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How hard is it to convert my power windows to manual?

Its happened a few times now where my windows either refuse to go down or refuse to go back up. Its getting to the point where all the contact cleaner and in the world would not save these.

James did it at a dodgy day in Melbourne a few years ago, looked like a bit of a PITA.

AFAIK there's not much/any weight savings in doing it.

Also look at removing the door cards and lubricating the window cables and sliders.

Ive done this an i calculated the weight savings (in my build thread). Assuming you are leaving all the wiring in place you save like less than a few hundred grams. It actually isn't that difficult; it involves gutting the doors and then cutting a hole in the door card and wella.

The difficult part with the conversion is getting hold of the regulators.
Most MX5s had electric windows, so manual ones are pretty hard to find.


If the electric windows are getting sticky it's an idea to look at:

Window rubbers (mainly near the quarter glass) check it's clean and maybe lube it.
Glass runners inside the door (again, check they're clean, and lube them)
Roller thingos that roll in runners (check they're rolling and not siezed... if they're siezed they may have ground themselves from a circle into a D)
Wire thingy inside door (there's a braided wire thing that operates the windows, check it's not frayed or gummed up)

Basically, if the rubber near the quarterglass is clear and a bit of lube doesn't help, it's a door card off job.