I’m getting ready to bring my ‘81 in for paint, but before I do that I want to fix the rattling power windows (so I don’t mess up the paint trying to fix them afterwards).

what’s the best way to do this? I know there’s an access panel at the bottom that allows you do get to the motor and such, but I really need to get in there and apply felt and foam to the tracks and clean everything up so they don’t shake around. I think it would be pretty difficult to do that from just the access panel.

Any advice?

 

When I opened up the power window regulator on my 1968 C3 I noticed that my drivers side window was rattling as well. After replacing the parts on the window tracks and cleaning the track out completely, the reassembly went together fairly easily. The biggest problem I had initially was that the window tracks were bare of fresh grease. There was this "crud" on the tracks that slowed everything down, it was the remnants of the old grease that was likely applied when the car was new. Using a Heat gun I was able to heat up the tracks which made cleaning them much easier. Once the old grease is out it is time to get the regulator checked out and working again.

After you get the window operating smoothly then I applied a light grease non the rollers and tracks which quieted them down and lubricated them nicely. I was at ZIP Products and I looked up the anti-rattle pads that they offer to quiet loose windows that rattle. It is part number: DR-615 and is listed as follows:

69-96 Door Window Anti-Rattle Bumpers

They might be exactly what you need AFTER cleaning the tracks completely. They cost $33 a set of four pieces to do one pair of doors. They are "Felt covered anti-rattle bumper for 1968-1996 Corvette door glass". 2 per Corvette door, mounted on front and rear of side glass. Sold as a car set and includes mounting hardware.

These are great but unfortunately they don't fit my 1968 C3.... I did use them in my C4. On the C3 I applied foam pads glued inside the door to keep the glass from rattling. It keeps it snug with the window down and the window seals the door well. When you own a 1968 Corvette,you need to be creative and just do your very best.

The only way you will be able to work on the window regulator is to remove the door panel from the inside. It is still tight but not as bad as it could be.

Best regards,
Chris

Take a Peek at the ZIP online catalog as they show the door assemblies in one of their pictures.
Here is the link to the page directly: https://www.zip-corvette.com/69-96-d...bumpers-4.html
Do you have the Assembly Instruction Manual for your 1981?
How about the Factory Service Manuals? If you don't have them be sure to get one as they are extremely valuable to have when you run into an issue.
Many suppliers sell them but RockAuto has them on DVD's and it is much less expensive that way.

 

Judicious use of zip ties and a couple of extra anti-rattle pads are very helpful in quieting the door guts.

 

Any good painter will take the glass out of the doors when painting the car. The time to rebuild is while the painter has the door apart and let the body man reassemble the door.

 

I'm thinking your '81 has power windows... do the windows and tracks "bang" when you shut the doors? It's not uncommon for the regulators to break from the weight of the power window motors. Both of my '72 regulators (same part from '68 to '82) had broken mounting tabs at the arrow below – had a local guy tig weld them for all of $60.


To do the entire job right, no matter what's causing the rattling, it would be best to completely pull the glass, tracks, door latch, and release to clean all of it and regrease. You will probably need new rollers on both doors because the plastic hubs break and the rollers get all wobbly. The roller and stud are a single unit that gets peened onto the arms.

Here's a pretty good article that I used as a guide: https://www.corvettemagazine.com/196...oller-rebuild/

 

Seriously? WOW! That's bloody great! Whats that paint job cost?
My car has been resprayed 4 -5 times now. Depending on which part your looking at. This last time the front clip and both doors.
Let's see, hummmm,
5 different different body shops have resprayed my doors.
And honestly, they look great every time!
ZERO shops have removed the glass. One. Removed the mirrors.

 

This video may be useful to watch:
Not your year, and not power windows, but here’s a good 5 part series on the door guts, glass, assembling everything, etc.
And another complete assembly:

 

Oh these videos are gonna be a huge help - thank you!

 

Certainly and best wishes on it!

 

Yep. If the windows work OK, a good clean out and re-lube of the mechanisms and fixing loose linkages and bumpers will go a long way to bring them back up to snuff.