Powered Rear Quarter Windows--Extended Cab Pickups

[handcannon]

This thread is being done over six months after having completed this modification so some of the measurements have been misplaced and my memory has become slightly fuzzy for some of the details. I took pics as I was doing this mod, intending to do a write-up on it, but things got in the way and plans kept getting pushed back. I recently made an off-hand comment about my powered quarter windows in a post to a thread about mirrors and Great White asked for a write-up. So, Great White, this is for you. I think you are the one who I first knew of to talk about wanting to power the quarter windows. My abilities are not as sharpened as yours are, but you have been a great inspiration for me.

I have a 94 K2500 6.5 TD extra cab pickup and had a very strong dislike for the manual towing mirrors that were on it. I got powered, heated, and lighted mirrors just like the ones Burning Oil is now selling.

My pickup did not have any wire loom for the power mirrors. So, I proceeded to haunt the pick-n-pulls in a thirty mile radius of me. I got looms, connectors, wire, and a 93-94 era Suburban drivers door switch panel. This was not a complete door panel as I had found that the Sub switch panel could be easily retrofitted to my pickup door panel. The holes were already in the metal interior door panel. All I had to do was mark out and cut out my interior door panel for the Sub switch panel. I don't have any pics of this part yet, but before I finish this write-up I'll get some pics of the finished door and switch panels.

Through all this I was bothered by the fact that the Sub switch panel had switches for four windows, but I had only two power windows. Then I remembered GW talking about wanting to power his quarter windows. It hit me that I could maybe use the rear vent window motor found in mini-vans to power my rear quarter windows.

I started digging through mini-vans at the yards and came up with right and left hand motors, and some wiring, out of a Pontiac Montana. According to Rockauto 1999 to 2006 (and other GM models) used the same motors. Go to Rockauto- Pontiac- (choose a year from 1999 to 2006)- body interior- power vent window motor- Dorman #948101 (Rt motor) and # 948100 (Lt motor). Click on the blue colored part number and a complete list of all vehicles that use that motor will pop up. Use this list of vehicles to find motors for this project.

Pic 1--Since I already had a lot of my interior apart it wasn't hard to pop out the rest of the plastic panels. There is very little space between the plastic window surround and the body metal. This required me to recess the motor into the window pillar. Here's where the lost dimensions come into play. Drivers side marked out for cutout.

Pics 2 & 3--Starting with this step great care must be taken when drilling, or doing any other process, as the exterior metal of the body is right under your tools and can be easily damaged. Any damage will show up on the exterior as "mountains" and/or chips in an otherwise smooth painted surface.

I used a small drill bit to start pilot holes for a hole saw. I cut two holes side by side for the top, and two more for the bottom. I then used a metal cutting blade in a saber saw and connected the holes. The large radius, round corners was to reduce the chance of stress cracks in the sheet metal from body flexing. Once the cut out was done I used a half round file to clean up all sharp edges.

It's getting late and I'm past my pumpkin hour so the next installment will be sometime tomorrow.

Don

ps--for some reason the pics are in reverse order. #1 is the bottom pic, #2 is the top right pic, and #3 is the top left pic

 

[handcannon]

Second installment time.

Pics 1, 2, 3 & 4-- I then transfered the layout to the passenger side and cut it out.

Pics 5 & 6-- I made left and right motor mount plates. The plates are 1/4" thick so I could drill and tap motor mounting holes. This was to make future replacement easier if it becomes necessary. I laid out the plates and motor location so the motor shaft was located 1.625" over horizontally from the glass and down 1" vertically from the center of the hole in the glass. This is the only pic I have of the plate and it doesn't show very good detail of the ends. The ends are 1/8th by 1" strap metal bent to match the curve of the body pillar. I then drilled holes and welded nuts to the back side, welded the strap to the plate, and then transfered those measurements to the body pillar.

 

[Burning oil]

Looking forward to the completed mod pics.

 

[handcannon]

Pic 1-- Passenger side plate and motor in place, but not fastened to to the glass.

Pic 2-- This shows the original latch and the pin that has to be driven out to remove the main body of the latch.

Pics 3, 4, 5 & 6-- The part of the latch mechanism that is fastened to the glass in the Montana (and all the GM vehicles I looked at) uses a standard size phillips head screw to hold it to the glass. These screws are apparently put in with a loctite as I was unable to remove any without damage to the screw head. After looking around I found that Ford Aerostar used an identical mechanism on the glass of their vent window, only with a larger phillips head screw. This mechanism was a perfect fit for the Montana window motor. One thing I learned the hard way, use blue loctite on the screw when installing. I didn't and lost one while on my hunting trip this year.

 

[handcannon]

Pics 1, 2, 3 & 4--These pics show the motor after the arm mechanism has been attached to the glass. You'll notice in the first three pics that I left part of the original manual latch mechanism on the window frame. I left it in case I decided I didn't like the powered windows and wanted to go back to manual. This part does not interfere with the power arm operation.

Pics 5 & 6--This is the cutout for the motor shaft in the plastic window surround. As can be seen in pic #7 I could have reduced the depth of the cutout by up to 1/2" and still had plenty of clearance for the motor shaft. There was a rib on the back side of the surround that had to be removed.

Pic 7--This pic shows the finished window. Here you can see the notch for the motor shaft that was cut too deep.

 

[handcannon]

Here are pics of the drivers door panel with the installed Sub switch panel. The second pic is of the passenger door switch panel which is what the original drivers panel looked like.

The Sub switch panel was tan so I painted it. I used SEM Color Coat, Flexible Coating #15393 medium gray. As can be seen in these pics I was dealing with multiple shades of gray and the paint color was close to most items that were in close proximity.

Don

 

[Burning oil]

Do you have to hold the switch or is it momentary contact?

 

[handcannon]

I used the stock Sub switches so you have to push and hold until the window is open.

 

[handcannon]

Leroys' question brings up the last thing I have to focus on, the wiring.

I used the 94 Sub switch panel on the drivers door to get the needed mirror switch for my power mirror addition. This also gave me four window switches for my two stock power windows. The two Sub rear door window switches are what I used to control the rear quarter vent window motors I added.

When I did the wiring for the power mirrors I also added the complete door to kick panel loom so I already had the needed wiring for these two switches. I utilized the Subs' rear door window motor looms that go from the kick panel to the rear door. The drivers side loom comes from the kick panel area and goes through the wire loom channel that is under the drivers side door threshold. The passenger rear door loom goes through the under dash loom to the pass kick panel, and then under the pass door threshold to the door.

I stripped the rear pass window wiring out of the Sub under dash loom I had. I then added those wires to the drivers side window loom so that both sides went to my drivers side rear quarter window. From that location I ran the pass window wires over the top of the rear window.

While I was in the mood to do this extra wiring, I also added in two 12V accessory sockets, one for under each rear quarter window.

I'm loving this mod. If I want one or both of these windows open for ventilation I can do so while driving down the road just by operating a switch.

Don

 

[Burning oil]

That was smart using the Subs rear window harness. I had an ext cab and was looking at doing the same thing you did. I was looking at motors from the Ford mini vans "aerostar" I think is what they are called?

 

[great white]

Not the same execution I was thinking of but effective enough!

I was thinking an older chrysler minivan. They have cable actuated arms to allow you to remote mount the motor in a convenient spot. Less sheet metal cutting required.

I like the sub window switch panel.

I may have to "steal" that idea!



ps - little jealous someone beat me to my own idea!












j/k, looks good!

 

[handcannon]

That was smart using the Subs rear window harness. I had an ext cab and was looking at doing the same thing you did. I was looking at motors from the Ford mini vans "aerostar" I think is what they are called?

Leroy, you caught me in a mistake. (embarrassing!)
The Windstar is the older style van, no opening vent windows. The Aerostar is the style with the opening vent windows.

I looked at the motors in the Aerostar and I didn't feel they would work as well. If my memory is correct the motor shaft is longer, requiring the motor to be set much deeper into the window pillar.


Don

 

[handcannon]

GW & Leroy-- Thank You both!! Coming from someone who has done some real fantastic looking mods that means a lot!

GW, in all my haunting of the yards I never saw the cable actuated system you describe. But the yards I spent most of my time in didn't have many Chrysler mini vans in them.

As for the Sub switch panel idea, lets call it a good trade for me stealing your window idea.

Don

 

[Burning oil]

I looked at the motors in the Aerostar and I didn't feel they would work as well. If my memory is correct the motor shaft is longer, requiring the motor to be set much deeper into the window pillar.


Don

When I did my Suburban panel in 05 the Aerostar was the first thing to come to mind. Never really looked hard at the convertion though. Other stuff kept coming up.
If I had an ext cab now I would be doing this mod though.