'64 power vent window gears

[Eric's.64.Superwildcat]

My current project is working inside the doors to refresh everything and I have a question regarding the gear for the power vent windows.  I have the vent window motor opened up and I'm cleaning out the hardened old grease and generally refreshing it.   My driver's side power vent window works fine but my passenger side window can be finicky about catching.  (The motors function perfectly, I think it is the gears that are the issue).  Below are two photos of my driver's side window gear.  I see that there are replacements available such as this one at OPGI  https://www.opgi.com/riviera/1964/window/window-hardware/BR01467/

 

However, the replacement is made of bronze.  Wouldn't bronze be softer than the original material and therefore subject to failing?  As you can see from the photos the teeth on my current functioning window are shifted.  I'm amazed that it still functions.  I expect that once I get into the passenger's side and remove it I'll find the gears to be in even worse shape than the driver's side.  

 

Does anyone have experience with these pieces and their aftermarket replacements?  I'd like to do it right the first time so I don't have to open things up again.  

 

Thanks in advance.  

[Dales90]

Hi, 

I always thought the gears were made to be softer metal (like pot metal on originals) to let them fail in lieu of the motor shaft work gear. Some years ago aftermarket ones were steel and that made no sense to me. I think of bronze being pretty firm but softer than the works like the originals. 

[KongaMan]

Those gears are a noted point of failure, and have been for years.  IMHO, bronze is a reasonable material from which to make these gears (can't be worse than the originals, no?).  Remember, they make bearings from bronze.

 

FYI, CARS is cheaper than OPGI for replacements.

[1965rivgs]

Shop around, especially on Ebay, I`ve recently seen these gears marketed/priced very attractively in pairs. They were originally offered years ago by Hydro-E-Lectric and can be found here: http://www.hydroe.com/Buick-Riviera-CONVERTIBLE-TOPS-POWER-WINDOW-PARTS-p-18.html

We are lucky they are available in any material...if you open the pic on their website they dont look bronze to me?

  Tom

[Hazdaz]

Ii have a similar issue with the driver's side vent window.  I had the door skin off and it looks like the gear box for that crank (mine is manual, not motorized) is riveted on.  Is that correct or did I not look long enough at finding the fasteners?  I really regret not taking photos of it so i could refer back to them.

 

Anyways concerning the gears themselves, bronze is perfectly fine if the gears are meshing correctly.  There isn't high torque or high speed, so as long as they are aligned and mesh nicely there shouldn't be a problem.  

[1965rivgs]

Yes, the manual vent gears have riveted together covers. If the cover has been forced open one can drill out the rivets and replace them with 1/4 inch bolts/nuts.

The reason the covers open up and the power vent gears strip off their teeth is because this application can be high torque. Very often the vent glass binds when seating to the weatherstrip at the end of travel and peaks the torque/required effort to open/close.

  Tom Mooney