vent window regulators 1963 and 1967

[Timothy B.]

I would like advice on the best fix for the vent regulator pot metal gears.

Who repairs these regulators and where to get parts that work properly. I am missing both covers for the right side on my 63 coupe and pot metal gears are loose.

How does NCRS judge these for good/bad??

Thanks for the input, Timothy Barbieri

[Joel T.]

Re: vent window regulators 1963 and 1967

I would like advice on the best fix for the vent regulator pot metal gears.

Who repairs these regulators and where to get parts that work properly. I am missing both covers for the right side on my 63 coupe and pot metal gears are loose.

How does NCRS judge these for good/bad??

Thanks for the input, Timothy Barbieri

Hi Tim;

The vent window regulators on my 1965 were shot... I picked up two brand new reproductions which were basically junk... I finally wound up sending the originals out to Mike at America's Finest Corvettes swapping them for two original rebuilt units which are now installed and working properly... and should pass the PV next time around. Interestingly enough the rebuilt units were the same out of pocket cost as the reproductions.

You can get the parts to rebuild these yourself... which is what I did with the repros which are now in my parts box waiting on the first Carlisle event next year.

On the judging, this would be a PV only issue.. The judge looked for two things... first the amount of handle turn before the window responded...with such response being almost instantaneous.. Second, with the vent window half open and grabbing that rear edge of the glass, there should be no more than 1/2" of front to back play and basically no movement in the crank when the glass is moved... they are looking for a tight mechanism.

I would recommend Mike.. the regulators which I got from him were great..

Hope this helps,

Joel

[Thomas C.]

Re: vent window regulators 1963 and 1967

Interesting, I had the exact opposite experience. I had a pair of originals rebuilt by Americas finest Corvettes and was disappointed in the "looseness". They would not have passed a PV. I then bought a pair of repros from Trim Parts, I thought it was a nice reproduction that functioned very well. I did have to purchase new window cranks however, as the original cranks had splines that were a little chewed up and would not fit on the new regulators. The new cranks fit well.

[Joel T.]

Re: vent window regulators 1963 and 1967

Tom;

That is interesting... I bought my repops from LI Corvette... Not only were they loose but the splines where the crank goes were tapered on both sides (an original has a square edge toward the inside) which made keeping the crank on tenuous at best. I did the PV with the new repops and not only were they too loose but one of the crank handles actually fell off while the judge was shaking that outside edge of the vent glass!! Talk about being embarrassed!

I have not tried the PV again since installing Mike's units but based upon what I have seen, they look OK to me (but again, I'm no judge).

I'll be interested to see what other folks experiences have been.

Joel

[Timothy B.]

Re: vent window regulators 1963 and 1967

The only parts I really need are the pot metal gears and the two covers for the RH side. The worm gears look OK and the spring washers are there to remove any movement in that shaft. The pot metal is another story..

[John D.]

Re: vent window regulators 1963 and 1967

You know if you were to install NOS ones right out of the box they are no cigar. I mean they don't work instantly when you turn the handles. There is some lost motion.
Anyone else hear agree? JD

[Rich P.]

Re: vent window regulators 1963 and 1967

You know if you were to install NOS ones right out of the box they are no cigar. I mean they don't work instantly when you turn the handles. There is some lost motion.
Anyone else hear agree? JD

Count me in here, I have worked on many a low milage car and a good part of them had vent window regulators that would move a 1/4 turn before there was movement. Rich

[Gene M.]

Re: vent window regulators 1963 and 1967

JD and Rich are both right......... unfortunately we need to make the window crank better than ever was to pass a PV.

I guess this comes under the heading of "design intent" rather than what production produced for the dealer show room.

I "modify" my crank mechanism to move wind glass as soon as crank turns. It looks and feels good but "over restored" as far as function. Kinda like modify the engine for more horse power than the General gave you but is as real to the spec the General published.

[Scott S.]

Re: vent window regulators 1963 and 1967

The only parts I really need are the pot metal gears and the two covers for the RH side. The worm gears look OK and the spring washers are there to remove any movement in that shaft. The pot metal is another story..

Hi Timothy,

If I understand correctly about the pot metal gear, Mike at America's Finest Corvettes manufactures a 'T/6 aircraft aluminum helical gear' replacement gear for rebuilding your original vent window regulators, which should permanently resolve the pot-metal gear problem.

[Randy R.]

Re: vent window regulators 1963 and 1967

The passenger side window regulators on my 67 convertible were not used often enough to result in worn parts. They have more play than seems to be alowed. The play in the drivers side regulators resembles the passenger side. Am I to understand that these regulators won't pass judging?

Randy

[Steven A.]

Re: vent window regulators 1963 and 1967

I just got my vent window regulators back from Mike at America Finest Corvettes and I must say they are excellent in all respects. For essentially 1/2 the price of buying new repos from one of the catalog companies, he rebuilt them with his upgraded aluminum gears, clean them up, shipped them back to me and provides a lifetime warranty. He also swapped the worm screws for shorter ones so the handles on my 66 no longer stick out too far from my repo door panels. He did this for free. It took two weeks from the day I shipped them to the day I got them back. The things look and work great! Don't want to sound like a commercial, but it's not everyday you get a service that exceeds you expectations at a very reasonable price.

[Gerard F.]

Re: vent window regulators 1963 and 1967

You know if you were to install NOS ones right out of the box they are no cigar. I mean they don't work instantly when you turn the handles. There is some lost motion.
Anyone else hear agree? JD

JD,

I agree. I have a 67 with a passenger vent window rarely used. The interior panel has never been off. Yet the vent window crank looseness would never meet PV standards.

Are we basing the PV standard on repro gears?

[Stuart F.]

Re: vent window regulators 1963 and 1967

I rebuilt mine back in the mid 70's using NOS parts. The passenger side side is perfect in every way, but the driver's which was bad before, still works strange. It is like the window sticks in the frame. It requires more handle movement to break it loose. Once open, it then works perfectly.

Stu Fox

[Ronald L.]

Re: vent window regulators 1963 and 1967

In any of the C2 AIM's, is there a Performance Specification on crank engagement or as we say 1/4 turn or less before window movement???

[John H.]

Re: vent window regulators 1963 and 1967

In any of the C2 AIM's, is there a Performance Specification on crank engagement or as we say 1/4 turn or less before window movement???

Ron -

No, there isn't, and never was. Fisher Body had precisely-defined specs for window crank efforts, play, and installed crank clock position, but Chevrolet never published any such specs for Corvettes (Fisher Body Engineering had more people absent every day than Chevrolet had designing cars).