I hate those little plastic window rollers.

[ew1usnr]

Last night night my drivers window rolled down and then wouldn't roll back up. The windows are lifted by three little plastic wheels that slide in in channels (see 1st photo).

in slide.jpg

I took the door panel off this evening saw that all three little plastic wheels were broken (see 2nd picture).

group of three.jpg

Replacement plastic wheels can be had for a dollar apiece. But, they wear out fairly quickly and are a pain to replace. So, I am going to replace them with machined brass replacements at $10 apiece (see third picture). Just search for "BFDE Machining". The brass rollers cost more, but they will never wear out. I already had two on hand and just ordered a third off e-bay. Hopefully, I will get it quickly enough to be able to install it this weekend.


Brass replacement.jpg

[Gina K]

Thanks for the resource, it's always good to get tips like this.

[ew1usnr]

Darn it! The axles of the window crank mechanism on my 1963 hardtop would not fit through the centers of the brass rollers. The little plastic roller slipped in place onto the axle. Evidently, the center holes of the brass rollers are just a teensy bit smaller than the diameter of the axles.

I'm going to have to repair the door with a replacement set of the original-type plastic rollers after all. Darn it.

I bought a spray can of white lithium grease to lubricate the tracks that the rollers slide in. The lithium grease is supposed to spray on as a liquid and then congeal into a grease and is resistant to water and won't melt or freeze.

"High-quality, multipurpose grease for automotive, shop and home use. Provides long-lasting lubrication with enhanced water resistance, heat resistance and film strength in a wide range of weather conditions and temperatures. Suitable for metal-to-metal lubrication."

[SmithKid]

I don't know the diameter of the "axle" of the inside diameter of the roller, but is there a chance you could simply bore the brass item out? Or possibly ream them? Seems like Ford almost always used standard sizes.

[Luva65wagon]

These little plastic sliders are not usually what I experience problems with (though I agree that 50-year old ones may be breaking or broken) it is the replacement unit's springs that are not as good as the original units were. So I have been collecting them when I find them. If you lube the sliders well the plastic parts should not have much force on them.

I agree with Gene though. The bore on these brass units seems to be accepting of a reamer to make them fit. Have you also tried to see if they slide OK on the tracks? That, to me, would be the bigger issue if there was one.

[ew1usnr]

I finally received my new rollers today after a two week wait.

Roller replacement maintenance tip: Do NOT remove the clips!

OEM plastic window rollers.jpg

Leave the clips in place, slide the rollers into their tracks (two in the lower track, one in the upper), and then snap the axles in place into the center of each roller.

There is no need to remove the clip, slide the axle in place, and then replace the clip (as I did on the first two rollers before I understood that I didn't need to do that).

I am sure that with a drill press and a bench vice I could have drilled out the centers of the brass rollers. But I do not have those items and instead tried to hold a brass roller with a pair or pliers with one hand while holding a drill in the other hand .... and that didn't turn out well. So, I installed the original-type plastic rollers instead.

[Luva65wagon]

Brass doesn't drill very well - for those who have tried will tell you. You need to have a special drill with a steep angle on the cutting flutes - or if just a little needing to be removed you use a reamer. But if you have them still, maybe somebody who has these tools ( ) might buy them off of you.

Also, don't forget to slather a lot of lithium grease on the rollers and tracks.

[ew1usnr]

"But if you have them still, maybe somebody who has these tools might buy them off of you."

I have two undamaged wheels. If someone wants them, send me your address and I will mail them to you.