday and nothing more's turned up, I'm gonna have to take it. Yeah, I'd even eventually buy a spare if this is way thing are shaping up on the West Coast.

Thanks for the Consolations, Gents

Yeah. Been there, gone through that. I sympathize with your plight, good sir.

Does yours have the heater strips, or is it a non-defrost version? You can use either, but if you have the strips, and the one you buy does not, you will loose your defrost function. I wish I could go back a couple of months and get one. There were 4 wagons in the yards here. None now. If your hinges are toast, you will have to replace them. They are notorious for rusting inside the window part.

The window was a defroster equipped item and they did work.

Ahhh! Thanks much for the heads up on the hinges; I would have only thought to use mine but I'll try to get another set with the new window.

Guy Newport wrote:

A local street person saw fit to break out the rear glass on my recently acquired Caprice SW. That he was recently out of prison (and will soon be returning I have anything to say about it) for armed robbery, makes the brief time I had to interact with this miserable waste of flesh full of gratitude that he didn't want more than the opportunity randomly act on a violent impulse toward an inanimate object.

thats quite a story,.wonder why the guy was so upset,.

did he just wait around for the cops to show?

How did you ascertain he was an ex felon ?
with a record for armed robbery,.
it's unusual for LEO's to share that kind of info,..

I,m curious about "the rest of the story"

nick

Nick: Well, I figure the guy was upset because he was drunk, there was some other dreck that just came down in his life and he acted without thought of the consequences. It could be he's a complete nutcase but that's to be seen instead of simply assumed. I know how the penal system's got him pegged and I know that once you step in it, it's nothing but quicksand and you're easily drug back into it. I may be too forgiving in this case but that's to be seen as well; I haven't filed charges against him ... yet.

The violent interaction between us didn't draw the cops despite the fact that the cop-shop was half a block away; a cruiser headed out on patrol could have just as easily come upon the scene as not and that proved to be the case. There's some other mitigating circumstances involving his companions at that point in time that I'm not going to go in since this response is getting longer than it ought to anyway.

The cop that I filed the report with knew him by description, I only had a first name. He offered the guy's most immediate criminal history. Newport's a small town and this kind of stuff gets passed around more casually, I'm thinking, than might in a larger place with more admin. people checking procedures.

So, "the rest of the story"? It's not yet written: I don't know if I'll extract any money from any of the parties involved to fix the window, I don't know if I'll extract anything from the perp that'll change anything in his life. It's to be seen if he can adopt personal responsibility for his interaction with me or what the rest of his life holds. I don't want to come off like some bleeding-heart liberal in all of this but as I consider what I might do to make this work to a good conclusion in my head, I don't know that sending him back to jail for an assault on the street is going to do anything for either of us. Standing on the outside, it's easy to decide to "make him pay". I'm more interested in some payment that yields better results than just going back to jail. "The rest of the story?" Like I said, it's not written yet.

For any of you following this saga, hit me off line. This is hardly a thread to clutter up this particular forum and as a new member, I'm not interested in making or receiving heat from the Administrator, OK?

Interesting story, getting better,.

mebbe start a whole new thread in the off topic section,.?

We need something different to discuss, read etc,,..
Not much excitement around here,.

nick

Ok! 'Got a glass out of a TBI RMW with ... a solenoid latch and a non-responsive external button. I don't know how you guys would accomplish this but I had to wriggle my savaged, walking remains into the back by leaning over the rear seat to get it collapsed on my way to pulling the inner t.gate panel off to get at the latch from the inside. 'Managed, with the help of a stalwart friend, to get it all unloosened and free. Since I'm new to the vehicle (and this forum), I grabbed the good r. window rubber(s) and not much else. The blue headliner was still good in this vehicle (but not for long now the back glass is out) but the leather had been exposed too long to be considered an upgrade to another vehicle.

I'm intending to install this with the hinges on; if it's advisable to leave the hinges in place on my car and bolt them to the glass, somebody let me know. My theory is that the less interaction with the glass, the better. If it's not typically a problem, I'd really like to leave the stuff inside the body alone (the stuff you'd move to get the cover off the hinge nuts) and just bolt the glass to the existing hinges.

Anything else I ought to know before I get with it?

It is a lot easier to unbolt the hinges from the glass and attach it to your hinges. Just do not torque the bolts too tight. To install the hinges that are on the glass, you have to remove the rear trim, and the fasteners will usually break...they are no longer available. If the inserts in the plastic parts of the hinge are rusted out, you can use a drift to remove the hinge pin (from the right side of the car) and put the "new" end of the hinge in its place, then tap the hinge pin into the new part, or use a large smooth jaw water pump pliers.
I have installed the window single handedly in about 1/2 hour, and it is fairly easy. I hook the struts to the glass, and then I can hold it up while inserting the bolt into the hinge through the glass. Remember to have the rubber gasket on the inside (bolt head) side of the glass, and the thin square gaskets in the proper orientation (flat tab on the edge goes toward the front of the car). If you have a helper it is even easier. Until you adjust the glass, only make the glass bolts finger tight.

You may have to adjust the window slightly to clear the gate, and center it. I use my finger to get the same distance on both sides, and one bottom corner to the other. If the corners are even, the rest of the glass will be correct. After adjusting, finish tightening the glass bolts.

Excellent Overview! I think I'm going to try the hinge pin technique after I look over the process of R&R on the pins themselves on my rig. 'Sounds like it needs a dab o'grease if it's going to survive the coastal elements anyway. I'm still skittish about tightening fasteners into what's essentially a huge baking dish lid without the benefit of the Pyrex logo!

Thanks so much for getting back to me so soon, the weather's clearing here and I need to get back to at least square one with this rig.

The glass does not get a lot of stress. The FSM says 90 lb. inches. of torque for the through the glass hinge bolts. The bolt through the glass can have a little grease on it, but be careful, because the torque setting will be lower (about 25%) with the same pressure on the glass.
You will have to loosen the glass bolts to adjust the window, and to align the hinges. Since you have to loosen them, you might as well take them off, and then you will be able to align the hinge part to put the hinge pin back in without the weight of the glass tugging it out of alignment. I have put 3 windows on these cars, and my way is easy.

One more word of caution. If you are installing your original third brake light, make sure that you thread the bolts into the exterior handle carefully. They have a double track thread, and if you get it in the wrong groove, you will strip the threads in the plastic handle. You should be able to turn the bolts most of the way in with your fingers if they are in the correct tracks.

Fred, I'm going to follow the advice in your initial response. I'd have to take the hinges loose from the glass to do a job on the hinge pin anyway; trying to get it out with it attached to the window glass would put things in even more peril than removing the nuts from the glass. At least I'll have a reason to get out the seldom used in/lb torque wrench out of the drawer!

I appreciate the advice on the light/handle combination. I R&Rd mine 'cause it'd grown a moss garden inside and managed to get it back together, apparently with blind good luck, without incident the first time. Prolly not likely to have that happy lightening strike twice. I got away from the 'yard with light in place and good struts so I'll leave 'em in place for the install.

Thanks again,
Deane Bristow (aka, Guy Newport)

Deane,
Sorry to hear about the back glass on you wagon. I am in Washugal WA, broken down with our Airstream and OCC. Fuel pump I think. Boondocking with no car in the parking lot of Hy-Way Fuel waiting for shop to open. Two sets of tracks and lots of trains. Hot for a coasty.

I will call you and come down for coffee. next week when I get the car fixed. If you haven't intalled the glass I will help.

Dick

Hi Dick,

'Sorry to hear about being sidelined in the heat. The fuel pump issue is the one nagging point to the TBI system for me; I hate getting stranded by something I can't fix myself.

The new glass is all installed; I took Fred's advice and it worked out well with only the latch/exterior handle alignment slowing the process up. After that I launched into curing the one backwards r. brake shoe assy. and axle seal leak I found when I mounted the alloy wheels. What should have been a single long day has stretched out considerably since I work so much more slowly than I used to and it's been bloody hot here too (for a change). I also decided to replace the bearings on both sides since the one with the dry seal felt nearly as loose as the one that was leaking. At the end of it all it'll have fresh synthetic, limited slip compliant lube, new r. brakes, cylinders, bearings and seals. Chinese bearings, I might add; I fondly regarded the original Torrintons when I got them out with my homemade slide hammer. I'll wait for another time to change out the brake fluid for DOT 5, my favorite preventitive for stuck wheel cylinders and calipers.
I'm looking forward to having her back on the road instead of wriggling underneath or just kneeling in supplication beside 'er!

See you next week, best of luck with traveling solutions on the road!

Deane