Vent Window Question

[Monson]

Hello all, I'm new to the board and see so many people who've had experience restoring a square body I'm guessing I can get some direction in solving my problem. My vent window hinges are loose as in they need assistance from the outside to realign and latch after opening. This makes them hard to shut when running down the road. I am guessing that there is some sort of shim worn out in the bottom henge. Is it practical to remove the brad/rivet from the top of the vent window to remove it and try to fix it or is there a better way to do this?

[motornut]

I would maybe look for some good used ones and replace them
newer ones have locks,you can always fix yours while using some others

[Monson]

Mine have locks and are in perfect shape except for the wobble. I guess my main question was about the brad/rivet at the top henge. Is this easy to replace and if so, where would I get the part as I don't see any available in any catalog.

[pwtr02ss]

Brothers trucks sells the riviting kit, I think LMC masy also. It comes with a tool to install also. I bought new seals for mine and couldn't get them installed so just bought new ones from gm. Anyone have ANY tips on installing just the new seals?

[2badgn]

Originally Posted by pwtr02ss

Brothers trucks sells the riviting kit, I think LMC masy also. It comes with a tool to install also. I bought new seals for mine and couldn't get them installed so just bought new ones from gm. Anyone have ANY tips on installing just the new seals?

Stupid question but where did u buy the GM Seals?

[pwtr02ss]

I bought the complete vent window assembly from brothers truck. Turns out they are gm. They are junk so don't waist the money. I was very unhappy especially for the $360 ea. If you do wanna get some buy them from the dealer instead of them. I didn't know they were a gm part until they came in.

[Monson]

The rubber is fine. It's the bottom where it goes into the door that's a problem. You can usually find the vent windows at a junk yard. I was looking for other parts and counted a dozen square bodies with vents intact. What I'm trying to find out is about the brad/rivet at the top hinge. I see lots of brads for sale in various places but those are for the rubber. None for the top hinge. Is that piece available or does anyone know? If I don't need to take it out, does anyone have a diagram of the bottom hinge so that maybe I can see why it's loose.

[Stepper86]

The bottom end of the frame holding the glass has a bolt welded/soldered to it. This bolt goes trough a spring, and a bracket that is attached to the outerframe of the ventwindow assembly. A nut holds it all together.
If you want to take the vent window assembly out you need to remove:
1. Door panel
2. The bottom one of the three screws holding the door mirror(there is a bracket going torough the door to support the mirror, at least if your truck has the big mirrors"elephant ears")
3. Door window channel ( if you have old and hard channels they will brake)
4. Screws holding the vent window assembly to the door ( 1 on top of the door frame and 2 on the front part of frame.
5. the bolt holding the down part of the assembly (the metal U-channel where you removed the window channel rubber)

Roll down your window, pull the vent window backwards and down (sometimes they quite hard)
There is not much space to play around with, but it can be taken out without removing the door window. All tough I prefer to remove that one to, since you have the door apart why not clean and lube the window crank,slides and make sure that the rollers on the bottom of the window are moving? Much easier with everything out of the door.
Use white grease if you decide to lube things up.
It´s been a while since I had one out, so I might have forgotten something. Feel free to correct me if Im wrong about something.

[motornut]

this might help ,from GM book