Side Window Droop Cure - FREE PIC

lezesig1

lezesig1

expatriot
Condition: Side window self drooping, with very little
downward pressure to lower the glass without using the
window crank handle.

Not sealing well.

All door innards were inspected for excessive wear and none found.
Felts, wipers, tracks, cables, gears, shafts, appropriate lube points
all checked good.

No doubt this dilema is solvable by fitment and adjustment of all the many
internal door parts. It's a question of setting the entire assembly into balance
to not have a window pane self droop.

OR

Add a FIAT approved external enhancement device (smile).

Here is my solution. No doubt there are others to address
this issue.

24.jpg

24 Procured a wire-rod, then shaped a hook
and finger pull.

Note: .160 rod diameter used. Steel, cold formed.

85.jpg

85 Procuded a machine screw, nut, and washer.

Note: Chose a 10-24 with a flanged head
(not shown), standard hexnut, and flat washer

20.jpg


20 Procuded a tension spring.
Procured a section of heatshrink

Note: Chose a closed end spring of 19 (.040) wire gauge
and 120mm in length. Applied heatshrink to the spring to
make an open ended tube. Not too tight.

44.jpg

44 Applied finish to the components. Stud assembly
and finger pull/hook.

Note: Fingernail polish. Enamel, fast cure,
and fairly durable.

79.jpg


79 Drilled and mounted 10-24 threaded insert.
i.e. nutsert, keensert, etc.

Note: Replacing sheet metal screw hole with threaded
hole to allow for more secure stud arrangement.
Fowardmost hole, second from bottom.

48.jpg

Close-up pic of hook securing window hand crank
handle.

29.jpg


Pic showing secured window hand crank handle
under slight tension.

Note: 10-24 anchor stud with minumum exposure. Just enough
to allow for the spring clearance to the door vinyl.

Note: Clocking of window handle with pane raised to full
up position.



Observations.....Worked much better than anticipated. Took very little tension
to lock the glass into the full up position. Blends in well with the stock interior.
Service life on this fitment should be very long. Quick ease of use.
 
IF the front is staying put but only the rear corner of the window is drooping, then usually, just adjusting the position/angle of the window glass by raising the back corner works well.

It is done (with the door panel off), by rolling the window part way down until the rear clamp that holds the glass to the cables that raise and lover it (located on the bottom rear corner of the window glass) is visable. Once the window is low enough that you can see the two philips screw heads that hold the clamp together, you simply lossen them and slide the rear clamp up as necessary, to raise the rear corner of the window glass and change the angle of the window glass front to rear.
Simply retighten the screws on the clamp and try it out. It may take more than one adjustment to get it right.

IF the angle of the glass (front to rear) is correct and the entire window is drooping, then it is usually the rubber door seal at the back which is either collapsed or damaged and needs to be replaced and/or the door latch itself needs to be adjusted so the door latches a bit deeper (tighter) when it is comletely closed and latched. THe rubber trim and position of the door when latched are what seals the glass well to the rubber. That creates the tension which keeps the window in positiong when you stop cranking it.

If that tension is fine, youll have some drag from it when cranking (it should not be loose and floppy and real easy to crank when the door is open but it should also have MORE tension when the door is closed becaue of the pressure of the glass against the rubber trim.

If the pressure is good when the door is closed and latched, then adjusting the track position helps acheive more drag on the track which also keeps the window from moving too easily. This can be accomplished by loosening and adjusting the two mounting points of the front wing track and the rear track.

IF that is not enough, then usually the U shaped felt insert IN the front track is also part of the problem. IT creates part of the tension that keeps the window in position when you stop cranking it.

It simply gets worn out. Putting washers under the screws that hold the bottom of the front and rear tracks can change the angle of the track (towards or away from the outer door panel), essentially "twisting" the relative position of the two tracks to each other, creating drag.

If all that is not enough, you can place a thin piece of plastic here or there between the outside of the U shaped felt track insert and the track itself to nudge on or the other sides of it over or both sides to push it in a bit, increasing the drag of the felt on the glass at that point. I find that making these plastic shims no more than 1.5 to 2 inches long gives good results. They can be inserted by using a small flat blade screwdriver between the felt and the track and inserting one corner of your plastic shim piece and then rotating it while pushing to put it in place.

Hopefully you can visualize all that I described. I would have to tear apart my door and take many pictures to show each item i was mentioning but if you are familiar with the various components of the window system, this should all make sense.

Hope it was helpful.
 
Daniel Gibson said:
I never would, or the top either if I had a tonneau cover for my 850. Anyone know of a source for one?
Click to expand...
Hi Daniel- check with Dave Bishop (dgbishop30@gmail.com); he has a nice inventory of parts (including a tonneau), is knowledgeable about the cars and a very nice person to work with. I am sure he will send you (and anyone else who might ask) a copy of his parts inventory. Best, Loren
 
khez said:
Hope it was helpful.
Click to expand...

Hello khez,

Thanks for taking the time to writeup the explanation. It sounds like you have been into the assembly once or twice.
All the details that you have mentioned were visited on both of my doors. I am reminded of using a slight preload here
or there to lock a moving assembly. Internal or external. I chose the external route on my method, but like said, more than one
way to address the issue.

You illustrated the nuances quite well. Thanks.

Remember the old technique of wiggling a side window down to gain access on old cars ? 99% could be wiggled downward
to form a top gap. Once that gap is formed then (smile).

Even with the entire door window wind assembly optimized I suspect the pane can be dropped. Nothing locks it into position.

I even considered pinning the crank handle.

Thanks again for chiming in

lezesig
'72 850spi
 
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