Body / Glass: Window issue help needed

[Mcomijohns]

I have a 1955 Commander I just replaced the first side window but it is about a half inch from fully closing? Trying to figure out what I did wrong lol . I repaired the lift unit when out it goes all the way up and down buy not while installed with glass in? Any ideas would help thanks in advance.

[E. Davis]

You are sure the glass is the right size? Sounds like it might be to short if the lift unit is in the right place. Sounds like you need another 1/2 inch of glass.

[Hallabutt]

Michael-I feel your pain! Just to make something clear, I believe that we are discussing a hardtop and not a coupe. In the htp. the side windows both roll down as opposed to the coupe type in which the rear, seat, windows are of the staid, pop out variety, is that correct? I don't want to get ahead of your answer, but I presume that we are talking about the htp. and your gap is between the back frame of the door window and the front half of the rear side window. The two windows seem to fit and work properly, but there is a gap that is impossible to adjust for without messing up the geometry.

Now the reality check. I have seen the problem on more then one occasion and have the same problem on my Speedster, which I restored five decades ago. I have never been given a proper corrective solution during the ensuing years. You are not going to get one from me. All I can do is offer my feelings of misery loves company, for what it's worth. I hope we can find some solution from someone smarter then we are!

[Mcomijohns]

Glass guide bar goes to the front not the rear I had it backwards lol

[Mcomijohns]

Yes 4 door hardtop . Ty

[bezhawk]

There is an adjustable stop built into the regulator arm. It is an Acme thread 1/2" bolt into a sheet metal J-nut, and is on a slotted section of the arm. Loosen the bolt and slide it until you get proper closure.

[Mcomijohns]

Thank you I will try sorry had flu so I put everything on hold

[kurtruk]

Yes 4 door hardtop . Ty

Studebaker did not make a 4 door hardtop. Are we understanding the terminology?

[Mcomijohns]

Yes a 1955 studebaker commander deluxe 4door hard top. Regardless I finally figured out my problem. 😁 the window guide bar has to go to the front not the rear. It fallows the channel on the front guide not the rear where the u channel goes.

[kurtruk]

Do you know if that car came from the Sacramento, California area a few years ago?

[skyway]

Glad you solved the problem!
That said, and not to beat a dead horse, but “hardtops”, be they 2 doors or 4 doors, have no post between front & rear side windows. When first produced GM even referred to them as “hardtop convertibles.” The yellow car in your photo is a 4 door sedan; that is with a post between its front & rear doors.

[kurtruk]

Glad you solved the problem!
That said, and not to beat a dead horse, but “hardtops”, be they 2 doors or 4 doors, have no post between front & rear side windows. When first produced GM even referred to them as “hardtop convertibles.” The yellow car in your photo is a 4 door sedan; that is with a post between its front & rear doors.

Hardtops doors also don't have an upper frame around the window. IE: when you roll the window up, the glass seals against the roof, not against the upper door frame.
The terminology (hardtop convertible) comes from: "it's as if we took a convertible body, and added a hard top roof to it." Open air cruising, no door frames or posts to get in the way of the view or airflow.

Think about it this way: If you cut just the roof off of your sedan, it would look pretty silly with the (frames of the) doors sticking up. But cut the roof off of a "hardtop-convertible," and you've got a body that looks just like a convertible, minus the canvas soft-top.