Door glass hinge having a spacer ring

An apparatus for hinging a back door of an automotive vehicle wherein the back door includes a door glass with a hinge having a movable member and a backing member which together clamp a portion of the door glass therebetween with deformable packings respectively interposed between the glass and both the backing member and the movable member, a stationary hinge member to which the movable hinge member is pivotally connected, the stationary hinge member being fixed to the vehicle body, the improvement comprising in combination means for adjusting the clamping force on the glass to a predetermined magnitude, the clamping force adjustment means comprising:

• a first opening defined by said movable member in alignment with a second opening defined by said backing member receiving a fastening member therein to secure said movable member to said backing member;
• a third opening in said movable member and located about said first opening, said third opening being larger in diameter than said first opening;
• a fourth opening in said door glass aligned with said first and second opening;
• fifth and sixth openings defined respectively by said packings, each having a diameter greater than said fourth opening defined by said door glass;
• said first through sixth openings together defining a cavity in the combination of said movable member, backing member, and fastening member;
• a separate ring spacer located in said cavity and extending coaxially through said fourth, fifth, and sixth openings, said ring spacer including a rigid member and a resilient member fixed to the periphery of said rigid member radially outwardly adjacent said door glass, said resilient member contacting the door glass, and said ring spacer having an outside diameter substantially equal to the inside diameter of said fourth opening and structurally adapted to accommodate the passage of said fastening member therethrough, said ring spacer having an axial length greater than the thickness of said door glass but less than the sum of the thickness of the door glass and the thickness of said packings when relaxed thereby to define a minimum distance between said movable member and said backing member, said axial length being further characterized so that when the fastening member is tightened, the fixed member and the movable member clamp said door glass therebetween with a force determined and limited by a tightening of the fastening member until said movable member and said fixed member contact said spacer,
• whereby excessive force is not exerted on said door glass wherein the spacer is spaced from the screw by a gap, and the movable hinge member is formed with a boss disposed within the spacer and having a hole receiving the screw, the boss being spaced from the spacer by a gap.