Ok so obviously going to start with the "if you mess up your window and it dosnt work any more or lose an eye or something its not my fault disclaimer.."
I did some searching and havent found anyone who has done this yet. A friend of mine told me about how some rabbit guys use early e30 power regulators in there cars to convert them from crank.
The only reason I wanted to do this in the first place is because i got my car painted and needed a new door, the only one i could find was an early one with a crank window regulator in it already. so, instead of converting that to power and trying to find wiring for it I figured it would be easier to convert my other (already power window door) to crank.
Little to my knowledge i didnt know how hard it was to find a early, two door, crank window regulator..
so I found these http://www.germanautoparts.com/Volks...bit/Body/246/1
for only 40$ shipped.
tools needed=
phillips head screw driver
10mm ratchet
rivet gun
rivets (not sure the exact size they are fairly large)
drill/drill press
a friend to hold the track while you rivit.
This is gonna kinda be a bad DIY because the lack of pics i took. sorry, it is wicked simple so any questions just pm me. ALSO i did this in my 1986 325es two door. so if it is different on a late model then im sorry i cant help you..
step 1
Drill the rivets out of the rabbit regulator (4) that hold it to the window track. i used a drill press and a flat head to pry it off the track, the regulator should split in two, a flat plate and a plate that holds the gear/ spring inside.
step 2
remove door card, pop out the clips around the bottom and the three phillips head screws that hold it on, the card should slide out upward. remove the plastic water barrier.
step 3
remove your current regulator, assuming its power just disconnect and remove all of the wiring. removed the two bolts that hold the window to the track and slide the window glass out of the top. now you should have a piece of glass in your hands and a bare track in your door.
step 4
remove all of the hardware (10mm) that holds your tracking and the regulator. after the bolts are out you have to wiesel the track out from the bottom of the door, i had to bend a track a tad but it comes out. now you should have a window track with a automatic regulator on it in your hands and a bare door.
step 5
remove the two or three Phillips head screws that hold the auto regulator to the track, the regulator should come right off.
step 6
ok so now you should have a bare e30 window track, a bare vw rabbit window regulator. the rabbit regulator should split into two pieces (because you already pried it off the vw track) with a little gear on the inside and a flat plate that holds it all together. fit the e30 track in the grooves of the teeth of the gear and place the flat part back on top so its "holding it together". it wont actually hold until you put the four rivets back in.
step 7
MAKE SURE THE REGULATOR IS FACING THE RIGHT WAY BEFORE YOU RIVET IT TO THE TRACK. I did this and had to drill the rivets back out.. it sucked.
step 8
Have a friend hold the regulator on the track, i had to use vice grips to smush it tight on to the track. while they hold it re-rivet the regulator to the track. now test it and make sure it moves the part inside of the track up and down smoothly.
step 9
Instillation is the reverse as removal. the vw regulator should use the exact same holes the power regulator used.
I probably forgot some stuff but i figured id post this and try to be a little help full with this thing I found.
If this already exists somewhere just delete the post.
also good luck!
I did some searching and havent found anyone who has done this yet. A friend of mine told me about how some rabbit guys use early e30 power regulators in there cars to convert them from crank.
The only reason I wanted to do this in the first place is because i got my car painted and needed a new door, the only one i could find was an early one with a crank window regulator in it already. so, instead of converting that to power and trying to find wiring for it I figured it would be easier to convert my other (already power window door) to crank.
Little to my knowledge i didnt know how hard it was to find a early, two door, crank window regulator..
so I found these http://www.germanautoparts.com/Volks...bit/Body/246/1
for only 40$ shipped.
tools needed=
phillips head screw driver
10mm ratchet
rivet gun
rivets (not sure the exact size they are fairly large)
drill/drill press
a friend to hold the track while you rivit.
This is gonna kinda be a bad DIY because the lack of pics i took. sorry, it is wicked simple so any questions just pm me. ALSO i did this in my 1986 325es two door. so if it is different on a late model then im sorry i cant help you..
step 1
Drill the rivets out of the rabbit regulator (4) that hold it to the window track. i used a drill press and a flat head to pry it off the track, the regulator should split in two, a flat plate and a plate that holds the gear/ spring inside.
step 2
remove door card, pop out the clips around the bottom and the three phillips head screws that hold it on, the card should slide out upward. remove the plastic water barrier.
step 3
remove your current regulator, assuming its power just disconnect and remove all of the wiring. removed the two bolts that hold the window to the track and slide the window glass out of the top. now you should have a piece of glass in your hands and a bare track in your door.
step 4
remove all of the hardware (10mm) that holds your tracking and the regulator. after the bolts are out you have to wiesel the track out from the bottom of the door, i had to bend a track a tad but it comes out. now you should have a window track with a automatic regulator on it in your hands and a bare door.
step 5
remove the two or three Phillips head screws that hold the auto regulator to the track, the regulator should come right off.
step 6
ok so now you should have a bare e30 window track, a bare vw rabbit window regulator. the rabbit regulator should split into two pieces (because you already pried it off the vw track) with a little gear on the inside and a flat plate that holds it all together. fit the e30 track in the grooves of the teeth of the gear and place the flat part back on top so its "holding it together". it wont actually hold until you put the four rivets back in.
step 7
MAKE SURE THE REGULATOR IS FACING THE RIGHT WAY BEFORE YOU RIVET IT TO THE TRACK. I did this and had to drill the rivets back out.. it sucked.
step 8
Have a friend hold the regulator on the track, i had to use vice grips to smush it tight on to the track. while they hold it re-rivet the regulator to the track. now test it and make sure it moves the part inside of the track up and down smoothly.
step 9
Instillation is the reverse as removal. the vw regulator should use the exact same holes the power regulator used.
I probably forgot some stuff but i figured id post this and try to be a little help full with this thing I found.
If this already exists somewhere just delete the post.
also good luck!
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