My 94 Dakota ext cab has a slider that I often thought was the source of some water leaks. I thought the seal was not fitting into the body metal the way it should so tonight I got in the bed and forced it in where it looked like it should be, but once I did that the assembly seemed to be loose at the top.

So I decided to remove it and have a look at the flange to see what was going on. What I found was a flange that clearly at one time had a backglass installed with urethane instead of a rubber gasket. For some reason I didn't think that the urethane back windows were started before 1995? So now I'm wondering if I should come back and replace the slider I have with a urethane fitted glass instead of the one with a gasket.

The original must have gotten broken at some point, there's quite a dent at the front upper edge of the bed that I suspect what ever it was impacted the glass and broke it.

Any suggestions on what to do here? I'm trying to get my interior reinstalled so I can finally drive this thing!

Thanks
Steve A

 

Use what you have. Use some silicone in the gasket to prevent leaks.

 

I'll probably try that but I was wondering whether this slider was even the correct item? I know that the glass for regular cab is different from that for extended, both fixed and sliders, I just wonder if this replacement is from a regular cab and that's why it's ill-fitting? I doubt I can find a part number on it but I'll look.

I'm really curious as to why there's a difference between the two. I've seen 'encapsulated' used in the parts catalog for regular cab glass but not sure if that just means that it was framed or what? If anyone knows what the big deal is please let me know.

I'll see how the one I have compares with one from the junk yard, if I can find one.

Thanks
Steve

 

I went to the JY today to see what some other rear window glasses looked like. There was only one other extended cab with a glass installed, it was a 95 with a slider and it looked like mine. There was another extended cab but it had a fixed glass that had been broken. Out of curiosity I went and looked at the regular cab trucks and the 96 had a fixed glass that was encapulated. The 93 had gotten pulled from the yard so I couldn't look at that one unfortunately.

I was sad to see the 93 truck go, it had the big front Y pipe on it and it looked to be in decent condition. In fact the whole truck looked like it was not originally from the mid-west. I had intended to get the Y pipe but had been distracted by my own goings on and not in a position to get to that, now I'm kind of mad I didn't make the time.

About the back glass though, I don't see any reason to believe that mine is different from what should be there so I really don't understand why the prior glass was cut out? I didn't think they did a urethane glass on these although I could swear I've seen one before.

At any rate I will reinstall my glass with the rubber channel using some silicone sealant and hope that this takes care of the leaks.

Steve

 

The Y pipe would not have worked without the 92/93 exhaust manifold, so that's not as bad as it could be.

RwP

 

Yeah, but I was planning on snagging those as well...so I am still a bit grumpy about the loss. Everything out there now is either too old (88 & 89) or too new (94 & 96x2) to offer those items. There may be something else coming in but who wants to be out there when it's 10 degrees out....not me.

Was working on the Dak today, it will be making a virgin voyage north to where my mother lives on Sunday. Found a pile of dark tinted glass in the back that had obviously alluded the window people when they did the replacement. I had speculated based on the quarter windows that the back glass had been dark tint but had no proof. This was confirmed with the stuff I found today. Really do wish that it had that original glass back there, I don't know why the replacement people didn't replace with what it had, but I guess they didn't. Who knows, it probably was not originally a slider and so the option of getting one, even if it wasn't tinted, was attractive.

Steve