Rear windows - up or down?

[Jimbot58]

I have been noticing that when viewing actual photos of cars on line, more often times than not, they seem to have the rear passenger windows rolled up. None of the model kits I have feature this option. Just front and rear glass and wing vents when appropriate, Then oddly enough, I look at the box art of my Olds 442 kit and behold! It shows a photo of an actual car with the rear windows rolled up! What are your thoughts? I wonder if adding these might give a little more realism to the kit? I'm not changing any thing on this WIP, but maybe on a future build?

 

[mustang1989]

I've not seen any kits with the quarter windows up but you're right.....it would add just one more level to a good auto build.

 

[athabascamaverick]

The only time I've seen those windows up, is when the 'glass' comes as one piece for windshield, rear window and side windows.

 

[airdave]

The elimination of the B pillar was a cool design feature, giving the car a much sleaker line.
Whenever possible, those windows were both down!

However, not all rear windows rolled down fully.
Some just dropped on an angle at the front, and only opened halfway. it looked weird.
Especially weird on ragtops.
In those cases, I think a lot of guys left the glass up.
Not sure if this Olds had that issue.

But the model manufacture might be showing you the extra detailing - the seal and chrome trim attached to the rear windows.
And wouldn't those rear side glass pieces help strengthen the glass part? make it less prone to twisting?
That could be why theft them in place.

 

[Jimbot58]

Now even more confusing is I looked at more photos online and it appears that this 1967 442 may have actually had metal frames with channels for the window to slide up into, But then not all examples showed this. Heck with it, I'm going for the build just as it is.

 

[Edbert]

If you mean why do more models not depict the windows up, I do not know, but if you mean IRL...

As someone who owned a 1968 as their first car and has owned a '60s car ever since (yes, even today) I can say that rolling down the rear windows was kind of a PITA. Yes you did it when you were cruising, or going to the Saturday night parking-lot-car-show. But it was not an always sort of thing.

(my current one I added power windows for all 4-corners, but that is because the rear glass being up looks really dumb in a convertible and I'm too lazy to walk around and crank all four)