How to restore window regulators?

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Bob Jasinski

Bob Jasinski

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My window regulators are in good shape, but there is surface rust on some parts. I won't media blast due to the risk of the media getting into critical mechanism parts. I've solvent cleaned them and got all old grease off, used 3M red scrubby pads on the rust, but there's not much else that can be done without disassembly, which I am not going to do. should I just clearcoat them, lube and install, or stainless steel paint, lube and install? No coating, just lube and install? Use Ospho on the raw steel parts? Am I overthinking this? Not visible once installed. What have others done?
 
I will be doing this also real soon, i have to transfer all the guts from one door to another door so i was going to soak in evaporust to get rid if the rust and then a quality paint that matches oem, or maybe clear coat them... i want to stop the rust and then a quality lube on all contact points and rollers....
 
mad dog said:
I will be doing this also real soon, i have to transfer all the guts from one door to another door so i was going to soak in evaporust to get rid if the rust and then a quality paint that matches oem, or maybe clear coat them... i want to stop the rust and then a quality lube on all contact points and rollers....
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Mad Dog, I like the Evaporust idea, that would work on the steel spring and nose of the crank gear, but the rest is galvanized. As far as "a quality paint that matches OEM" there is no factory paint on these at all, so nothing to match.
Here's mine now after cleanup, front and back.

Edit: I'm now thinking about naval jelly on the rusted parts and then clear coat or stainless steel paint the whole thing.


DSC_8083.JPG
 
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You're painting your window regulator mechanisms, that Chrysler (and every other manufacturer) never painted, and that go inside the doors, where they will never be seen again by human eyes?

I wish I had your free time.

– Eric
 
You can leave the California rust, it is just surface rust.

Or wire wheel the rust, paint the bare parts. Lube with a GOOD lubricant, like tri-flow.

Use it on all the hinges, latches and door locks also.


Don't use white lithium grease in a spray can, it turns hard as a rock with time.

A97A0822-D09D-439F-BF13-4477336A668B.jpeg
 
Dadsbee, what happens when you put galvanized in evaporust?
413, I agree tri-flow is great stuff but on another thread lots of people were really praising white lithium for the door mechanism, cant remember the name lubri something. i bought it and it was pricey, would the lithium turn hard as a rock in my lifetime? im 56...Rich
 
mad dog said:
Dadsbee, what happens when you put galvanized in evaporust?
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Many cases it will strip the cold galvanization off. Springs it can weaken and I've seen ones that were working previously actually break after it's use.
 
Those don't look bad at all. When I did mine on my '66 last year, they were in similar shape. I just washed them really well and took a wire wheel to the surface rust. Then hit everything with solvent and painted the rusty metal with rustoleum rattle can, lubed it really well and reinstalled. They work great.
 
Ok, here's a follow-up to what I ended up doing to prep the regulators for installation. First I gave them a good solvent wash in mineral spirits followed by acetone to get all the old, hard grease off. Then I sanded them well with a 3M red scrubby pad and following that, treated them with Rustoleum spray gel rust remover (contains phosphoric acid) and let it set for about an hour. That took care of all the rust (especially the springs) and actually helped clean up the galvanized parts a bit and gave it all "tooth" for paint. Went over them again with a scrubby pad, rinsed and dried them well, then and painted them with stainless steel paint. I decided on the paint not so much to make them look better (although it did), but for corrosion protection on the bare steel parts like the spring and crank mechanism. I thought about clear coat, but the stainless steel paint will provide much more protection than the clear would have. I still need to lube them, but I'm pleased with how they turned out.

After prep, before paint:
DSC_8093.JPG


After paint:
DSC_8098.JPG

DSC_8096.JPG
DSC_8099.JPG
 
What I did to my 55 year old Superbird regulators, threw them in a bucket of AV100LL.. grease fell right of (best degresser ever) and I re-lubed and installed them.
superbirdfullpaint6 078.jpg
superbirdfullpaint6 088.jpg
 
dadsbee said:
What I did to my 55 year old Superbird regulators, threw them in a bucket of AV100LL.. grease fell right of (best degresser ever) and I re-lubed and installed them.
View attachment 1716408146View attachment 1716408147
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Dadsbee, I've not heard of AV100LL, sounds like a parts washer solvent. Your regulators look fine. I assume you installed them with the rust protection spray on them. Kind of looks like Fluid Film, good idea.
 
413 said:
You can leave the California rust, it is just surface rust.

Or wire wheel the rust, paint the bare parts. Lube with a GOOD lubricant, like tri-flow.

Use it on all the hinges, latches and door locks also.


Don't use white lithium grease in a spray can, it turns hard as a rock with time.

View attachment 1716407836
Click to expand...

413, I gotta get me some of that Tri-Flow.
 
I media blast them with glass beads. The beads will continue to crush and deteriorate, after a dozen uses it is gone.
 
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