1972 Chevrolet Truck - Install Window Regulators - Tech

Slide the new regulator-make sure you have the correct side-into the door, and slide the roller into its track on the inside of the door before mounting the regulator in place.

Since I was fiddling around inside the doors anyway, I wanted to replace the pitted and decrepit outside door handles to add a little more curb appeal to the C-10. The handles are held on the door skin by two bolts that are accessed through these teardrop-shaped holes.

Wow! Yeah, I cleaned up the door too,...

...but the new handles look smashing.

Greasing the slider track on the bottom of the door glass is up to you. Yes, it can help smooth things out, but it can also trap dirt if your weatherstripping isn't up to snuff. If you do use grease, don't use too much, because it's soon to be on your window every time you roll it back up.

I found the easiest way to reinstall the glass with far less cursing involved was to roll the regulator all the way up to the point that the rollers stuck through the top of the glass opening where they could slide into their track on the bottom of the glass. From here, roll the door glass down and reinstall the vent window assembly and the rear track.

With the window regulators as good or better than new, I couldn't say the same for the door panels. Classic Parts Depot sells new door panels for just about any C-10, but the problem was that I'm not sure what color I'm going to do the interior yet, which has had at least one upholstery and paint job in its life, neither of which held up. In the meantime, I decided to rehab the ones I have since they couldn't look any worse!

After a good scrubbing, which helped to put them back on (in my opinion), I figured I'd go one step further and try some plastic paint in an attempt to really church 'em up. There's a plethora of new types of spray paint out there for all kinds of stuff and in a variety of colors, but I went with one that seemed to be close to the off-white the door panels seemed like they were at one time.

Before I spill the beans on how the door panels turned out, we had to put a few cherries on top in the form of the new window cranks and interior door handles. Make sure to install them with their little clip like so, and simply push them on in the clocked position you desire.

Classic Parts Depot also had new armrests in the same saddle color as my seat, dash pad, and visors to replace the once-upholstered worn-out stockers.

Drum roll...and we have success! Not only does the door glass roll up and down effortlessly, but what you can see on the doors looks as good as the new regulators work.