Cursed Door Window

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appetite
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Cursed Door Window

Post by appetite » Wed Jun 12, 2019 4:03 pm

The driver's side door window on my bus is cursed.

I swapped out the broken OG regulator last year. Installed a new one. That sucker broke during Colin's visit this year. I moaned and groaned and sourced a used regulator and took the whole damn door apart again. Installed and enjoyed zippy up and down motion until...

The window refused to continue its zippy up and down motion. Cursed! I took the whole thing apart again (!!!). The window channel tab that bolts to the regulator broke its welds! ARG!!!

What's the next step kind forum? I don't want to buy the aftermarket crap. Do I get that tab welded back onto the channel? Can that happen without removing the window? Anyone have this experience?

Ugh.

James

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asiab3
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Re: Cursed Door Window

Post by asiab3 » Fri Jun 14, 2019 12:05 am

Hi James,

When hundreds of miles from the nearest regulator with a schedule and a drive-thru coffee addiction, some people have been known to JB weld the bolted plate to the regulator shuttle until a promising used regulator comes along, or a good weldor who likes a challenge. That would the ultimate fix...

I did the JB on a friend’s car two years ago and made extra brackets during the process; it is still holding. The brackets keep the JB weld from sheering off under load. I’ll dig through my old phone and look for pictures.

Robbie
1969 bus, "Buddy."
145k miles with me.
322k miles on Earth.

appetite
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Re: Cursed Door Window

Post by appetite » Fri Jun 14, 2019 5:51 am

Thanks Robbie.

I thought about a JB Weld solution, but I went and ordered a new lift channel and rubber insert from Wolfsburg West. I figure if I have the whole thing apart, I might as well do it right.

That is, if I can get the window out of the door. Any pro tips?

And if you are inclined, I would love to see pictures of the JB Weld/bracket solution, just in case...

James

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Amskeptic
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Re: Cursed Door Window

Post by Amskeptic » Mon Jun 17, 2019 7:56 am

appetite wrote:
Fri Jun 14, 2019 5:51 am
Thanks Robbie.

I thought about a JB Weld solution, but I went and ordered a new lift channel and rubber insert from Wolfsburg West. I figure if I have the whole thing apart, I might as well do it right.

That is, if I can get the window out of the door. Any pro tips?

And if you are inclined, I would love to see pictures of the JB Weld/bracket solution, just in case...

James
I did a JB Weld on Chloe's window lifter bracket that failed. Bought a used regulator that is working to this day.

Am I correct that your new used regulator failed?
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

appetite
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Re: Cursed Door Window

Post by appetite » Mon Jun 17, 2019 9:26 am

No, the used regulator survived.

The lift channel snapped off. Waiting for the Wolfsburg West version to arrive.

Any pro tips on getting the window out of the door? Bentley says it comes out through the bottom (I assume to avoid having to remove the scrapers). Folks on thesamba swear that the only way is through the top.

Anyone have a good experience either way?

James

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Re: Cursed Door Window

Post by Amskeptic » Mon Jun 17, 2019 6:44 pm

appetite wrote:
Mon Jun 17, 2019 9:26 am
No, the used regulator survived.

The lift channel snapped off. Waiting for the Wolfsburg West version to arrive.

Any pro tips on getting the window out of the door? Bentley says it comes out through the bottom (I assume to avoid having to remove the scrapers). Folks on thesamba swear that the only way is through the top.

Anyone have a good experience either way?

James
Why does the window have to come out?
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

appetite
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Re: Cursed Door Window

Post by appetite » Tue Jun 18, 2019 4:31 am

I don't see any other way of getting the channel off the window.

I assume the procedure is to take a rubber mallet and a block of wood and knock the broken channel off the window and install it in reverse. I'm not sure how I would do that with the window in the door.

It is the tab on the lift channel that broke its welds, not the regulator...

Unless there's another way?

James

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asiab3
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Re: Cursed Door Window

Post by asiab3 » Tue Jun 18, 2019 9:10 am

My sincerest apologies for polluting this forum with a clickbait/social media video, especially involving a hack repair. But I feel like it shows the repair enough for what it is…

Robbie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB5LvkLMQRU
1969 bus, "Buddy."
145k miles with me.
322k miles on Earth.

appetite
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Re: Cursed Door Window

Post by appetite » Tue Jun 18, 2019 11:34 am

Wow! That is hacktastic, indeed. Thanks!

A few observations:

Elwood's lift channel looks like the POS new one I just ordered from Wolfsburg West. And since it broke on her, I'm not encouraged.

The brackets you made got me thinking of how I might strengthen the POS new lift channel. Maybe I could add something to carry some of the weight of the window so that it doesn't all ride on what will likely be crappy welds.

I still have the issue of how to get the window out from the door in order to remove the old, broken lift channel and replace it with a new POS new lift channel.

Anyone with experience on this?

James

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Amskeptic
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Re: Cursed Door Window

Post by Amskeptic » Tue Jun 18, 2019 10:33 pm

appetite wrote:
Tue Jun 18, 2019 11:34 am
Wow! That is hacktastic, indeed. Thanks!

A few observations:

Elwood's lift channel looks like the POS new one I just ordered from Wolfsburg West. And since it broke on her, I'm not encouraged.

The brackets you made got me thinking of how I might strengthen the POS new lift channel. Maybe I could add something to carry some of the weight of the window so that it doesn't all ride on what will likely be crappy welds.

I still have the issue of how to get the window out from the door in order to remove the old, broken lift channel and replace it with a new POS new lift channel.

Anyone with experience on this?

James
Yes.
You do not need to remove the window. The lift bracket (to which you attach the window regulator lift with those 10mm short bolts) is merely a press fit on the glass.

a) locate the bracket/glass midway up in the access. Use 2x4 to support the bottom of the glass to each side of the bracket.

b) Spray PB blaster on the glass/bracket such that it douses the rubber betwixt the two.

c) NEXT MORNING, carefully slip a small flat bladed screwdriver under the glass and poke into the rubber/bracket "u". Poke the other side of the glass/bracket with your other small flat-bladed screwdriver.

d) carefully and alternately pry the bracket downward off the glass.

e) Now you can clean the bracket, sand it, wash it, alcohol prep it, re-attach the captive nut lifter plate (or as Robbie is want to call it, the "Shuttle Lifter Elevator Attachment Plate"), maybe even go get a nice spot weld job on it.

f) lubricate the door glass with hand cleaner or dishwashing detergent and start the bracket aligned with the dirt index marks from its old position. Do not rely on them though. The weld/repair may have shifted the position of the nuts-to-Shuttle Elevator Thingamabob, so just get the bracket started on the glass.

g) Bring the lifter to the bracket's elevation and stick in a couple of 4mm allen wrenches or small screwdriver shanks to get the alignment of the lifter perfectly centered in the slots of the bracket. You tap the bracket one way or the other at the bottom of the glass BEFORE you press the bracket home on the glass.

h) reassemble the door with care, use talc in the felt channels, grease the lift cable through the provided slot in the regulator as you crank it up and down. Usually the glass is loose between the rear felt and the front felt on the vent window frame. A little loose is fine. If the window rocks tipsily as you try to raise it, you can adjust the lifter-to-bracket to get an even window line as it disappears into the upper felt.

Oh, you just have fun there, appetite.
Colin

July 4th, 2012
"Next repair of that annoyance was at a motel in Blanding Utah under the supervision of a gypsy two and half a year-old "I am ALMOST THREE!!" (well exCUSE MEEE) and her itinerant mason dad watching the proceeds. The next repair was effected by means of a Haagen Daaz bar wood stick reinforcement garnished with a glaze of JB Weld slathered over it all, with two pieces of motel room plastic card as visegrip release shims. The plastic room card pieces are now a permanent part of the Haagen Daaz stick heavy-duty window regulator repair, but at least the visegrips were free to go back to the tool box.
ColinInAZ Almost Nevada"
(My JB Weld window regulator repair here, failed in a day:)

Image
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

appetite
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Re: Cursed Door Window

Post by appetite » Wed Jun 19, 2019 11:50 am

OK, good to know I don't have to wrestle the window out of the door. Thanks very much for those detailed instructions.

I might try to fortify the lousy new lift channel with brackets and JB Weld just so I never have to fix this again...

Image

James
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appetite
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Re: Cursed Door Window

Post by appetite » Fri Jun 21, 2019 4:37 am

Update for anyone dealing with this repair in the future:

I PB Blasted the lift channel and let it soak overnight as per Colin's instructions. I attempted the screwdriver poke, but balked at the prospect of cracking the window. There was no leverage to pry the metal from the glass. Instead, I used a block of wood and a rubber mallet and gave a few downward whacks on the lip of the lift channel and it slid off the glass in short order.

To install the new channel, I narrowed the opening just tight enough to grab the rubber insert and to fit snugly on the glass. Again, a few careful upward whacks with the rubber mallet married the two.

I still have quite a bit of shifting and adjusting to do to get the window to go up and down smoothly. I think the window regulator is bent at an odd angle, causing it to bind up and drag.

James

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Amskeptic
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Re: Cursed Door Window

Post by Amskeptic » Fri Jun 21, 2019 3:56 pm

appetite wrote:
Fri Jun 21, 2019 4:37 am
UpdateI think the window regulator is bent at an odd angle, causing it to bind up and drag.
James
Did you ensure that the lifter channel was positioned on the glass in such a way as not to annoy the lifter with any sideways loads?
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

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tommu
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Re: Cursed Door Window

Post by tommu » Fri Jun 21, 2019 4:33 pm

asiab3 wrote:
Tue Jun 18, 2019 9:10 am
My sincerest apologies for polluting this forum with a clickbait/social media video, especially involving a hack repair. But I feel like it shows the repair enough for what it is…

Robbie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB5LvkLMQRU
I don't know what this is, it's sort of pumice material, we found it under the back seat, we're going to use it..
:pale:

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asiab3
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Re: Cursed Door Window

Post by asiab3 » Fri Jun 21, 2019 11:46 pm

For what it's worth, I would add the brackets I made to my original panels next time I have the door off. I think they really do help spread the shear between the spot welds and the 10mm bolts. I saw Barb months ago, and the repair was still holding after several months.

But yes, the regulator should be Straight up and down.
Robbie
1969 bus, "Buddy."
145k miles with me.
322k miles on Earth.

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