Topic: 69 Fastback Window Regulator

[G Wood]

I am having trouble with my driver side window. It is difficult to roll up and does not fit well with the quarter window. I have removed the window and the regulator and need some help with the regulator. The part has one silver colored arm (the front arm), the remainder are black. In addition to the different color, it has a bend that looks excessive. My questions are:

1) does anyone know why there would be a silver arm? Was this common?
2) Does the bend look excessive or is this normal? is there a way to measure what the bend should be?
3) when gluing the channels to the glass, I believe they should be glued 1" from the front and rear edges of the glass? Mine are currently approx 0.5" and look like they have been re-glued at some point (it is very sloppy)

Thanks

[Dirk Pitt]

That regulator is bent and is not usable.  You'll need to get a new one and be sure to get the '69 style if you stay with glue-in windows.  On the position of the window in the channels - lots of tricks as to how to appropriately place those but you need to worry about fitment in the channel as well as forward/back positioning.  If you haven't done this previously be prepared for massive frustration levels.  To answer your question - yes, the front/back placement is ~1"+ from the edge of the glass on the "original" windows I have seen.  This positioning is not critical as it is mostly determining how much of the window guides are engaged.  As mentioned, the fitment in the channel is going to be much more important (angle of the glass in the channel).  If the angle of the glass in the front and back brackets are different you're going to be very unhappy when trying to line up the windows.

You may have heard this from others but going to the '70 style bolt in glass is much easier and nobody will know the difference when installed.  Unless you are a true purist on the restoration the bolt-in glass will be your friend.

[cobrajetchris]

You may have heard this from others but going to the '70 style bolt in glass is much easier and nobody will know the difference when installed.  Unless you are a true purist on the restoration the bolt-in glass will be your friend.

I couldn't agree more! The glue in 69 glass was a disaster from day 1 and that's why Ford changed it so quick. There are enough adjustments on the glass to hassle with let alone trying to glue it in the right spot. Door and glass adjustment on 69-70 models is no fun, many adjustments and you get one thing right and  something else don't fit, been there and done that.

[midlife]

You may have heard this from others but going to the '70 style bolt in glass is much easier and nobody will know the difference when installed. 

I am under the impression that the chrome/stainless divider or the placement of the weatherstrip separating the front to the rear window changed from/to the door to/from the rear window from 69 to 70.  Is my memory in error?

[G Wood]

Thanks for the feedback. I just located an original regulator and will install and adjust. I agree that the 70 option is better, but will take a lot of effort to accumulate the parts at this point. The passenger side works well so will try to replicate that.

[cobrajetchris]

I am under the impression that the chrome/stainless divider or the placement of the weatherstrip separating the front to the rear window changed from/to the door to/from the rear window from 69 to 70.  Is my memory in error?

That is true for the coupe/convertible models only. If you make the change over on them you need to replace the qtr. glass as well. The fastback model has the molding on the glass on 69 and 70 models.

[J_Speegle]

I couldn't agree more! The glue in 69 glass was a disaster from day 1 and that's why Ford changed it so quick.................

Not sure that they changed it so quickly (waiting to almost the end of the production year) but do agree it was an issue discovered quickly after it started it appears

[70cj428]

Actually, Metuchen used glue in glass (at least on some cars) into the 70 production run, my 70 CJ car (Built Sept. 30'th,1969) had properly dated glue in glass when I bought it. I switched it to bolt in glass in the mid 1980's as the drivers window was actually reglued inproperly already ...

I parted out a lot of 70 Metuchen cars in the late 1980's early 1990's, and it wasn't uncommon for early 70's to have glue in glass. I always checked cause 70 bolt in fastback glass was always an easy sell, even in the 1980's .....