Re: [alfa] Removing Side Window Rails**LONG** Beware!!

[Mark Mucciacciaro <mmthrax@xxxxxxxxx>]

 Hello George, and anyone else crazy enough to take
this on,

   In my last post I made it sound fairly easy to get
the quarter panel center posts out of a GTV6.  What I
neglected to think about was that my car is already
halfway vulturized!!

   I have completed the task at hand and below is the
procedure I used.  This dissertation starts from a
complete car.

   1.  Remove rear seat----upper and lower halves

   2.  Remove the lift panel that lifts when you 
         open the rear hatch.  It is connected to 
         the gas strut by a clip and has three
         Phillips head screws along its leading 
         edge going down into the rear bulkhead.

   3.  Remove the small side fabric panel that has the
         perforated cardboard attached to it.  This is
         held in by three rivets.  This needs to be 
         removed because you will need to access a 
         rivet behind it which is one of three holding
         the stainless steel window fuzzie on.
         Use the smallest drill bit you can get away
         with because, obviously, you will want to 
         reattach these panels upon completion, and 
         don't want the holes all reamed out with torn
         fabric.

   4.  Remove the rear door panel.  The center of 
          the window knob is removed by a small 
          flathead screwdriver to reveal a Phillips
          head.  This will remove the knob.  A couple
          more Phillips heads will free the door panel
          itself.  Be very careful with the lower
          leading edge of this panel.  It will 
          probably just crack by looking at it. 

   5.  Once the door panel is off, you will see that 
         the handsome stainless steel window fuzzie is

         held on by three rivets.  Drill these out.  
         Be very careful with the rear two, as any 
         heavy handedness here will send the drill
into
         the window glass.  Once the rivets have been 
         removed, it slides up easily.

  6.  There are two 10mm hex heads which screw into
         small pedestal feet that the rear sail glass
         sits on.  Remove these screws.

  7.  You will see a brass colored Phillips head
screw.
         This goes to the center rail.  Remove it.

  8.  Next to this screw you will see a small plastic
        plug.  Remove this to expose a very small 
        Phillips head screw with tooth washer.  This 
        goes to the black OUTSIDE window fuzzie.
        Once it has been removed you can gently pry
        upwards on the OUTSIDE window fuzzy.  You will
        probably want to put a small piece of wood 
        between your screwdriver and the paint.  I
used
        an old paint stirrer.

  9.  Roll the quarter glass down most of the way.  
        Two large Phillips head screws hold a clamp to

        the regulator cable.  Remove this setup.  
        Slide the window down as far as it will go.  
        It will bottom out along its leading edge into

        the inner structure of the car.

  10.  Gently pry off the inside cloth window molding.
  
  11.  Gently pull down on the window rubber that is
          at the top part of the aperture.  This will
          reveal two rivets holding the center rail
          to the car.  Drill these out.

  12.  Try to jiggle the center rail straight down
          just to get a little clearance.  There is 
          not much.

  13.  At this point my center rail was stuck on a 
          small tab of metal flashing from when the
          brass colored Phillips head went in all 
          those years ago.  It wouldn't move up or
          down.

  14.  I grasped the rear sail panel and pushed it 
         rearward into its aperture.  I was able to 
         jiggle the window INWARD just enough to 
         grasp the pedestal feet it was sitting on
         and remove them.  This allows clearance to 
         drop the window enough to tilt it outward 
         and remove it.

  15.  Then, you just grasp the center rail and pull 
         it right out.

   
     I have tried to figure out if the center rail can
be removed without the removal of the inside stainless
steel window fuzzie.  It doesn't look like it because
 of the way the SS fuzzie wraps around the center
rail.
  Without removal, it doesn't appear that you have
enough diagonal jiggle room to get the center rail out
of its home.  

    Anyway, this was one man's journey.

    Hope it helps, have a great day,

          Mark Mucciacciaro
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