Well, since I didn't have the equipment I would have liked to have had to make a close tolerance repair...I decided to go the JB Weld route and figured that if it didn't work, I could try another route.
First I read over Kip Bonds' Tech Tip on rebuilding the unit. (
https://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/windshield%20crank/index.html )
Photo 1 (attached) shows how egged-out the hole holding the main wheel shaft in the regulator housing was.
I drilled out the brass thrust stop that holds the worm gear shaft in place, pulled it out and then pretty easily removed the worm gear shaft from the housing.
Then I placed the housing with the splined end of the main wheel shaft over an existing hole in a piece of wood that would support the housing while I tapped the shaft from the other side.
Photo 2 shows the splined end of the main wheel shaft partly driven out of the housing.
Photo 3 shows that I mixed up some JB Weld "Steel Reinforced Epoxy", put some tape on the underside of the egged-out hole and put the epoxy in from the top.
I let the material cure for about 24 hours inside the house to stay at a reasonable temperature.
Photo 4 shows the JB Weld after using a file to remove the excess material. (It seemed pretty soft...cured perhaps, but it gave little resistance to the file)
I couldn't think of a precise way to centerpunch the location for drilling the hole for the shaft, so I just gave it my best estimate. I have not worked with JB Weld before, so I was very gentle with the centerpunch and with the drill.
Photo 5 The JB Weld epoxy chipped and gave way to the drill very easily. I was disappointed in how sloppy and ragged the hole I drilled was, but I figured that I should go ahead and reassemble the unit to see if/how it functioned.
In the process of putting things back together, I greased the shafts and used a penetrating spray on the part of the unit that connects to the windshield. That part on my unit was not movable at all, but eventually freed up well.
I didn't know what to use to lubricate the flexible spring piece with, so I tried silicone spray. (I didn't want to use something that would collect dust and grit.) The unit now (on the work bench) operates pretty easily.
Both gears are quite worn, but with the shaft being (pretty much) held in position, it seems that there is enough meat there for the unit to function.
This is where it stands now. I had such a difficult time getting the unit out of the truck that I am going to use different hardware putting it back in to make it easier to remove next time - especially if the repair turns out to be temporary!
I am new to this, so if folks have suggestions for how I could have done this better, I am listening! Also, if the "repair" fails, I will let you know!
Nick
