I'll never forget a comment someone made eons ago, something along the lines of, "I'd never want to be caught with power windows in a panic situation." That person was referring to having to roll his windows up rather quickly, like if he were about to be carjacked. In other words, this person thought he could manually roll up his window faster than any power motor could wind. OK, I considered it a valid point...up until I just got plain tired of rolling up the windows in my truck, as they were so worn-out that it not only gave my arm a workout, it took about five minutes to get the thing fully closed! Sure, replacing the tired and/or broken parts, along with greasing the wheels, would have helped the situation immensely, but after seeing a factory power window in a similar truck outperform the manual, I realized it was time to quit being cheap and falling back on that flawed belief-it was time to step up.
Fortunately, I didn't have to break the piggy bank to afford an actual GM power window assembly-Electric-Life offered a replacement-type kit just for my truck (PN#GM01-K). No modifications and factory scissor-style mechanics meant this kit was intended for someone as impatient as me to install. Adding the option of AutoLoc's Electric Window Crank Switch (which allows the use of stock, splined crank handles) also meant no modification to my existing door panels, or even having to buy new ones to accommodate. To adequately complete the master parts list, I headed down to Classic Industries to pick up a set of door seals/channel and vent window rubber.
Fresh back from the paint shop, the truck had the new doors installed, which to my benefit didn't have any regulators or vent windows installed yet. While that was good for the impending job, it wasn't so good for driving on rainy days! Being that summer was still a good six months away, there was no time to spare in getting the power window kit and related parts put in, and put in right (leaks were not an option). With all the components in hand, I was ready to tackle the task bright and early one Saturday morn. Although it was my first power window install, it was done (and working properly) by the time the dinner bell rang-despite Mother Nature testing my patience with a nice, long midday rain shower, which was quickly combated by moving things "inside" the garage rather quickly! (The following morning, she dropped another heavy shower, but to her dismay, the truck stayed as dry as could be!) Never again will I submit myself, or others, to the rigors of manually operated windows...I even went so far as equipping my '53 Bel Air with an Electric-Life kit. If the muscle tone on my left arm succumbs to the lack of physical exercise, I'll just stick to left-handed 12-ounce curls from now on!
Prior to slapping the door panels back on, all wiring was secured (and routed clear of all moving parts) and all hardware tightened down. As mentioned, mounting the switches inside the door made attaching the cranks a little tricky, but since they won't be used in the traditional manner (constantly rotated), stiffer clips sufficed. Word of caution: don't forget to alert unknowing passengers not to "roll" the windows up or down!
