47-55.1 Power Windows From Another Vehicle

[Driver_WT]

I am thinking about putting power windows in my 53 Chevy 3100. Truck has doors from 1949 so one piece door glass, no vent window. Has anyone used or know of any other vehicles where the power window components work well for our trucks? I know I can buy a power window kit, but I am looking for recommendations that I might use at a Pull a Part.

Since I am in Canada and spending the (currently) small Canadian dollars, I am trying to avoid spending $1000 Canadian on power windows. To get a good estimate of what it costs Canadians to buy parts in the US, the price in Canadian dollars including having it shipped to Canada and paying 15% Nova Scotia sales tax is pretty much double the US list price for parts.

Also, any recommendations for power window switches.

Thanks.

Wade

[65blackfleetside]

You will have a very difficult time making this work. I tried to use a universal motor and regulator for my '50 doors- after spending over 40 hours attempting modifications- I gave up. Theses doors are curved. The only power window that will work is the expensive power regulator that uses a motor attached to a stock looking regulator. Besides... The cab is so small you dont need power windows anyway. Save your time and money and put it somewhere better into your build. I ended up buying the expensive power regs- wish I would have saved the $500.00 and a whole week of wasted time .

[mr48chev]

I've got a box full of power regulators I saved out of donor rigs over the years to attempt to do just that but never figured out how to fit/modify the regulator to make it work. They will probably all go in the scrap bin when I clean that shed out as I have no clue as to what they came out of as long as 40 years ago.

[mr48chev]

Digging out the MT-AZ door cutout where a member was kind enough to cut open a door to show us the innards and give an idea of how they worked I doodled on the photo a bit.

What would work best with a donor motor and arm is to figure out how to set it up so it works the bar that I have the red mark on and the red arrow pointing to.

That window is not all the way down so the pivot point is going to end up about where the blue dot is when it is all the way down. All the way up will have those gear teeth to the top of their arc. the end of the cut down arm on the motor would have to duplicate that arc.

It would be hard to get the window to work right by changing the complete regulator as there are two rollers on the arms that connect in the channel on the back side of the bottom of the window (yellow mark) and the other end of one arm runs in the channel circled in blue.

The motor most likely would have to be on the inside of the door panel or in a special cutout in the door panel to work and still clear the glass.

[Fast Chevy]

I bought 1 of these kits, works descent, alittle slow on up, down fine, uses existing regulator. Takes alittle ingenuity to get it right, no directions but u can pretty well mount it anywhere in door, hardest part on my 55 was mounting it down in door with very little access.
Jeff

[_Ogre]

since the glass is close to the inner door it is tough to do and look stock
i used dodge durango front door regulators, they were new and free
the motor is inside the cab, thus i made door panels
10 years without a problem

[65blackfleetside]

If you can figure out a way to power the OEM reg like Ogre did with a good quality motor-you would be way ahead of the game . THE 47-54 DOORS are very narrow. I was naive to think a generic aftermarket reg and motor would work.

[joedoh]

i dont want to speak out of school, but that mechanism looks like an almost carbon copy of the S10 setup.



no doubt the motor would be too thick to let the glass pass by but nothing ventured nothing gained. maybe something for me to try on the next truck.

[_Ogre]

pretty much all the scissors type electric regulators work/look the same
gearmotor on bracket, arm with pivot and scissors arm to stabilize the glass
here's a side by side comparison of oem vs 00 durango
i modified the motor bracket to get it to bolt inside the door panel
2nd pic is layout board and mounted

[Driver_WT]

Originally Posted by 65blackfleetside

You will have a very difficult time making this work. I tried to use a universal motor and regulator for my '50 doors- after spending over 40 hours attempting modifications- I gave up. Theses doors are curved. The only power window that will work is the expensive power regulator that uses a motor attached to a stock looking regulator. Besides... The cab is so small you dont need power windows anyway. Save your time and money and put it somewhere better into your build. I ended up buying the expensive power regs- wish I would have saved the $500.00 and a whole week of wasted time .

Thanks for the input. I got new aftermarket window regulators with the truck when I bought it and I have heard bad things about after market regulators, so I was thinking how about power windows instead. I guess I will try putting in the aftermarket regulators first and see how that works.

[Driver_WT]

thanks for all the ideas and input guys. Greatly appreciated.

Wade