I am putting some aluminum door panels on the car (thanks again jayhudson for the templates ) and figured while I was in there it might be a good idea to get rid of the electric window motors in favor of manual cranks. I did a search on this and surprisingly came up with limited results. I went to RealOEM and found what I think is the right part (#7 in the pic below).
But I wanted to know is this a simple swap (i.e. take out the electric motor and bolt in the manual crank)? Or is it more involved? It is difficult to tell by looking at the picture, but it looks deceptively easy. Last I checked, the Bentley Manual only talks about electric windows (but I don't have my manual with me now to verify).
James
2005 Imola Red M3 - VF Stage I Supercharged Street/Track Car
E46 M3 VF Engineering Stage I Supercharger DIY
Just an FYI, if I remember correctly the crank version (only found on the euro cars) is not very much lighter than the power version. Especially if you're buying all new parts, I dont think it makes much sense to do the swap.
Actually, I have seen the hand crank on cars here in the states, some old 318's and the M3 LTW. That hand crank part is only approx $10 or so. If that is all that is needed, then I will do it. But if it involves too much effort (i.e. riping the guts out of the door) or too much money, the windows will stay as is. This is just a target of opportunity since I have the door panels off.
James
2005 Imola Red M3 - VF Stage I Supercharged Street/Track Car
E46 M3 VF Engineering Stage I Supercharger DIY
i've been wanting to do this to my car. my motors are burnt out right now and i heve remouved everything but the glass, so the windows are just wedged in the up position. like said above the olny thing i dont like about this set up is it dosent save you much weight. but in my case it would probobly be cheaper and i guess when it comes down to it a lb. or two lighter.
edit also can tell me where in realoem you found this page, thanks
+1 to this statement.
I've not weighed both versions on BMWs but on some other cars there can be no weight loss going from electric to manual crank windows. Even if its 3-4 pounds per door, that's still table scraps for the amount of work involved.
Anyone have reliable weights on a complete E36 electric and manual crank front doors?
Terry Fair @ Vorshlag Motorsports
Just a piece of useless info if anyone's interested - on the lotus, the power windows are actually lighter.
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But what other components are involved? I would think the motor weighs more than a simple hand crank. Or is there a completely different lift assembly (i.e. part #1 above) for the manual version? If that is the case, then I definitely think it is not worth it.
James
2005 Imola Red M3 - VF Stage I Supercharged Street/Track Car
E46 M3 VF Engineering Stage I Supercharger DIY
I think the OP is talking about simply removing JUST the motor fro the power window regulator, and adding the hand crank to the existing regulator - as we all know, BMW made provisions for us to use a hand crank in the event that the power windows fail. However, a better question is 'Is that hand crank designed to be able to be used every day without breaking???'
I'm pretty sure its a different window regulator between the power and non-power windows. The window motors in the E36, and most any other BMW are small and don't weigh much. Unless your car is completly gutted and you are trying to get every last ounce out of the car I'm sure you can find a better way to shave weight than going to non-power windows.
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Well the M3 LTWs I saw, including the one I almost bought way back when in 95, had manual windows.
Well I guess based on the responses, this is more trouble than it is worth. I was hoping it was as simple as removing the motor and then installing the hand crank. But I guess not.
James
2005 Imola Red M3 - VF Stage I Supercharged Street/Track Car
E46 M3 VF Engineering Stage I Supercharger DIY
Sure they were LTWs?? Ive never seen that in any of the pics and the 2 LTWs we have both had power windows.
James
2005 Imola Red M3 - VF Stage I Supercharged Street/Track Car
E46 M3 VF Engineering Stage I Supercharger DIY
LTWs did not have cloth vaders...
Last edited by ///M3Matt; 12-04-2007 at 08:38 PM.
Real LTWs had power windows. Of course our LTW now has MA Shaw FG doors
Vince
#997 CM
might have been said but the crank version on the e30 is heavier then the powered setup.
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Damn, you guys sure do know how to make a guy doubt himself . I remember when I saw the LTW in person, and came really close to getting it. No radio, no A/C, no sunroof, cloth vaders, etc. I would have gotten it if only it had A/C. Oh well, if I am remembering incorrectly so be it....
James
2005 Imola Red M3 - VF Stage I Supercharged Street/Track Car
E46 M3 VF Engineering Stage I Supercharger DIY
And just to pile on it probably wasn't in '95 as the production dates are 10 or 11/95 on all LTWs so they probably weren't in a dealership until '96. Heck I know I saw them sitting around into late '96, that's when people snagged them up brand new for awesome deals (like $32K for a new one). The seats weren't vaders, they were more like the 325is sport seats but with the cloth that you saw.
BTW can you or Jay Hudson share the door panel template? I put my car away already and wanted to throw something on CAD for one but I lack any of the dimensions. It would be much appreciated.
Carlos.
to the best of my (unreliable) knowledge, NO 2 door E36's had manual windows, only some 4 doors...
cheers, Alan
1/4 mile-12.92 @ 108.64mph-NA 3.0L m3 daily driver
Euro version 318ti's had manual windows in 95. Atleast I have seen pictures of a few that did. I'm also interested in doing this kind of swap as my passenger side regulator is shot and I have to manually pull up the window as I push up on the button. Not really a major problem for a weekend only car, but I would love to ditch the prone to break electronics and do something simple like a crank.
Notice that the parts numbers are listed different for part #1 depending on power or non-power.
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...51&fg=10&hl=14
Well, you could also just fix the windows. The parts should be easy to find from club racers or in junkyards. I had some window motors out of a 1992 325 laying around the shop for a long time before I finally tossed them.
Seeing as there never was a manual windowed 2-door car, you aren't going to have much luck trying to turn them into manual windows.
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