# How to replace 1970's top mounted drawer slides..



## calpoly93 (Aug 11, 2013)

Hello,
Longtime "lurker", but finally had a question to ask that I couldn't find through searches...
My house was built in the late 70's and has some fairly low-quality cabinets which are starting to "fail". The drawers have a white plastic wheel mounted on a stand-off on the back, top. Above the drawer, inside the cabinet is a "C-channel" the wheel rides in. The C-channel attaches to the back with a plastic fitting and screws. The top one broke, breaking the one below it.

I don't think I have room for side mount, but possibly a thin undermount one like this from Rockler. http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=1493

In a few years I'll have resources to replace all the cabinet, but until then, I need to make do... 

Am I on the right track? Or should I just fabricate a mount for the C-channel?

Thanks! Steve


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## chopnhack (Dec 16, 2007)

I wouldn't put more money into something you will trash sooner than later. Certainly fab up a support for the metal track rather than spend good money. A piece of wood on either side with a screw threw them and the c channel is a quick and dirty way to take care of that problem. Measure to see what clearance you will require for the wheel when the drawer is fully closed. This may require you to make a rabbet on the pieces that go on either side. HTH


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

That is called a monorail drawer guide. The only way to put side mount drawer slides in is to re-build the drawer boxes. The drawer box would need to be 1 /32" smaller in width than the opening. The undermount drawer hardware you have in the link would help but I don't think they would be much of an improvement. Depending on how the drawer box is made you might be able to retro fit it with the undermount drawer guides such as a Hettich V6IW21 drawer slide or KV undermount drawer slides. It would operate like side mount drawer guides but the mechanics of it is underneath the drawer bottom.


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