VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 Window regulator won't work

This is a different kind of problem. One of the two regulators that I've been saving for my '31 Landau is odd. It has both bars fully raised. And when I crank it down, and let go of the handle, the bars both return back to the full upright position. They act like they're spring-loaded. What's wrong?

---Bill B

Hi Bill,

That is normal. They are spring loaded to counter the weight of the glass and to make it easier to roll up and down.

Check the other regulator and see if the balance spring is broken.....I had a spring broken on the front door of my 28.It broke when I was messing with the regulator after I took the window out, probably hyper-extended it. The results were the window would slowly roll down by it self on a bumpy road. I got a new used one from Gary Wallace.

Mr. Mack,

"I got a new used one from Gary Wallace".

That's not the way I remember it.

Hey Oldie! I did get the spring from you and also a window roller didn't I? I got the window channel from Gary. Thanks for reminding me, my CRS is almost around all the time lately.
I have the 28 up on the lift. I plan to replace the cross shaft bushings with some I got from "Bluezone" (Arvid)

if my memory is correct the regulator has a clutch that grabs when the window is lowered and releases when the handle is turned to the up position . the spring helps raise also keps the glass closed . seems like i had one like this and nothing to wory about as the spring will not raise the window with out help . hope this helps

UPDATE: I took the regulator apart with my friend Dick Olson. We found that the spring around the handle shaft was broken... at least that's what we think. The spring appears to be complete, but it appears that the very tip of it may have broken off.

So my question now is, how is the spring suppose to be attached inside the regulator mechanism? Whatever it is, it sure works well... We reassembled the crank and put in a different spring and it sort of works... almost perfectly... but I can feel it slippng once every full cycle.

Anybody know how the spring attaches? (1931). Thsnks.

b b the spring is part of the clutch that grabs the shaft and will not release until the shaft is turned in the up direction.

Okay, thanks... that makes sense... The spring doesn't appear to "hook" on anything, but rather one end of it is bent so that it stays in the notch of the "socket". So it's not really under any kind of load... weird. I can see that it might unwind due to friction and then stop the shaft from turning... or allowing the window from going back up.

Tried TFS today but they don't have any rebuild kits. I bent the end of the spring (where it broke off) and put it back in place. It seems to work, but is a little jerky.

It was a good day... My car has a roof frame on it now. Wow... it's starting to look like a car now.
Many thanks to Dick Olson, who spent the day with me getting this piece of the puzzle to work.