When you get down into the window system, occasionally you'll find binding or bad riveted rollers. You can find kits to replace them online which are designed for Chevies, but work for Oldsmobiles.

I've never driven enough rivets to want a rivet driver/gun/tool. Historically I've just smashed the rivets down depending more or less on luck to get them to stay. Which works, sort of, but I hit on a way to get them much closer to right with just a spinning motion on the roller and no sloppiness.

I used an old #1 phillips head and regular hammer to split the backside of the rivet into 4 "ears". The garage floor worked great as the backing surface.

DIY Window Roller Rivet Driver Kit. Be sure the rivet is facing the right way before you drive it.

Then put the newly riveted assembly in a vise to tighten the ears to the window arm. When the rivet is in the vise, use the 1/4" socket to protect the plastic roller from the pressure you exert to tighten the rivet. Maybe a 3/16's socket would work better, or 5/16's...

Maybe many of you know this trick, or have a better one. It was just fun to solve a problem I've had for a while cheap and at home.

Cheers
Chris

 

Now that is useful. I have a couple rollers to repair.

 

I added a final step to the window roller rivet replacement process this time around on my ‘66 98 convertible.

To get the roller rivets really snug, place a washer under the rivet head that is exactly the same diameter as the rivet head, the stack that on another wider washer. Then tap (well, hammer) the rivet tight. With the correct size washer as a limit, the “ears” on the back side go right into place.

Now the rollers spin correctly, but the rivets are snug so the repaired rollers won’t rattle.

 

The reason I redid the rivets this time was to kill door rattles. Tight rivets seem to have really helped.

Here's a shot of the kit as used:

Use an old phillips & a couple of tiny washers to drive the rivet firmly into place.