The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk '46 - Restored my Windshield Regulator Today

Following this Tech Tip; which was really valuable, I restored my windshield regulator yesterday/today:

http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/windshield%20crank/index.html

My truck came without a regulator but I was able to find one from a fellow Bolter for $50 and avoid the $200+ Jim Carter charges for a rebuilt one (including core charge). FEDEX was nice enough to drop off yesterday.

I forgot to take pictures but it looked exactly like the one in the Tech Tip - as they all do, except fortunately mine had not driven the worm gear out of the housing so I did not have to grind off the rivet or shim the hole as per the Tech Tip.

Mine was rusted solid; wouldn't move AT ALL. I was doing chores all day so I figured I'd let it soak in penetrating oil and see if it would budge. I was out of PB Blaster and all I had was WD-40 (DOH!), but I figured "what the heck". Every time I came through the garage I gave it another shot and tried to move it. After a couple hours the shaft with the large gear was obviously loose and would rock a bit. The other shaft with the worm drive gear was still stuck solid. Before coming in for the evening, I propped it up so the WD would soak in and drenched it. I read the Tech Tip online last night and the most valuable thing I found was that it would just tap apart. No need to grind or drill anything.

This morning I tapped out the worm drive shaft easily. That revealed the portion of the stainless strip that had been trapped behind the big gear so I could finish polishing it up with metal polish on OOO steel wool. It came out looking good as new. I used my bench grinder/wire wheel to clean all the other visible rust off the shafts, gears and housing then lubed the entire thing with either Silicon spray or white lithium grease on the worm & gear.

This regulator now turns smooth as butter. I expected it to work, but not like this. The strip had been frozen in position for God knows how many years and it tuned right up. BIG kudos to this GM-designed part of SIX DECADES ago!!!

Anyone know if the small shaft where the regulator actually attaches to the windshield frame is supposed to turn freely? I think it is but that is the one part that is till frozen. I'm gonna take it on with some PB Blaster though.

Yes, Dan, The small steel shaft at the windshield end of the stainless steel strip is supposed to turn freely.

Thanks Kip and thanks for your Tech article. I would probably have overthought the process without it and even probably have broken something.

Other than putting a small bolt in the center nut on that small shaft, using it for leverage and continuing to work it, I don't know any other way of loosening it? I suppose applying some heat with a propane or MAPP gas torch MIGHT help free it up? Maybe I'll just try PB Blaster first. It's gotta work better than WD-40.

There is a lot of surface area there for the rust to develop and that small diameter pin can be very firmly stuck and I believe could be easily broken. I have freeded two of these, both were soaked in a penetrating oil product called Liquid Wrench for about a week then a little heat from a small propane torch.

Good Luck

I've got Liquid Wrench. I'll definitely give it a try. It would be a shame for the regulator not to be useable only because of that small shaft when I've got both the larger ones working excellent. Thank again Kip.