Pilot Dan

I had previously posted of fitment problems with my 59 Hardtop and was down to the right window which would not fit properly and was adjusted to the max.

Here's what it looked like BEFORE (pretty big gaps at top and rear):



SO, I decided to take the whole door apart and look at everything inside. After going back to it several days in a row, I eventually found the problem which was created 53 years ago when GM made the car. The top welds on the front door track were off by over 1/4 inch and the car left the factory like that. It must have passed inspection because it was a Convertible only when new. Had this been a Hardtop car, No way it would have gone out like that.

Here's a photo of the track after I popped the welds, It sprung by itself pretty close to where it needed to go. The line on the left I marked is where it was welded by GM originally.





Finally the AFTER end result very satisfying:



We see lot's of posts with questions and ideas for solutions, but not too many that follow up on how things turned out or how a problem was ultimately solved, so I thought I would share this one with the group. Pilot Dan

Stan's Customs

Congrats...

Tough one to figure out..good job

Stan...

Kerrmudgeon

Well done, that's one for the books. I have the opposite problem, my car was a hardtop only car, and fits the windows very well, but now my installed softop is another story, but I think with a lot of time and patience I could adjust the top closer, but I really don't care, it's only an emergency top to me.

Pilot Dan

Thanks, very satisfying to reach the end of the road, I was tempted to throw in the towel a couple of times but walked away and tried again another day. Sometimes when all else fails, you have to think outside the box. Luckily, I was able to find some pictures of a few front tracks to look at on the web and that is when I was finally able to figure it out. The last thing I wanted to do was mess with an original part unless absolutely necessary. F/Y/I, this is now the third time that manufacturing problems with OEM parts being out of spec were the source of a difficult repair problem for me. The other 2 were in the 64. Once with a wheel hub and once with a bumper.

capevettes

Nice job analyzing and implementing a fix That's very satisfying when you figure things out and repair them yourself.

OldKarz

Great fix! Those are the most difficult to figure out. Congratulations!

Plasticman

Outstanding, and congrats on determining the problem and correcting it.

Have you tried the soft top yet? Sure to need some adjustment to match the corrected window position.

Plasticman

Pilot Dan

I know I will have to readjust the softtop on that side a bit, but that's not a big deal. Actually, getting it to fit before was more of a challenge. Shows you just how much they can adjust and hide.
My bigger concern is this is the first time I have left the convertible top folded up for an extended period of time and I hope it does not wrinkle too badly. The weather here in the Northeast continues to be mild and clear and they have not salted yet where I am, so I'm having fun driving with the Hardtop right now and leaving it on.

Ron Miller

Me too!! Congrats on the fix, always a sense of achievement when you complete a fix that's been bugging you for a period of time . . . .

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BarryK

nice job Dan!

jim lockwood

Dan,

That's some darned good detective work.

Jim

Fawndeuce

Sherlock would be proud!
Quality built to exacting standards!



Paul

Ron Miller

Mighty good!! I'd be interested in knowing just how you were able to determine the track was off without having another nearby to compare it with.

Pilot Dan

Ron, I played with removing the tracks both front and back and eventually figured out that the only thing stopping the window from going where it needed to go was the front track was holding it too far forward. I was able to see some pictures on line of the part which confirmed what I saw and needed to do.

Thanks to all for the positive comments.

Ron Miller

Great job, Dan!! My compliments!!

UberLegend

Congrats and thanks for the thread.

Pilot Dan

Guys, the one thing to remember is the General (as much as we all pray to the god of original parts) was not 100 % perfect. So, no matter the problem, do your own homework and double check things!!
In mass production, things can get screwed up late on a Friday afternoon on the assembly line. Become a parts inspector........stuff happens

Stewart Allison

Your the man Dan you must of been happy with that result. It's awesome when you get a great result. Isn't it funny when you pull something apart and really look at it hard you can see how it all works in ya head ! Stewy

Audiophobe

Absolutely! I was thinking about after seeing what you did and the pics that illustrated it.
Assembly lines back then didn't have robots that repicate an action exactly and perfectly every time (and don't get tired). I just assumed that everything would be done to "spec" like now.
BTW, my window looks just like yours did before you fixed it so I wouldn't be surprised if I have the same problem.
Thanks!

INMYBLOOD

Great Work!