Body / Glass: K car Flippers----

[mmagic]

Slogging through re-assembly..
Rear Quarter window design is interesting at a minimum. Received advice to just leave them up once you get them there.

Driver door window impressively solid way to cantilever the glass into thin air and convert every possible drop of water into roller rust.

But, the complex spring and hinge system on the flippers suggest the creative inginuity and durability of 1950's Japanese toys. ()*&)(* Unfortunately, unlike the rear quarters there is no way to avoid using them.

With luck my heads will be ready today so I can re-direct my frustration.

[studegary]

Those rear quarter windows CAN be made to work. Adjustment and lubrication are the two key items. It does help to use your other hand to assist the window mechanism when rolling them up. It is a shame to leave the quarter windows up all of time on any two door hardtop.

Bob Bourke told me that 50 cents per car was taken out of the mechanism for the rear quarter windows from the way that they were originally designed. Of course, $0.50 per car was a lot of money, especially in the 1950s.

Then again, Bob originally wanted no quarter windows, sort of like was done on later Camaros and Firebirds (that Bob did buy new).

[JoeHall]

Apparently the factory struggled with getting them adjusted correctly also. I have seen many factory photos, test car photos, and photos of nearly new 'K' bodied Studes with the rear window-to-door window gap at 1/2" to 1". Some of them with snow on the ground, so they were not likely opened purposely for cool air.

I roll mine up, install a tiny set screw, then caulk around the window to body edge. Makes the AC and heater work a lot better. But then, they are all drivers, with "function first" kept in mind.

[5brown1]

Putting them back together and adjusting as outlined in the manual will give you functional windows and flippers. It seems harder when reading about it than it really is. Just a bit of patience.

[ddub]

Just for what it's worth, in 1960 I bought my first 53 K. It leaked a lot of places but the quarter windows did roll up. It took more effort than a conventional window.

[JoeHall]

Putting them back together and adjusting as outlined in the manual will give you functional windows and flippers. It seems harder when reading about it than it really is. Just a bit of patience.

It is easy to get them aligned and closed like that, but the challenge is keeping them from slipping rearward once you begin to actually drive the car.

I have had pretty good luck with the flippers above the door windows, but even when working properly they are no where near air tight.

[packardHawk58]

I have just finished rebuilding the flippers on my Packard Hawk and they weren't that too bad too do. I disassembled them completely and buff polished the SS before putting them back together with new springs and pins.
The hardest part of the rebuild was fitting correct weather-strip seal material in them so they would seal.
The rear side windows channels are not bad too do. Adjustment is easy to do and you can achieve a nice window gap with the top adjustment on the winder and the bottom eccentric on the end of the window run(pivot).