Has anyone tried (and succeeded) in converting a power window to a roller window? Is this a smart idea / feasible?

 

Car is an '84 GL wagon.

 

Rear window goes down and not up (motor issue?) and we would just like to eliminate the power and go with a manual roller.

 

Searched the threads, but haven't found one specifically with this conversion.

 

Any help is appreciated!

 

its most likely a switch issue .  Replacing just the switch itself is not too bad and would actually save you the time of converting to manual windows.  

dont replace the switch, very easy to rebuild them. theres just a couple contact rockers inside. they corrode or get stuff in them.

I recently had the EXACT same problem you do. Cleaning the switches did the trick. It was easy and I posted some pictures in this thread 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/148359-power-window-switch-clean-up/?do=findComment&comment=1244537

 

Regarding your question more specifically. Converting the other way the best I've found is

 

If your super determined to swap them all to manual though, I hope someone on the board can hlep you accomplish it. good luck

Have you confimred that the motor is gone? Pull the door card off, unplug the motor & jump 12V across it. reverse the connections to reverse the direction.

 

Switches are common problem at this age.

Also check that the tracks are lubricated. The "grease" clogs up over the years also with dirt and other debris.

 

If you really decide to go ahead, then you need the whole winder mechanism, but the doors are the same so it is a bolt on job. I've done the other way conversion without any dramas.

Door cards are different as the hole for the window & the hole for the power switch are different locations.

Ok, thank you everyone for your reply. Does it help that both switches, (the door and the cluster in the console) won't roll the window up. Would this lead to a motor issue?

On mine, both the switches were bad on passanger and drivers side door. From both sides, you could take the window down but not up. I only cleaned up the one on the door, so now it can be rolled up from that door, but not from the master console on the drivers side. If it can go down the motor should be good right? its probably just that the switch contact for going up is dirty i would think

If one switch is bad, 90% chance that the rest are bad or close to it.

Clean them all, it's free, just some time