Back Glass

[Andy 2]

Hey All, I have a question about the back glass for a 1988 Ram 50 ext cab. I'm looking for a slider window and need to know if a window from a regular cab will fit an extended cab. I ordered one from a salvage yard a few years ago and just got around to having it installed and it won't go in. It's like it's a hair too big. The gasket is new and works with the fixed window. So, I'm looking for another window; even an aftermarket would be fine. I found one online but it says vehicle specific and lists the regular cab as the only option. Hence my query.

[85Ram50]

If you have a disk sander you can sand the edges of the glass down to size. Be sure to round over the edges once you get it to size. I don't remember what the grit was on the sandpaper we used in the service. It works well with water. A lot faster and easier than you might expect glass to cut. I guess if you had an 8" grinder with a flat sanding pad that would work too.

[Andy 2]

The slider window has an aluminum frame. Its almost as if the slider window would need a different gasket to fit. The track part doesn't allow the frame to sit deep enough in the gasket. I have a slider frame that would fit but the glass is broken. That frame is different than the one one I got from the salvage yard in that it has narrower and shallower tracks.

[StarquestMan]

one thing iv'e noticed with the back windows for these trucks is that there were several suppliers/brands with different designs (dual or single sliding panes) but they all seem to use the same rubber seal i think. my parts catalog lists the same seal for both solid and sliding windows. once the seal is used for a slider the rubber tends to harden and form for the shape of the frame and the same happens for solid windows too so its hard to use a seal that was used with one style window with another one. i learned this when i swapped my slider out for a solid window but used the original seal which caused it to collect water at the bottom of the glass and leak inside. since your seal is new it may be a bit stiff to the shape it was molded and may not be stretching enough around where the aluminum frame sticks out or the inner flat part of the frame may not be fitting into the seal most likely at the bottom outer corners where the aluminum frame is welded together. I currently have 3 of these trucks one being extended cab and 2 being standard so i can take a better look at them tomorrow and get a better idea for you.

[StarquestMan]

On a side note what type of slider window is your broken one you have and are all the panes broke or just one? i ask because one of the sliders in my extended cab truck is broken and i was looking for a replacement for mine, maybe yours has the piece i need? if so i would buy it off of you if you wanted too?

[85Ram50]

If the issue is what Starquestman suggests about the gasket. I had a new one to change out my rear window gasket as I was trying to figure out where the water was coming from (Cowl) I had to let it sit in the hot sun for a while to get it soft enough to get it onto the glass and put the rope through the slot. You can probably get the same effect with a heater.

[Andy 2]

Thanks StarquestMan. Both of the sliders on the first widow are broken. The second window has both sliders but they are not exactly the same as the sliders were in the first window. These have a full aluminum frame around them that is bigger than the sliders in the first had. I took them out to see if they would fit in the first frame and they won't. I'll put a pic of the sliders up after I get home from work today and you can decide if it will work for you.

[Andy 2]

My gasket was new when the auto glass place tried to install it. They actually ruined the first new gasket I supplied trying to get the window in so I had to get another one to reinstall the fixed window. I'll put some pics of both frames up after work today so you can see the difference.

[Lon Moer]

I moved my slider BW from my '90 regular cab to my '93 ext. cab with no issues.

[Andy 2]

I took some pics of both windows and the slider panels. The first five pics are of the window I ordered from the salvage yard. I put the measuring tape in so you can compare to the original that you have. I notice that the track is wider for the sliders as the aluminum frames on them are almost 1/2 inch thick. I also notice that there is not a slight curve to the frame when viewed from the end as there is on the original.
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These are pics of the original frame that came out of my 1988 ext cab 2wd

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[Andy 2]

For some reason some of the pics got rotated when uploaded.

[geezer101]

My money is on something had bent the frame on one of them right on the centre support. It probably had been pushed out of the cab panel by someone not being careful with it.

[StarquestMan]

ill have to take a better look at the aftermarket slider window i pulled out of my pickup but i believe its totaly flat and it relys on the seal to give a bit to fit the contour of the cab. my parts truck has a single sliding window on it made by Chrysler and i noticed today that it has a seal that is part of the frame and if i remember correctly it had contoured glass. if it wasn't missing the glue on latch i would probably use it on my SPX 4X4. looking at your first 5 pictures you show i think the one i pulled out of my blue truck is the same style as the one you got from the wreckers. i pulled mine out cause it rattled and drove me nuts but mine may just be defective. i would send you the seal for it but it got damaged when i tried to reuse it on my solid window i put in since i was new to installing auto glass at the time.

[Andy 2]

Thanks for thinking about that but I have a new seal on the window in the truck and I still have the old seal from the window that came out. The window with the contour is the one that fits, Its the straight one that won't go. If you look at pic #2 you can see that the part that goes into the seal is only about 3/8 of an inch deep. The other windows part is about 1/2 inch deep. I believe this is the difference that won't allow the seal to roll over the window hole in the cab.
Lon Moer says he moved a window from a regular cab to an ext. cab with no issues albeit the years of his trucks are newer than mine. I don't have a regular cab truck so I can't compare the window openings in the cabs. I see that there are a few windows on Car-Part.com and they don't specify reg. or ext. cab so perhaps there is no difference. I just don't want to buy another window to end up with another one that won't fit.

[StarquestMan]

oh ok i think i understand now. have you tried using the old seal with the new slider window? im thinking it may be formed from time being used with your old broken slider window to allow the protruding aluminum frame to stick past it if that makes sense. as far as the contour goes though it may be tricky to get a flat window to fit to a curved cab. Lon Moers trucks are both 2nd gens like ours that remained unchanged (body shape wise) from 87-96 so all the glass that fits a single cab will fit an extended cab and vice versa except the extra side windows the extended cab had of course. in fact i just confirmed this in my 87-88 parts catalog i have. if its not snowing too hard here tomorrow when its light out ill go check out my old aftermarket slider window i pulled out to see if it is contoured or flat but im pretty sure its flat like your new one is.

[StarquestMan]

i checked my old aftermarket rear slider window today and its totally flat.

[Andy 2]

OK. My curved one is OEM so I will assume the one I got from the salvage yard online is an aftermarket. The auto glass place that tried to install it said it was close but just would not go. They tried heating the seal up in hot water and putting a bit of dish soap on the seal to lube it and it just would not roll over the window hole. They were trying it in the summer as well so it was plenty warm already. I'll try ordering another one and make sure it is an OEM before trying to install it.