I see the bolt angle doesn't even look so bad in the picture but that is tight and it's still got 1/4" to go!

It's nice and warm in the garage, makes it easy to go out there. Attached too, so I don't even have to go outside. Of course, it's way too small......

I treated myself tonight. I think I worked late in there every night this week plus almost all day today, so I came in shortly after 9 tonight for a break.

It was fun today, I had our son with me in there most of the day. He is just finishing up his first semester at university and wanted to spend the day working with me. Can't beat days like that!

I can't even spell it! Kinesiology???? He wants to teach phys ed. This semester was biology, math, geography and english. So far he loves it and he's paying his own way through university, so it's ALL good!!!

$2600 teaching? First year here is more than that apparently. Wow, that would be tough to pay bills on that.

Smart comments are always fun, I'm sure you'll rebound shortly!

Hopefully start ripping out the glass, regulators and vent frames tomorrow. I have to slip away for a friend's dad's funeral though.

I'm looking forward to having a car with power vent windows again. It's always fun to see people giggle when you operate them! Most people have never seen such a thing.

The power windows came out of a wrecking yard 66 Pontiac, the power vents are Cadillac pieces (same as Buick, Olds or Pontiac though) and the power lock actuators are later years. I think I pulled them out of a mid 70's Caprice about 25 years ago. The power lock switches are a one year only, 1970 switch. They are the only year that the switch is the old round style bezel (to match the power window switches) and the locks are electric as well. Earlier than 70 they are vacuum switches, 1971 and up is electric but the bezels are the square style. I lucked out on the switches years ago in a 1970 Olds in a small wrecking yard. Now they reproduce them for 70 bucks each but for years they were unobtanium.

Lots of scrounging. It's a toss up whether I love doing these conversions more, or scrounging for this stuff in yards more!

Well, I got started at least but not too much progress today. I figured I'd try to detail this for anyone who has never done it.

Removed the vent frame/glass assembly first. That comes out real easy. 1 little screw at the top at the back corner of the vent, 1 bolt and 2 nuts holding the framework in, 3 bolts holding the vent gearbox to the door and 1 bolt holding the gearbox to the vent assembly. The 2 nuts with the big washers have a long stud to the vent frame. I think it could be removed as a unit but I removed the studs first because they stick out quite a bit and make it tougher to pull it up through the door opening.

I see my replacement tinted vent assembly, although listed as a correct interchange, is missing a small bracket at the lower rear of the glass where one phillips screw holds the frame to the door. I am not sure if I will attempt to alter the tint frame to accept that bracket.



At the top rear of the door you see a rectangular opening angled about 45 degrees. There is a window stop there that needs removed for the window to come out. The stop just uses one bolt.

To remove the window regulator, first remove the 2 bolts circled in yellow. Slide the channel that those bolts held until it's at the end and wiggle the roller out of the track. The window regulator comes out by removing 4 bolts. Beware that when the 4th bolt is pulled the window will fall down in to the door. I just hold the window up, put the regulator down into the bottom of the door, then remove the window. After that the regulator will come out easily.

To install the power window, I first put the power regulator in the position as shown, with the scissor almost horizontal. Make sure the short arm of the pivoting arm is to the top, roller facing away, same as the roller on the long regulator solid arm.






Then I set the regulator in the bottom of the door. Now is where I needed about 4 arms! I lowered the window in and wiggled the top two rollers into the channel that is attached to the window. The window needs to be held in place while the regulator is lifted from the bottom of the door and the 4 bolts attached. Note that the power window regulator uses only one of the manual regulator holes. It uses the 4 circled in red.

I also changed to tinted glass and the tint had no hardware. There was no way I could get the 3 big washers unstuck from the bottom of the clear glass and those have to be used. Finally, although I knew it was risky, I applied the heat gun for a very short time to each washer and they came off wonderfully! I am sure prolonged heat on the glass would pop it though, so I was very careful to be brief.



This is as far as I got. They tell me it's movie night here. I watch about 1 movie every 6 months but apparently it's Cars2 tonight so I gotta watch!

-- Edited by Carl Stevenson on Saturday 8th of December 2012 08:40:11 PM

-- Edited by Carl Stevenson on Saturday 8th of December 2012 10:44:56 PM

Nice work Carl. These kinds of conversions take a lot of time and patience but they are well worth the end result. 

That is amazing Carl! I'll be looking back at this for the removal of the power windows in my parts car. Thanks.

As a former high school teacher myself, Carl you are absolutely correct about teachers salarys-in fact closer to 80+ depending on education and experience in Manitoba and they deserve every last penny of it! I would recommend Manitoba Hydro though as a second choice!

Two down, one to go. (power lock switch)

Man, that's nerve wracking cutting up really nice door panels to mount switches where there were cranks.

-- Edited by Carl Stevenson on Wednesday 24th of April 2013 11:50:18 PM

They're pretty nice, and then SLASH, out comes the razor blade!!!

2 cuts down, one to go.

Then off to the passenger side and the quarters. This one was first, it's the toughie.