Joe Jackson

Skip,

I'll check when I get home tonight and let you know.

Joe Jackson

That right there could possibly answer my question. I need to check that second set of lifters I bought and see what the part number is. Any chance you have both and can compare? My guess is that the late style will have the arm at a different angle. I'm also guessing that whomever I bought my second set from lied about what car they came from.

Joe Jackson

I could not find a part number on the lifters I have. That was disappointing. Can someone snap a picture of a late style lifter for me?

Skip

I don't happen to have any in hand to compare. It's very unlikely that there is not a part number on anything used by Porsche. About the only items we don't see this on are generic things like nuts, bolts and washers. There may not be, but look in every nook and cranny to be sure. Sometimes on stamped steel items they are ink-stamped white numbers but most parts such as this (actually made by Porsche) will have a depression stamp.

Manning

Well, let's bump this back up to the top so I can probe for some answers and possibly find some parts.

Skip, the guide rails you wrote about, you meant the ones that are bolted to the door, right?

Well I just discovered something else that is needed to complete this conversion: the channel that the window glass sits in and the lift mechanism connects to. It is apparently different for manual lift applications. On the manual window reg, there is a big rectanular bit that slides in the front portion of the part I am talking about. On a power window reg there is just a little plastic wheel. And the do not interchange. And guess what, I didn't figure this out until I had my passenger side door completely disassembled (dumbass!).

Anybody have a part number for this (can it even be had seperately from the glass) or have the parts (drive and passenger) to offer for sale?

Manning

OK, with some help from Skip I figured out what my problem is (with the manual lift conversion). Apparently I procured some early lift mechanisms, which WILL NOT work with the later window glass base.

Here is a picture of an early lift (77-79). If you have a lift that looks like this and you think you will be able to use it with your existing glass on a later 924, 924S or (early) 944 you are wrong:



the part numbers for the later style lift that WILL work with your existing glass are:


Left lifter - 477 837 441 A
Right lifter - 477 837 442 A

The "A" at the end of the part number is important as it indicates the later lift mechanism. The early lift has the same part number without the "A" suffix.

And as far as I know, Paragon can get them for you. Don't waste your time trying to find the correct part on Ebay.

And if you buy parts off Ebay or anywhere else, don't take your car half way apart before you figure out whether you have the correct part. I wish I had followed that advise because now I feel like a great big idiot (Sid should chime in right about now).

Skip

In order to qualify as a great big idiot you have to have recommended this procedure to someone else and reassured them that it will work with no problems...

tifosiman

So, Skip...........

What would the total cost be for EVERYTHING to convert an 85.5 944 to manual windows?

Jeremy

Manning

The early style lift will work on our cars if you use the early style glass (glass is the same, but the metal channel at the bottom is different). The lift does bolt in the same too and lines up properly, it just doesn't connect to the glass properly. I actually had everything assembled on a spare drivers side door in my basement just to see how it went together and stopped short of actually putting in the window glass. Oops, guess I shouldn't have skipped that step.

I don't really want to wait around and see if I can luck into finding the correct MY glass. I'll probably wind up ordering the later style lifts early next week.

Skip

Still working on that one, Tifo - the original estimate was $150 complete for both sides. Am working with Michael to see if this will do it for sure.

Manning

I am pretty sure your original list is about all you need. Mind you, you have to match early to early or late to late lift and glass (can't repeat that enough). I am fairly certain you should/can reuse the guide rail that bolts into the door itself. There only appears to be 2 different part numbers for it that I can find, and the only difference between the parts (I have both of them) is there length. That difference (very slight) actually prevents you from being able to swap between the two parts since the bolt holes won't line up.

I'll take some pictures of how to remove the electric lift mechanism and how to slide in the new manual using that spare door as an example if anybody needs them (Paragon how-to?) Tipping in the window glass is actually the hardest part of the whole procedure and believe it or not the whole swap can be done by one person as long as you aren't some kind of spazz.

Joe Jackson did a good write up a few years ago on the e-mail list. I still have that procedure handy

Manning

Oh yeah, one other thing. Not that they are the correct part for my car, but I kind of glossed over the 944.537.041.00 and 042.00 part numbers for the 85.5 and later 944 since they weren't offered as in option in the US market and you won't readily find them on Ebay. Skip, how easy is that set of part numbers to get? They come up as unknown parts if you try to look them up on the US PET and only come up as valid part numbers on the UK/ROW versions.

shortyboy

hows this going?i know its been a while but im still interested in this.thanx

Guns951

Hey can't someone make a mold (bare) of the inner door then produce a carbon fiber door panel with no cut outs? then if you want window cranks (custom) you can cut holes where you need them? I'm talking with the arm rest removed (on the door not center console) and with a manual window mod in mind. I would totally spend as much as required for this kind of mod.....

aribop

The holes are alraedy cut out on the backside of the door panels. All you have to do is cut a + in the vinyl. There is no interference with the arm rest or dash (on later cars). We just did this mod on Ashton's car and it turned out great. I'll see if he'll post some pics later.