In case you were wondering... (pics)

[garment]

This is what happens to your window when you don't use low-profile hex-head bolts to attach your motor to the inside of your door...



Yes those are nicely-defined gouges in my glass...

Anyone know where I can get a passenger window for an '83SC Targa? And what are leading practices for removing the old glass from the lifter rail and installing the new glass in the rail?

AAAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH! Feeling like my own worst enemy here...

Thanks, Pelicans!

[Quicksilver]

Windows popping out of the rails is common in cold climates. The window freezes to the frame and when you drop it it can pop out. Not your situation but it has given me a number of times where I needed to reseat a window.

All the windows for pretty much any car seem to be held by rubber and the rails appear to be bent to form the channel around it. That makes it clamp down on the rubber. Obviously you can't do that at home. The simple fix is to strip out the rubber out of the channel, fill the rail with RTV silicone, put the window into the rail and then roll it all the way up to firmly seat it in the correct position. Then leave it for a day to set.
Obviously don't go crazy with the silicone as you don't want it oozing out inside the door. Also If you are doing it during a cold time of year you will need a heated garage so the silicone will harden.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Quicksilver

Obviously don't go crazy with the silicone as you don't want it oozing out inside the door. Also If you are doing it during a cold time of year you will need a heated garage so the silicone will harden.

There is another product that is less flexible but is far stronger than RTV silicon.

I have used it to quiet noisy suspension bushings while waiting for new parts to arrive. (not P-car but everyday Akron cars)

3M Urethane Super Fast Black 10Oz Cartidge | Make More Happen at StaplesŪ

When I painted my 81, I pulled the glass out to have it re-tinted. There was rust in the bottom of the U shaped channel. Plenty of pitting and some holes. Loss of integrity allowed to U to flare open. I pulled the unit and sandblasted with my DIY junior sand blaster. Rustoleum from a can to seal. Kept the original rubber but "over" squeezed the channels together to create a bit of new tension and used regular clear silicone to seal the rubber to the channel and window to the rubber. No problems for over ten years.

That said, I don't have a clue how well silicone bonds to rubber or to rustoleum oil based paint.

[SCadaddle]

As Bob pointed out above, once the lift "channel" starts rusting through it loses it's spring tension to hold the glass. It's a design like those black binder clip thingies from Office Depot.
I opted for a new window lift rail in my SC coupe when the one in the drivers door fell off. If you go this route get the new rubber piece that fits over the glass and in the channel. On mine I fit the rubber to the glass (dry)then lubed it up a bit with some glycerin (bottle from the drug store) and then laying the glass atop a blanket on a flat table I knocked the channel on with a rubber mallet.....but you want to hit the channel and NOT the piece below it that works with the rollers of the lift mechanism. So the trick here is make a trip to your local Home Depot/Lowes and shop for wood flooring. They love for you to spend several minutes comparing the colors etc. and the samples are free for the taking. Wink wink. Get several, even some of the tongue and groove ones.