'66 power window motors

[Cwcb08]

I looked at the window motor rebuild link but my motors look different. Are they to far gone to attempt refurbishing them myself? How do I Rebuild them? Or should I just buy a rebuilt pair and turn these in, or buy a new set?

I have only removed the drivers motor so far it did not operate in the car but on the bench it moved both directions

[simplyconnected]

That's very typical. Think about it... window and seat motors never go vast distances and neither do heater fan motors. Consequently, I've never seen one that actually wore the brushes down.

The worst fate for a motor is non-use over a long period of time (such as yours). Your motor is dirty/greasy and that's probably all that is wrong with it. Clean it up and put a small dab of good moly/lithium grease around the bearings and the shaft O-ring. BTW, notice the bearings are bronze, not ball bearing. I've never seen one that wore out.

NEVER sand the commutator segments because that black stuff is brush material (carbon) that is electrically embedded into the copper. Clean with alcohol. It takes a good while to form this self-lubricating film that conducts current easily. As long as your brushes are of decent length and they have good spring tension, de-grease the brass brush holders real well so the brushes slide up and down freely and re-use the same brushes. Those brushes have an arc that is perfectly formed to the commutator that new brushes don't.

Use a pick to scratch out and undercut the micarta between commutator segments so the brushes aren't 'lifted off' the copper segments.

Finally, see those holes in the brush holders? I push the brush in and hold it back with a small-ish copper wire. Then I pull the wire out after the armature is in far enough so the brushes ride on the commutator. - Dave

[Cwcb08]

Should I just try and rub the debris off the windings and rotor or use something mechanical? Will brake clean safely work on a cloth?

Score the copper like the TRL photos, leave the black stuff. Check

Do I use the same grease around the white plastic gear ( between the shaft and the window mechanism)

[simplyconnected]

Brake Clean (and gasoline) is a little harsh on the baked-on varnish and it is very flammable. Honestly, I would brush-on diesel fuel or kerosene on all those parts, then blow it off with an air hose. Mineral spirits works too but it's a lot more expensive and it works just the same.

No, no, don't score any copper. Use a pick in between the copper segments. That part is an insulator called micarta. You want to undercut the micarta so your brushes ride on just the copper. An ice pick (or equivalent) works well.

After cleaning with diesel, re-grease the bearings and the internal gears. I would not grease outside the gear housing because dirt, an abrasive, likes to stick to grease. - Dave

[jopizz]

Ford used grease on the plastic gear because it's a sealed unit. Only the metal part of the gear is exposed. I would grease the plastic gear but not the metal gear. It's better to use graphite on the metal gear.

John