The Ford Barn

Ed in Maine · 03-09-2021, 05:20 PM

The windows in my 31 Victoria are hard to wind up. This is not due to weak springs. I removed the door panel and lubricated the windup arms and spray silicone spray on the side tracks. There was very little improvement. I watched the window going up and the glass is shifting to the right, burying itself in the soft felt of the side tracks. Evidently the arms are shifting the glass to the right. I have made a major improvement by inserting a thin piece of hard plastic about 1/4 in. wide and 15 in. long in the right side track. I used a piece of plastic wrapping that is used to secure something to a shipping pallot. This wrapping material is smooth to the glass and keeps the window out of the soft felt. I found this stuff in a trash barrel at Home Depot and it was free. The best part is you do not have to dismantle the door to insert this plastic strip. It doesn't show. Ed

Big hammer · 03-09-2021, 06:21 PM

A true model A'er !

shew01 · 03-09-2021, 07:45 PM

Ed,

Can you post a picture? Does the plastic ever fall out? Or, did you need to glue it to the track?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mike Peters · 03-10-2021, 09:15 AM

love it! X3

JayJay · 03-10-2021, 01:57 PM

I did a temporary (until full teardown and rebuild) refurbishment of the four roll-up windows in my Town Sedan. I found that two of the doors had felts that had so deteriorated that I needed to disassemble the doors to replace the felts, but the other two could be limped through until later. Definitely the side-to-side movement is what caused the windows to cock in the tracks and get stuck.

I also took the opportunity to clean and lube all the regulators and door lock mechanisms.

Good fix, Ed. I've heard of folks installing thin wood behind the felts to close the gaps, but not thought of inserting plastic strapping into the felt itself.

JayJay

Mister Moose · 03-10-2021, 05:38 PM

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I have a "cranky" driver's window ('30 Tudor) that sometimes hits a stop rolling it up. Other times it rolls up fine. Sliding my hand under the door panel it feels like the actuator arm leans inward and hits a door cross rail.

Would that mean the actuator is bent slightly? Or does the mount for the actuator have a bushing that might be worn that allows some play now? Something else?

Before I take it apart and look in the wrong place I thought I'd ask if anyone else has had this.

JayJay · 03-11-2021, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mister Moose

I have a "cranky" driver's window ('30 Tudor) that sometimes hits a stop rolling it up. Other times it rolls up fine. Sliding my hand under the door panel it feels like the actuator arm leans inward and hits a door cross rail.

Would that mean the actuator is bent slightly? Or does the mount for the actuator have a bushing that might be worn that allows some play now? Something else?

Before I take it apart and look in the wrong place I thought I'd ask if anyone else has had this.

Mr. Moose - Driver's door (most used window) in my Town Sedan had a similar issue in addition to the worn felts (see #5 above). Turned out to be excessively worn teeth in the window regulator driven gear (the one attached to the arm) causing a jam-up. New felts plus a new regulator, now all better.

JayJay

Mister Moose · 03-11-2021, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayJay

Mr. Moose - Driver's door (most used window) in my Town Sedan had a similar issue in addition to the worn felts (see #5 above). Turned out to be excessively worn teeth in the window regulator driven gear (the one attached to the arm) causing a jam-up. New felts plus a new regulator, now all better.

JayJay

Thanks, but this is definitely being cause by the regulator arm catching the door cross rail. Before I bend and reinforce that arm, I thought I'd ask if there is some other factor that would allow that arm to lean inwards.

Osage Orange · 03-14-2021, 01:27 PM

I'm using sliding glass door bearings and making my own 28 - M30 pickup metal glass channel out of 18 gauge. Unfortunately I couldn't find bearings quite small enough to fit in the channels sold by the usual suppliers, hence the fabrication. But the bearings do a much smoother job, once adapted to the fabricated channel.

03-09-2021, 05:20 PM	#1
Ed in Maine Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cty., ME or Flagler Cty., FL Posts: 1,106	Is One of Your Windows Hard to Wind Up? The windows in my 31 Victoria are hard to wind up. This is not due to weak springs. I removed the door panel and lubricated the windup arms and spray silicone spray on the side tracks. There was very little improvement. I watched the window going up and the glass is shifting to the right, burying itself in the soft felt of the side tracks. Evidently the arms are shifting the glass to the right. I have made a major improvement by inserting a thin piece of hard plastic about 1/4 in. wide and 15 in. long in the right side track. I used a piece of plastic wrapping that is used to secure something to a shipping pallot. This wrapping material is smooth to the glass and keeps the window out of the soft felt. I found this stuff in a trash barrel at Home Depot and it was free. The best part is you do not have to dismantle the door to insert this plastic strip. It doesn't show. Ed

03-09-2021, 06:21 PM	#2
Big hammer Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Land of Lincoln Posts: 3,131	Re: Is One of Your Windows Hard to Wind Up? A true model A'er ! __________________ Don't force it with a little hammer tap, tap, tap get a bigger hammer tap done

03-09-2021, 07:45 PM	#3
shew01 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Roanoke, VA USA Posts: 1,908	Re: Is One of Your Windows Hard to Wind Up? Ed, Can you post a picture? Does the plastic ever fall out? Or, did you need to glue it to the track? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

03-10-2021, 09:15 AM	#4
Mike Peters Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: South East Wisconsin Posts: 1,279	Re: Is One of Your Windows Hard to Wind Up? love it! X3

03-10-2021, 05:38 PM	#6
Mister Moose Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: Hartford area, CT Posts: 374	Re: Is One of Your Windows Hard to Wind Up? Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) I have a "cranky" driver's window ('30 Tudor) that sometimes hits a stop rolling it up. Other times it rolls up fine. Sliding my hand under the door panel it feels like the actuator arm leans inward and hits a door cross rail. Would that mean the actuator is bent slightly? Or does the mount for the actuator have a bushing that might be worn that allows some play now? Something else? Before I take it apart and look in the wrong place I thought I'd ask if anyone else has had this.

03-10-2021, 01:57 PM	#5
JayJay Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2020 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 1,075	Re: Is One of Your Windows Hard to Wind Up? I did a temporary (until full teardown and rebuild) refurbishment of the four roll-up windows in my Town Sedan. I found that two of the doors had felts that had so deteriorated that I needed to disassemble the doors to replace the felts, but the other two could be limped through until later. Definitely the side-to-side movement is what caused the windows to cock in the tracks and get stuck. I also took the opportunity to clean and lube all the regulators and door lock mechanisms. Good fix, Ed. I've heard of folks installing thin wood behind the felts to close the gaps, but not thought of inserting plastic strapping into the felt itself. JayJay __________________ JayJay San Francisco Bay Area ------------------------ 1930 Murray Town Sedan 1931 Briggs S/W Town Sedan

03-14-2021, 01:27 PM	#9
Osage Orange Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Powell Siding (near Cleveland), MO Posts: 82	Re: Is One of Your Windows Hard to Wind Up? I'm using sliding glass door bearings and making my own 28 - M30 pickup metal glass channel out of 18 gauge. Unfortunately I couldn't find bearings quite small enough to fit in the channels sold by the usual suppliers, hence the fabrication. But the bearings do a much smoother job, once adapted to the fabricated channel.