My 12-Step Program (for quarter window install)

I dug the quarter windows out from under my bench where they were being "stored" and found the plastic baggies full of quarter window hardware.  Now, if only I could remember how to install the darned things.  I looked through my photo archive and found that any pics I took of their removal had been lost in the "Great Accidental Photo Deletion of 2009"... A very dark day that I don't want to talk about.  I searched the web and couldn't find a suitable How To but I did find this exploded view diagram that helped a lot (also in my Ford Service Manual).

Before anything should be installed, the various bits need to be cleaned up somewhat.  I spent a lot of time with a rag and a can of lacquer thinner to remove the old grease and grime.  There was some rust on my guide assemblies so I treated them with Ospho and hit them with some self-etching primer and aluminum paint.  Not an exact match by any stretch of the imagination but good enough to spend another few decades in the recesses of the quarter panels.  One of my quarter window brackets was missing a bolt-in window stop and both had bad seals.  Luckily I was attending the Portland Swap Meet the following day where I picked up a destroyed quarter window that had both stops as well as a new set of seals allowing me to complete the job that night.  Also, I media blasted the lower brackets and gave them a new coat of black paint.

The guide rail lube was an interesting compromise though.  The Ford factory manual called for a "Polyethylene Grease".  I read all of the cans of grease at NAPA and found nothing that even remotely resembled "Polyethylene".  I finally decided that it was an obsolete form of lube, probably made from the blubber of some extinct species of whale or such, and settled for "Multi-Purpose Marine Grease".  It seemed to have properties that I felt were beneficial to this task in that it is water and temperature resistant as well as being of a fairly tacky consistency which means that it would stick where it's placed and not melt and run down into the rockers on hot days nor freeze up on cold days.  I've also learned that the generally accepted grease that people use for guide channels is white lithium grease.  One other option is Valvoline Multi-Purpose Grease for Ford.  Whatever you choose, you don't need to fill the channel with grease.  Rather just coat the edges of the rails inside and out where the rollers will have the most contact.

And now on to the step-by-step:

Cleaned up parts.

My grease of choice

I used an acid brush that I cut down to about 1/4" to spread the grease along the tops and insides of the rails and around the rollers.  Yeah, this is really "Step 1" but then that would mess up my whole "12 step program" schtick so just deal with it m'kay?

Step 1: Install the guide lower bracket with two bolts into the captive nuts in the rocker.

Step 2: Install the regulator stop (the L-shaped bracket with one bolt)

Step 3: Insert the guide assembly down into the window slot from above and loosely insert top two bolts into the captive nuts in the upper quarter panel and the single lower bolt into the captive nut in the lower guide bracket (red arrows above).  Set the guide assembly as far down and back as possible to make room for the window assembly rollers.  Note the bolt location for the regulator stop from Step 2 above.

Step 4: Align the window rollers with the guide channels from the top and lower the window assembly into the guides.  The bottom roller and stops (red arrows) should not be installed until after you drop the window into the guide channels.  Step 5: Insert the roller and bolt in the window stops.

Step 6: With the stops installed, pull the window up to the top of it's travel and clamp it in position.

Step 7: Set the regulator to the position shown above and insert it into the access hole and guide the crank shaft into it's window crank hole above.  Insert its four bolts loosely.

Step 8: Crank the window regulator down until the pivot arm is in the position shown.

Step 9: Remove the clamp from the window and carefully lower it to the bottom of its channels.  Step 10: Insert the window pivot arm pin into the lower window channel roller and snap in the locking clip.

Step 11: Grease up the Actuator Arm Guide and insert it into the access hole and insert the pivot arm roller into it's channel.

Step 12: Insert the two actuator arm guide bolts show above with red arrows.

That pretty much completes the install with the exception of the adjustment of the window to the top and the door window which I haven't installed yet.  Adjustment seems pretty straight forward as there are the three adjustment points at the top and bottom of the window guide assembly for overall window height (plus a little bit of forward and back) in addition to tilting the window in and out by adjusting the position of the two bolts in the lower window guide bracket that we installed first.  When you get it all lined up, tighten all of the bolts down, kick back, and appreciate your hard work.  By the way, new window seals can be installed with the window already in the car.  You just remove the one screw at the bottom of the rubber seal and slide them down out of the their channel in the window frame while the window is in the up position.

You can then just repeat the process for the other side.  That's great for YOU but for ME, I had another fight on my hands before I could just go dancing through the daisies and installing quarter windows for you see, my passenger side actuator guide lower mounting point had been mutilated.  Now let's not go pointing fingers as to exactly who mutilated said mounting point because that's not going to solve anything, okay?  Okay.  The bottom line is that the mounting bracket was in the wrong position because somebody welded it about 1/4" too far back.  So, I had to cut it out, repair the damage and weld it back into the correct position.

Now who went and did that?

Repaired bracket.

Welded back in with successful quarter window installation.

Quarter windows!