Tailgate glass adjustment

[bdrainy]

I am fixing (trying to anyway) all the little things in my 87 GW that have bugged me for the last couple years...and the tailgate glass is one of them.

It's a little hard to tell from the picture but glass rolls up too far forward (towards the front of the car) and hits the trim piece. It needs to be back around half inch or so to actually go in to the weather-stripping. I accomplish this right now with a small suction cup and just pull the top of the glass rearward when I roll it up.

So my question is...how to do you adjust the alignment of the tailgate glass? I have the Haynes manual and have done a bunch of internet searching and can't find the info I am looking for. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks - Brian

[Johnzi10]

The side channels that the glass rides in have a bit of adjustment as I remember. The bottom bolt I believe. It allows you to adjust the bottom of the channel in or out .Loosen upper just a bit to allow it to pivot, then loosen the bottom bolts. Sounds like the bolt needs to be adjusted up with the tailgate open. I did this with the access panel off when I was re- assembling the whole regulator. There are spacers used to mount the regulator to the tailgate to get it closer to the proper position, then the channels allow a bit of “ in out” adjustment.

[bdrainy]

Thanks! I'll pop off that panel this weekend and take a look. -Brian

[SJTD]

One wonders if your channels are worn to add to the problem. BJ's has them along with the wipes and seal.

Adjusting the regulator would be more for leveling the glass.

[dodgerammit]

Yep, how fresh is your weatherstripping? If it is old, go ahead and bite the bullet and refresh it all. Side channels in gate, the upper body weatherstrip, lifter bar seal (and lifter bar if yours is rusted through). You'll also need new clips to hold the lifter bar. You can get them at BJ's, but I replaced them with properly sized E-clips for reusability.

[Johnzi10]

BJ’s clips are a must upgrade. I agree that you should replace side channels and wipes

[76 CHIEF 20]

I cant get my glass to roll UP all the way and seal into the new rubber....
It has about a 1/2" gap all across the top and corners.
So exhaust gets in and kills me

Is there adjustment here or is this rubber just a piece of BEEP?

[SJTD]

There is some adjustment but I doubt you'll get that much. Seems more like a wear problem. Probably the pins in the arms and the slots they move in.

Also, inside the lift motor there's a rubber damper that likes to turn to crumbs. This can decrease how far the motor output moves. This might add to your problem.

[candymancan]

Only adjustments i knew of was left or right tilted up and down.

Never heard of the glass being too far foward.

That to me sounds like the glass isnt clipped on right. Or that metal bar the glass sits in. Is bent. And it needs pulled out and bent straight. Or you have 0 stripping and the glass is falling foward

[76 CHIEF 20]

I got it to go up a little bit more but it is as if the motor is too week to really smash it into the rubber seal all the way up
I keep getting carbon monoxide headaches
Makes me wanna sell th le BEEPING thing

[devildog80]

Did you do any work recently on the mechanism/motor, or has it been this way since purchase of the truck? Possible the motor is not camed correctly to the mechanism, and needs adjusted. Almost like adjustmentt of the engine distributor to cam gear for engine timing.
My '84 GW worked ok when I brought it home, but glass went up/down slow and needed help to align into the upper body weatherstripping due to the glass falling a bit forward. I replaced the upper weatherstripping, thinking as window went up it would align on the sides to seat in place at the top, but no it still falls forward. I have a thin copper metal strip bent over the glass to align it, and metal strip stays on the glass when fully closed. Have not replaced the guides yet inside tailgate, but when I reworked the mechanism a few months ago, the motor was good, but recent attempt to use has it failing again, so need to tear into it to see what happened. Motor sounds like it is turning, but no real action on the mechanism, and glass needs help to move up/down both.