'85 wagon window track fix

My Dad's drivers side window in his '85 Chrysler T&C wagon was flopping around and binding when trying to raise it. If you didn't physically help the window, you couldn't get it to go up right. The plastic bushings were worn out. I tried flipping them around and that only lasted a year. Like many things, I have to re-engineer it because it's too old to get parts and besides, when I re-engineer it, I'll never have to fix it again. I removed the plastic and installed bronze. The wide part of the track is 3/4" and the bushings available from ACE are 3/4" inner diameter. I'm going to do the passenger side so I'll take better pictures then and show detail about the metal I have to remove to have the bushings fit. A die grinder with a carbide tip is needed but you may be able to do it with a dremel. I'll also supply the exact measurements of the bushings because they're two different outer diameter sizes. I purchased both from ACE.

Before
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...4/IMG_0194.jpg

After
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...4/IMG_0197.jpg

Before
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...4/IMG_0195.jpg

After
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...4/IMG_0198.jpg

Before
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...4/IMG_0196.jpg

After
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...4/IMG_0199.jpg

Installed
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...4/IMG_0200.jpg

A.J.

Great idea!:thumb:

Good idea.
The van regulator looks just like the window regulators in an L body.
I'll have to look and see if it'll work on my GLH.

I did the passenger side today.

The tools I used to grind the holes open for the bushings.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...4/IMG_0214.jpg

The bushings. Actually ACE calls them bronze bearings.
Left one measures 3/4" ID, 7/8" OD 1 1/8" flange, 3/4" length goes in the lower or enclosed hole
Right one measures 3/4" ID, 1" OD, 1 1/8" flange, 3/4" length goes in the upper or open hole
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...4/IMG_0210.jpg

Before
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...4/IMG_0209.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...4/IMG_0207.jpg

With factory bushings removed
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...4/IMG_0213.jpg

Holes opened up to accept the bushings. Be careful that you only take enough metal off to get the bushings to fit. You don't want to cause the same problem of the rod not being tight that you're trying to fix.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...4/IMG_0215.jpg

Depending what size hold down bolts you're going to use, I used 6mm so I drilled the upper holes out to 1/4" and I had to drill new holes on the bottom. I put a couple of washers to straighten out the hold down bolts. On the drivers side I didn't have to because I used square nuts. On the passenger side using smaller hex nuts the metal that I was bolting to was starting to bend.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...4/IMG_0216.jpg

Done. When you get it together, work the rod up and down a few times to break it in because it's tight. It's better for you to break it in than your window motor.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...4/IMG_0217.jpg

A.J.

Good fix:thumb: I was dealing with hard to crank (manual) windows on a P body last weekend but on those things everything is riveted into place:mad: The glass is riveted onto the lift assembly and the manual door lock/door pull assemblies are riveted to the inner door skin:mad: Stupid idea but it musta saved like $.03 and 3 ounces of weight per car:confused: The key still wont unlock the drivers door and the windows are still hard to crank. I suppose all the rivets have to be drilled and everything completely dissasembled to fix it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 2.216VTurbo

Good fix:thumb: I was dealing with hard to crank (manual) windows on a P body last weekend but on those things everything is riveted into place:mad: The glass is riveted onto the lift assembly and the manual door lock/door pull assemblies are riveted to the inner door skin:mad: Stupid idea but it musta saved like $.03 and 3 ounces of weight per car:confused: The key still wont unlock the drivers door and the windows are still hard to crank. I suppose all the rivets have to be drilled and everything completely dissasembled to fix it.

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I had to drill out all the rivets in my Dad's door to get the regulators (4) out when we got the car. Ya cost savings, F the technician. I found cutting a T into the rivet head and chipping it apart works better than drilling. Too many times when I'm trying to drill out a rivet, the bit catches it and just spins it.

A.J.

Zombie thread resurrection after 7 years!

Thanks for posting this up AJ, I just did this to the driver's door on my son's 85 New Yorker, and I had a bit of binding in the bushings, but I cut off about 1/4-3/8" of the bushing and the binding disappeared. I am guessing that the sheet metal bracket on the regulator is not quite square to the bend in the support rod and by shortening the bushing it eliminated some extra friction.

Now the window goes up and down smoothly.

Thanks again AJ!!

Warren

Quote:

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Originally Posted by csxtra

Zombie thread resurrection after 7 years!

Thanks for posting this up AJ, I just did this to the driver's door on my son's 85 New Yorker, and I had a bit of binding in the bushings, but I cut off about 1/4-3/8" of the bushing and the binding disappeared. I am guessing that the sheet metal bracket on the regulator is not quite square to the bend in the support rod and by shortening the bushing it eliminated some extra friction.

Now the window goes up and down smoothly.

Thanks again AJ!!

Warren

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I'm glad it helped.

was this a 2 door NY'er?

cause my 2 door reliant windows have to be pulled slightly towards the front of the car to get them to go up..... especially the drivers door. im going to take it apart to see soon.

Brian

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Aries_Turbo

was this a 2 door NY'er?

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Yes, 2 doors in front (and 2 more in back)...lol. I don't know how different the two door cars are than the 4 doors, but pull your door panel and post some pics and hopefully this fix will work for your Aries too!

I may have to look into doing that on my konvertible. Those windows are even bigger than the 2dr sedans due to the complete lack of an upper frame for them. Somewhere I have probably the last new set in existence of the original plastic inserts that I purchased from POMOCO (then Chrysler-Plymouth) in Hampton VA probably 11 or 12 years ago. Here is the bag with the PN and the extra set I bought at the same time. The konvertible window guide is oval with the long axis fore and aft.
http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/at...id=64402&stc=1http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/at...id=64403&stc=1http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/at...id=64404&stc=1

Worn door felts may allow window to tilt and then that binds/wears the bushings. Maybe that's part of problem too.
Windows are not weight balanced.

The convertibles have rubber seals with a couple of small guide "bumps" with felt covering. Those are new. Left side plastic guides were shot, right side are still in decent shape, window needed adjusting and lubrication of the guide post and regulator lift slot where the roller runs. The 1986 has a nice big metal bracket behind where the lift and guide bracket that has one "precision" locating hole. This engages a slotted guide on the top of the inside of the door and positively locates the window fore and aft along with providing a solid up stop about 3/4 of the way back on the glass holds the bottom of the glass solidly in so there is no slop in and out. Once both sides were adjusted the front portion of the windows solidly sit against the weatherstrip on the windshield side frames.