Targa driver's window problem--rail or regulator?

[Tim_in_MD]

Hello all--

Job one for our newly acquired '85 Targa is fixing the driver's side window, which had obvious alignment and fit problems. I took it apart today and discovered that the glass was sitting above the rail with the rubber lining--in fact it had folded over the rubber and was sitting high. There is also a spot on the rail where the upper lip is bent down. The stop that controls window height was out of whack and allowing the window to raise too high. I set the window back in the rail, adjusted the stop and achieved a good fit. The window went up and down fine with the door open. The regulator itself looked good though there was some play at the nylon rollers--they were intact but allowing some up-and-down movement of the rail. Unfortunately, when I tried to raise and lower the window with the door shut, the window again came out of the rail and went out of alignment...I'm guessing the friction against the B-pillar seal was enough to pull it out of the rail again. All the alignments I made earlier were lost and the trailing edge is now sitting higher than the Targa panel weatherstrip.

My question here is whether I should be looking at a new rail, a new regulator or both? I've replaced lots of regulators in my past (Land Rovers, fun) and this one looks to be in good shape with the exception of the rail. The fact that I can wiggle the window up and down and side to side when I know the regulator is tightly affixed to the door and working properly makes me look at the rail.

Neither is a cheap piece, of course.

Thanks for your advice. Here's a pic of the new car with my '86.

Tim

[timmy2]

Have you adjusted the angle of the window to possibly reduce the pressure against the B pillar?
Is the cloth on the B pillar seal in good condition? If the cloth is gone, the glass will grip the rubber on the way down possibly dislodging all your work.

[Tim_in_MD]

The cloth is probably half gone on that vertical seal...still fuzzy but there's definitely some friction to it. I looked that that in-out angle adjustment and didn't think it made much difference, but now that you say it I can see how it'll pull the glass inward while rolling down if there's too much angle. Will adjust that and see what happens.

That still leaves me with a lot of play in the window itself on the driver's side, while I can't really move the passenger side at all, which makes me think there's still a problem with the rail or regulator.

[wayne robson]

Tim,couple of months ago i removed mine and found that the bottom rail or track
that the glass fits in to was not tight,with the rubber lining fitted in it as well,
so i removed the rail and placed it in my vise and straighten it ,a little reducing the gap
size a little, so that when fitted into glass was much tighter .Then re fitted all back
but i used a little epoxy adhesive 10 minute setting,only about i inch at each end
of glass into rail and rubber ,. drop it in and push hard and position before glue sets,
i pushed mine to front guide as far as possible,and made sure was pushed done into rail firmly,operate up and down couple of times before glue drys to make sure all works well, window now is perfect and smooth.

[Quicksilver]

Having the window pop out of the channel is a common issue in cold climates where the window freezes to the door and when you roll it down it pops free.
The easy fix is to pull all the rubber out of the channel and clean the bottom of the window. Then put a liberal quantity if silicone sealer in the channel and put the window in the channel. you will want to put something in the door to catch overflowing drips. Then crank the window all the way up so it is positioned exactly correct when rolled up. Finally leave it there for a day so the silicone can dry.

[SCadaddle]

You'll find that the window rail that fits the bottom of the window has the same cross section and purpose as a binder clip such as this one:







They are prone to rust out in the bottom of the channel and lose their spring steel grip on the rubber and the bottom of the window. A new rail and new rubber are a very tight fit, on my SC coupe I used glycerin to lube the rubber and the rail to fit it all together with much pounding of a rubber mallet against a piece of laminate wood flooring (sourced from the local home depot as free samples.....take your time and browse the flooring for the ones with the little tongue) against the bottom of the channel in the rail and not the part that fits the rollers in the regulator.

Chances are the new window rail will be longer (the part that fits the glass) at the aft end; it is the forward end position on the glass that needs to be correct and you should be able to see a distinctive mark on the glass where the old one fit.

[Tim_in_MD]

Thanks to all, great advice. I believe I've found two things: first, the rail is no longer gripping the glass at all. Second, the frame was adjusted so that the glass was too tight up against the vertical seal on the b-pillar/targa bar.

Given the price of a new rail I'm going to see if I can salvage the existing one as it doesn't appear to be rusted. Door panel will stay off next time until I'm sure the fix has taken...

Tim

[redridge]

One thing to look for is the speed of the regulator. When the door is open, electrically move the window up/down... take note of its speed. When the door is closed, move the window up/down. If it slows down, you know its dragging somewhere and adjustment is needed with the alignment of the window to the pillar.... let us know how you make out.

[wayne robson]

Timmy 2 mentioned this in link 2 so thought i would show this,it may help you later
if the cloth is all worn and gone after you get your window working, did mine a few months ago.


Or it is in a previous link i did --03-3-2015- 5.54am.
heading bow drill cloth tape.

[Upier]

I just went through the same thing with my targa. I replaced the rubber seal. I also glued a small strip of blue shop towel to the glass and then added some glue to the outside so it grabs the rubber. Did that after the third time I had to disassemble the door. Also put white lithium grease on the rear rail. Seems to be working great now.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Tim_in_MD

Given the price of a new rail I'm going to see if I can salvage the existing one as it doesn't appear to be rusted.

+1

I squished mine together a bit and used 3M weatherstrip adhesive to lock the rubber strip in place. I did have some rust. A few pin holes. Pulled it out and sand blasted with a wimpy home DIY unit. 10 years now.

Thanks for saving the sugar scoops.