71Convertible

I'm trying to find the lub points for the window guides and window crank mechanism for my 1971 Cutlass Supreme convertible. I don't find this in the Fisher Body Service manual, the Chassis Service Manual or the Factory Assembly manual, nor on the threads I've searched here on CO. I can see some of the obvious points with old spray on lubricant as I work on the door and window assemblies, but I don't know if I'm missing others. Is there a separate service manual that covers this?

Junkman

I don't ever remember seeing it addressed in any shop manuals from any manufacturer. I have taken window regulators out, soaked them in stale gasoline, or used kerosene to soften up the old lithium grease. Then I would put them out in the sun to dry and have all the "solvents" dissipate. Re grease with white lithium grease, based on where it originally was, and reinstall.
If the rollers are worn out, you can purchase replacements and they come with a new shaft that you peen over where the original roller was. Don't forget to grease the channel that the rollers run in. If you put a light spray of white paint over the bolts before removal, it will work to being a guide to putting everything back the way it originally was installed. Just don't mix up the hardware when you remove it. That is the nice thing about digital photography, you can take lots of reference pictures as you work. Just do one side at a time, so you have the other side as a reference if you run into difficulties. From memory, you will need to remove the front vent channel first to get the glass out. It is attached at the bottom with a special bolt that screws into the bottom of the run channel. This has to come out completely before you can get the vent window assembly out. This bolt is responsible for the in / out adjustment of the top of the vent window, and effects the door glass adjustment also. It would be a good time to reline the channel run fabric. You can purchase a new channel with the stainless steel bead, and with todays strong adhesives, there is no need to rivet in place. I grind off the old rivets, and when I put the new channel in, I place a piece of wood into the channel and using zip ties to hold it all in place, wait till the glue has dried. Cut the zip ties off, and you are done. On the rear channel, you can do the same thing, but it doesn't use the stainless steel bead. The correct channels are available from Restoration Specialties in PA.

71Convertible

Thanks for this info and it sounds like a good solution, if I disassemble the doors and windows. I'm attempting to clean and re lubricate without removing the windows. The door frames and hardware are not rusty, so I'm not planning to disassemble them. My car is a convertible, so I don't have the vent window or glass channels to deal with. I am replacing all the 46 year old rubber, broken or missing door panel clips, beltline fuzzies and weatherstripping and re-lubricating working parts while I have the inner door panels off.