Well, let me know if this looks good. After doing the work and staring at this for a couple days, it all flows together. If I mistakenly reference a picture out of order, or not included, let me know. Thanks How to replace the Vent window seals in a 1967 Skylark. ( 64-67 GM A-body) I’m going to assume you have removed the entire vent window from the door and completely disassembled it. At that point, you can polish the vertical frame stainless and either have your existing cast frame re-chromed or purchase replacements. Below is a picture of the final assembly with the basic parts named. You need to separate the vertical and horizontal frame by cutting off the rivets shown below. This is because the rubber seal can only slide on from one end. I guess you could try and force the seal on, but there is a retaining ridge on the seal and all I did was start to bend my frame. Force if you want, but for a little extra time, this works easy. This is the retaining ridge on the end of the seal. This is what I call the end capture of the seal. The retaining ridge will slide onto the horizontal frame and bottom out against the end capture once you have the two frame pieces separated. Then when they are re-riveted together, the end capture is trapped between the retaining ridge and the vertical frame which butts against it. That is why you must separate the two metal frames. Sliding the seal on from the end that was riveted will then allow you to set the end capture against the lower frame bar and it will be flush to frame once re-riveted. A little bit of white grease on the horizontal frame channel will let the seal slide on easier. Make sure and slide it way over because once this is all together, it doesn’t move very well. At this point, you are able to re-rivet the horizontal and vertical frames together. Use a 5/32 pop rivet that has a grip range of 1/8” max. Since you are structurally connecting two pieces of steel, I chose the strongest rivets, the steel shank, steel rivet. Blind hole, button head size 5-2. There isn’t a ton of stress here so you could probably use aluminum rivets, but I had to buy some anyway so I got the steel/steel version. Once you rivet these back together and you are at this point and ready to start the assembly of the cast frame and wing window itself. Now that your two frames are together, you need to attach the vertical seal. The following picture shows the end of the vertical seal in place prior to riveting the two frames just for reference. If you set a bar of steel in your vise that rides up just a bit like this, it will give you something to hammer against when installing the vertical seal. The picture above shows the little metal tabs of the vertical seal sticking up thru the vertical frame. At this time, you only want to hammer over 2 or 3 of the tabs, leave the top part of the seal loose. You will see why below. The vertical seal goes INSIDE the horizontal seal on the frame assy as in the picture below. Once you get that seal in place, inside the horizontal seal, that is when you hammer over the bottom few tabs to hold it in position. Then you lay the cast and chromed vent window frame down in position and slide the top of the vertical seal INTO the top of the “V” shaped seal as show in this picture. It doesn’t go in very far, but MUST be in there. It will fall out many times as you are messing with this. Make sure you have plenty of change for the swear jar. Those little metal clips in my hand loosely snap into the cast frame to hold the rubber seal in position. The cast frame has two Philips head screws that go in the bottom of the frame. The screws go thru the sheet metal horizontal frame and into the cast frame holding the rubber tight up into the cast frame and the little metal clips above help retain the rubber. Only loosely put in the screws. At the top of the cast frame where the vertical seal has nestled, then fallen out, then been re-nestled into position, there is a small flat head screw that goes thru the top of the vertical frame into the cast frame and draws it all together. Get it started, but don’t tighten it yet, we still haven’t added the actual vent window yet. Below you can see where the small Philips screw goes and the way the top of the cast and vertical frame come together. At this point you should have the frame loosely together and no window in it. Take the vent window and remember that when finished, the latch handle is inside the car and swings outwards, and the point of the “V” swings in. Slide the threaded mounting bolt thru the rubber seal on the horizontal frame and into the little cage at the bottom but not all the way thru. You need to load up the washers correctly. There should be a metal washer, then a fiber washer, then thru the horizontal frame cage, then another fiber washer and topped off with another metal washer. At that point, slide on the spring and the small flat washer with the locking tab on it and loosely add the nut so your assy. Looks like the picture below. The top of the vent window is still flopping around so now we need to slide it into position. When I did it, it was easier to remove the two larger screws below that connect the horizontal frame and cast frame rather than the one little screw up top because then you are less likely to pull that pesky vertical seal out of the other seal held by the small screw. So remove the two lower screws pull the assy apart just a little bit until you can get that post on top of the vent window to slide into it’s little pivot pocket, then squeeze the frame assy back together and re-install and tighten the two lower screws connecting the horizontal frame and cast frame. At this point the vent window should rotate very loosely. Now you can go back and hammer those remaining pesky tabs over on the inner vertical seal and make sure that they are all down tight. Yeah, there isn’t much room there and you now have a window in the way but just figure out a way to do it. Then comes the point you dread, take that little screw up at the peak and remove it. Don’t let the seals come apart. Take the vertical run channel seal, slide the screw through the hole up top and screw that little bugger in tight The screw should pull everything up tight as show in the above two pictures. The final step is easy-peasy, just tighten the nut against the spring in the bottom until the vent window has resistance and fold the locking tab over to hold the nut in place. Remember that vent window has to resist 60 mile per hour winds and not move, so you want it fairly stiff. Also know that you don’t want to have to take this thing apart again to adjust it later so use your best guess as to how tight you want it to swing. There ya go, one newly assembled vent window assembly, time to put it back and re-install the door glass tracks. Edit: I purchased my seals from Dan's Classic Auto Parts in Portland Oregon. The Vent window weatherstrip set, #D6CH-1203H cost me $66.00 on 1/4/2013. The Door window front vertical run channel with molded tip, #CCH111, cost me $19.95 on 12/31/2012 also from Dan's Classic. Both seal sets have labels as being from California Classic Chevy Parts, DKM Mfg. Inc. No other information available.
Great step by step descriptions! I did have one variance regarding that pesky screw at the top. I happened to have a long enough clamp I used to hold the very top of the frame (near that screw) to the bottom edge of the bracket that was drilled and re-riveted. This enabled me to do this step of the project unassisted.
So,when I finished the driver side I was dreading the passenger side. Egads........! Was reinstalling that window glass a huge PITA? Yes....It WAS. But, I discovered it really isn't necessary to completely remove the glass. Simply move it back a bit to get it out of the way. All I did was give enough clearance to then follow Jon Baker's instructions. I had to remove the two bolts that affix the rear window guide. Then carefully lower the window and remove the guide. That will give the clearance needed to remove the vent window assembly. Once the vent window was out, I temporarily replaced the rear track to stabilize the glass. Reverse the procedure to re-install.
