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Window Cranks - (original author unknown)

While perusing the "Wanted" section in the last issue of MGA!, I noticed that "Tom or Jean" were looking for a "Left door window regulator for my 1958 MGA coupe". To paraphrase a politician whose name I do not recall, "I feel their pain". I had the same problem with our MGA coupe when I restored it some 20 years ago. I think the problem is that because the window is about the same height as the door, and with that, as well as friction from the window channels, it requires a significant amount of leverage to raise and lower it. Consequently, the gears are subject to wear, and eventual failure. Figure 5 shows the window regulator for the MGA compared with those of the Z-Type Magnette.

As you can see, to achieve the required leverage, the MGA mechanism is considerably more complicated than that of the Magnette. Each of the mechanisms is shown from the window crank, or door panel side. But as shown in the paragraph of Figure 6, which is a front door regulator from a Magnette, the guts of the workings are on the other side. The part on the MGA that seems to wear the most is the semicircular, toothed gear, and not the meshing gear on the crank spindle. Magnettes do not appear to have the same problem. So, I resolved the problem on our coupe by using the semicircular gear from a Magnette to repair the coupe unit.


All of these MG window regulators are of the same basic design, with a flange to attach to the inner door panel, and to support the window regulator mechanism. Figure 7 shows the "front" side of the Magnette unit. The slotted peg that anchors the center of the spring is free to rotate in the flange; it then passes through the semicircular gear, and has a square section to fit in a square hole in the arm. The end of the arm has a peg that fits in one of several holes in the gear so that the gear and the arm rotate together.
The hole in which the peg fits depends on the application. For the Magnette front door, the center hole is selected, but for the rear door one of the end holes is used (see Figure 5). I did not have a spare MGA window regulator to compare but, looking at Figure 5, the attachment may be slightly different; although the components are the same. I detached the semicircular gear from a Magnette unit by carefully knocking back the peened over area of the square end of the peg to remove the peg, and separate the gear from the arm. I do not recall how the MGA arm was attached to the gear, but I believe in a similar manner.
After detaching the semicircular gear from the MGA unit, I replaced it with the gear from the Magnette and, because there was not enough material remaining on the square end of the peg to peen over securely, I welded it in place. In my case, the gear on the end of the window crank spindle was not badly worn, so I could use it with the new semicircular gear. If it had been worn, I am sure I could have transferred the good one from the Magnette unit, as well.

The annotated photos below were supplied by Gerry Foster, Owego, NY.

Above: MGA Coupe regulator. - Below: Same side with crank spindle removed.

Pictures below are Magnette rear door window regulator parts.

Pictures below are the repaired MGA coupe window regulator.