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New CNC machined replacements for the vent wing window castings on 34-35 closed Pierce-Arrows are available. They are used on both front and rear vent windows. They may fit other years as well, the original part has a casting number of 70302 below the worm gear. These are not reproductions of the original die cast zinc parts but machined from solid 6061-T6 aluminum and designed to be much stronger than the originals. An initial run was made last month.
Price will depend on the number of total pieces made in a single run – a single piece would cost about $300 but a total run of ten or more pieces would drop to about $95 each plus S/H (note this could change depending on current trade negotiations). Let me know if you need these and how many. Contact me at [email protected]
I am wondering if anyone can help with whether this fitting fits other Pierce-Arrows? I suspect it also fits ’36-’38 as the replacement worm sectors that Dave Murray reproduces are listed as ’34-’38 and I believe the doors themselves were basically unchanged.
Trying to interpret the ’34-’35 parts catalog I believe the Pierce-Arrow designation for the original part was #772388 “Bracket, wing operator”. that number does not appear on the casting itself (70302 is what is cast).
I will be placing an ad in the emporium and and would like it to reflect whatever models it will fit.
Thanks for any help, Jim
From memory, they are left and right, front and rear, and I THINK they fit 1934 to 1938.
I just installed two of these, excellent product. These work either left or right side.
I believe what we see now as “left and right” on original brackets is actually warpage, as you see a slight angle difference on original brackets. I measured ordinal sand this seems to be in the 4 to 6 degree range, and hard for me to think they’d have made brackets differently with that small angle.
Either way, if there is a slight angle, the mounting holes on these new brackets can be enlarged and entire bracket mounted at the slight angle.
Very nice product, I recommend them highly….
Yes, after meticulously recreating the shallow angles of the first prototype parts I realized that all four of mine, left/right front/rear were all twisted differently but had the same casting number. I do think they all got twisted from over torquing through the years. In the 34-35 parts book the only part that would seem to be describing these is the #772388 “Bracket, wing operator”, and the parts book lists 2 or 4 required per car (depending on whether it had rear wing windows or not).
I contacted Richard Anderson who reproduced these many years ago and his recollection was that the same casting fit all four positions.
So I think the question boils down to whether ’36-38 used the same. It appears that PAS does not have a parts book for ’36-’38, so if someone has one these from a ’36-38 handy that the casting number could be read from we would have the answer.
Thanks for any help! Jim
Jim,
If we’re able to confirm that they would fit 1936-1938, I would certainly purchase four in that $100 price range for our 1601. Keep us posted!
Dave Stevens
231-740-6610
Maybe the gears are left and right, front and rear? It was 25 years ago or more that I replaced mine from Irv. I think they would fit the later series cars………..
The worms and sector gears are handed left and right but the same front vs rear. On my 845 Club the shafts that come out of the worms are different, the rears have a little universal joint and fronts don’t. The only consequence of putting a left worm/sector pair in a RH window assembly is the direction to open or close will be backwards.
There are three weak spots that fail in these units from over torquing to close or open with a tight weatherstrip. I think the most common is stripping out the sector gear teeth, hence the repros from Irv and Dave, the second is breaking the cast bracket, and the third I discovered the hard way is stripping the splines of the sector gear that fit to the window shaft.
It is important to make sure that the weatherstrip doesn’t fit too tight and overstress the assembly when closing or opening. Brave words, I haven’t gotten to the point yet of doing that myself yet.
Jim
The Steele vent window weatherstrip is very difficult to install in such a way as to prevent binding. I don’t know if it’s because it’s oversize or they had a poor pattern, but there’s definitely a problem.
My suggestion, if restoring a car, would be to install the front weatherstrip, fit the vent window frame to work inside it (may involve some cutting and such), THEN have frame chromed.
Maybe this was just my experience, but as said, the one I put in recently is tight.
Dave Murray responded to my question: “I believe the bracket for the wing window operator is the same. I have both a 35 and a 36 and have not noticed any difference although I have not examined them closely.””
He also notes that he may have some good originals.
Jim”