Window roller guide restoration: How To

[GT]

I have a couple of my window roller guides that are a bit mangled.  I'm talking about the two little rollers encased in the aluminum body.   It does not appear that anyone makes these.  I also have the general window roller restore kit that has all of the bits and pieces, except for the pair of plastic wheels in question.

These roller guides do not appear to be easily rebuildable.   Before i give it a shot (or find some used ones), I'd like to know if anyone has rebuilt them, or if there is a source for new ones, or at least replacements for the little side wheels.

Update: I've finished machining my own replacement rollers, look below for details!

[Lennard]

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,113793.0.html

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,56560.0.html

[GT]

Thanks Lennard - good reference posts.  But same issue as I have, it is easy to find/replace the large roller, but no one makes the two small rollers.

I've bought a delrin rod and I'm gonna attempt to machine some myself.  If it works out, I'll post results here.

[GT]

I went ahead and purchased a 3/4" diameter Delrin rod to machine replacement side rollers.  Since I don't have a lathe, i took a slightly different approach that worked well.  In total I'm in $10 for a 2 foot length of Delrin rod and less than $5 for some carving tools - I purchased a mini set off the bay that are intended for carving wood boxes.

The first picture is the degreased damaged roller assembly.

In my first attempt, i tried to carefully pry up the metal clip that retains the retention spring = Fail!  I broke the clip and ended up having to TIG repair that piece... a real pain.  Don't do this!    Here are the repairs of my initial error...

The next attempt was to drill out the aluminum rivets - which was trivial.

In the second picture you will note the Aluminum housing, the U-Shaped tension spring (the purpose is to keep the small rollers in tension against the window track).  There is a retention bracket/clip (the one i broke), that serves two purposes: It holds the larger plastic guide stud, and it keeps the U-Shaped tension spring in place.

[GT]

Here is another view of the second assembly and the Delrin rod.  The small roller wheels are 3/4" in Diameter and 1/4" thick.  I believe the axle hole was 7/64".

[GT]

Here is why i wanted to replace them.  They were worn out, grooved and nasty.  The years of grease and grime wore grooves into the plastic wheels and the aluminum housing.  This meant the whole assembly was stiff and difficult to move.   

I had to dress down the aluminum housing with some 380 grit sand paper to remove the grooves.

[GT]

I started by slicing up a dozen or so 1/4" thick blanks to machine.   I made a simple jig to create a centered hole for the axle (the U-Shaped tension spring pokes through these holes).

I then ran a small bolt/nut through the center of each blank and chucked up in my drill press.  

Using my cheap mini-wood carving set, i spun it up to about 800 RPM and "lathed" away vertically.  The carving tool cut the Delrin blank quite easily.  Between carving and sanding it may have taken 2-3min per blank.  

I cranked out enough to replace all the rollers in the guides for the back windows.

A note of safety - it is not recommend to place a side load on the spindle/chuck of a drill press.  It's not intended for a side load and can actually come loose.  However in my case it was quick with very little side load.  I have seen people turn their drill press into a vertical wood lathe - i would not recommend doing that.

[GT]

Time for assembly.  First i pressed on the larger plastic guide from the rebuild kit using a large clamp.  This what is typically done when restoring the window guides.

Next add grease to the small side wheels and slide them into the aluminum housing, then insert the U-Shaped retention spring.  It takes a little effort to align it and overcome the tension.

Finally, reinstall the larger top roller by slipping the cross shaped metal clip in place and using a pair of aluminum rivets attached in place.  This should be extremely easy and intuitive.

Here are pics of the finished units, and a test of sliding one on a restored window channel - it has the proper tension still, but WOW what a difference in how easy it operates now.

Total cost was around $15, and it took about an hour to rebuild each one once i had the process down.

Hopefully this is useful for anyone needing to machine and replace these components.  It's easy - do it!

[BLK 68 R/T]

That's awesome. Nice work 

[JB400]

Thanks for this

[Ghoste]

Excellent job and a great write up too.

[Lennard]

Great job fabricating and great write up!

[green69rt]

Now make about 100 of them and sell to other members cause they are not reproduced yet, except by you.

[69bfan]

Excellent write up and thanks for the effort to offer up an alternative solution for this problem.

[Jonas_N]

Well done. Great info as I am soon tackling this myself.

Edit: Def in for a set if you make more.

[Bronzedodge]

Now make about 100 of them and sell to other members cause they are not reproduced yet, except by you.

Motion seconded!  Seriously, that is some nice work, and I'd be willing to pay for a set.

[steve817]

Nice work!

[Al]

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