Help! Driver's window slipped out of channel on my '63

[Adambravo]

So, I suspect this problem may be beyond my capabilities, but it never hurts to ask, right?

Just got my '63 out of storage yesterday. Went out for a drive last night, rolled the windows down--and, when I came home, the driver's side window wouldn't come up. Looking down into it, I could see the forward edge of the window was not in the track/channel. I have a friend nearby with a '68 Eldorado, so he guided me through getting the armrest, door handle, and carpet screws on the door off--and then I got stuck. I have a manual vent window, and I can't seem to get that darned retaining clip off (even though my friend provided me with a tool). Any helpful hints?

[RivNut]

To get to the window, you need to remove the door skin.

[Adambravo]

Oh, my--that's definitely outside my skill set...

[RivNut]

I doubt it.  There's probably a guide with illustrations in a body manual (not a chassis manual) that expense it.  No specially tools  needed. I'd bet a search of this forum would reveal some insights as well.

[XframeFX]

Adam, this link still works:

http://www.chip.com/buick/techtips/doorskin.html

Agreed, a search will find much info on this.

Protecting your paint and patience, slow approach should do the trick.

John B.

[TKRIV]

Hi All, When removing the door skins the front facing nuts are difficult to access due to the limited space where the door hinges are.

Got myself a spanner with flex head & ratchetting ring which makes the task much easier.

Cheers

Tom K

[RivNut]

Didn't know you could buy SAE "spanners" in Australia; thought everything down there was either metric or whitworth.

[Zimm63]

Too fancy for me.

 

 

[TexRiv_63]

Removing the doorskin is pretty easy, biggest issue is if the fasteners are rusty. Once it's off all your window ills are easily accessed.

[telriv]

A short 3/8ths. box wrench will do the trick. Just use the closed end backwards from normal & access is fairly easy. Put blue tape on the fender to keep from scratching paint.

[XframeFX]

I just downloaded 1 of your images that shows approximately where the RS Mirror is mounted. I recently learned from these posts a LS 1963 remote mirror will work on the RS, n'est pas?

Thanks Don.

John B.

[RivNut]

How did you mark which cable goes to which post on the joy stick?  

[SwedeDownUnderR63]

2 hours ago, XframeFX said:

I just downloaded 1 of your images that shows approximately where the RS Mirror is mounted. I recently learned from these posts a LS 1963 remote mirror will work on the RS, n'est pas?

Thanks Don.

John B.

Hi John,

yes you can use them on both sides on a ‘63 but you need to put some metal under the door skin to support it as the skin is to thin to support it as is. 
 

[KongaMan]

If you have a remote mirror (and you probably do), disconnect the cables before you pull the skin.  The cables should be color coded so you know where to put them back.  IOW, you don't want the skin hanging by the mirror cable.

 

Otherwise, pulling the door skin is easy.  If the bolt spins with the nut, insert something (plastic wedge, etc.; you don't want to chip the paint) between the skin and door frame next to the bolt, then pry them apart.  This will put pressure on the t-head bolt, (hopefully) holding it in position while you spin the nut off.

[XframeFX]

Jan, a support plate is what I was looking for as well in Don's images and there's only the door handle plate. I have a loose drivers' door skin and again, just the door handle has a plate.

 

On other projects I thought there was always a support plate for ORV Mirrors but never paid much more attention then that.

 

I like the idea of a RS Mirror because I struggled to install the LS Mirror back in '91 (with the door skin on). I should've felt good having finally completed the job. However, while putting my tools away, I found a better mirror in another box of parts! That luck continued when my Riviera came out of hibernation in 2015. I still have the 'better mirror' and it will eventually go on the right side now.

 

I like the angle taken of your Riv Jan. Rivieras will always be eye-candy to me!

John B.

[TKRIV]

I thought that our 1st gen Rivs were the only cars that had removeable door skins.

Just found out that VW Golf MK5 2003-2010 also have removeable door skins.

Tom K

[Seafoam65]

Saturns had removeable door skins on most of their models.

[TexRiv_63]

On 5/3/2020 at 4:53 PM, RivNut said:

How did you mark which cable goes to which post on the joy stick?  

As KongaMan said they were color coded. Regarding a reinforcement plate for the RS mirror, my car was a very early production unit if that makes a difference.

[RivNut]

5 hours ago, TexRiv_63 said:

As KongaMan said they were color coded. 

Those colors must be faint or I'm color blind.  I've taken a few apart and have never seen any color coding from the factory.  Or the ones I took apart were just to dirty to see any color.  Should I need to this ever again, I'll make sure to scour the assembly before taking it apart. 😷

 

Ed

[KongaMan]

16 minutes ago, RivNut said:

Those colors must be faint or I'm color blind.  I've taken a few apart and have never seen any color coding from the factory.  Or the ones I took apart were just to dirty to see any color.  Should I need to this ever again, I'll make sure to scour the assembly before taking it apart. 😷

 

Ed

They're on the control end (don't remember about the mirror end).  IIRC, they're yellow, red, and either blue or green.  They're painted on the ends of the individual cables and the sockets they go in to.  I have no idea if it's a consistent pattern (e.g. yellow always on top) or if each mirror each painted after assembly according to the whims of the assembler.  That would be a drag if you put a cable from one mirror on a different control and found out up was down.  There's only 6 ways to hook up those three cables, anyway.  You got nothing better to do.   

[XframeFX]

Kind of veering away from Adam's window channel to Door Skins and OSR Mirrors but, dialogue here is raising a few questions and I have an early '63 Riviera:

1. An awkward image inside the driver's door upwards to the underside of the ORV Mirror shows no support plate but the red oxide primer eludes there once was one?
2. 2nd Image is of a loose Driver's Door Skin (late '63) with no mirror and not even a hint of a support plate
3. Were RS ORV Mirrors available as an option for 1963 or Dealer installed?
4. If RS ORV were a production option, A support plate was used?
5. 3rd image, no colour coding that I could see. Don't matter, I mark 2 when released from the joy-stick.

John B.