Manual to power window upgrade

Zero_chance

Founding Member
May 29, 2001
1,243
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Maricopa, AZ
Has anyone ever converted manual windows to power windows? Im 6 foot five and I tend to keep smacking my leg when I roll the window up or down. Just wondering if anyone has done the upgrade and knew of any prepackaged kits to get all the required parts at once. I'm also thinking of converting to power locks and mirrors at some point in the future. If only I had a garage at my house.....
 
You will need different interior door pannels, and the wiring, as well as the power window motor regulators. I am looking to do the oppisite, go from power to manual.... ummmm, what color is your interior???
 
I replaced the doors on my 86 Mustang with some from an 89 and I wanted to keep my manual windows so I converted the power doors to manual, so you just have to do the opposite.The only hardware difference is the window regulator which lifts the glass up and down.I just drilled out the rivets holding the power regulator in place and replaced it with the manual style.The manual and power regulator are attached differently but my 89 doors were pre-drilled for either way so it was just a matter of finding the holes that lined up with the new regulator and riveting it in.The rivets are fairly large, about a 1/4" or so.My first thought was to use bolts but clearance is limited so I just went out and bought a cheap big rivet gun.Harbor Freight or someone similar should have something.A couple of safety tips:when you remove the regulator nothing is holding your glass up so pre-plan some way of holding it, I think I used a couple of vice-grips.Also Ford designed the power window regulator/motor assembly like a big pair of spring loaded scissors, if you remove the motor watch out as the two arms snap together.MM&FF did a manual to power conversion on their project white trash 4 cyl Mustang and the hardest part was the wiring.You could probably use a wiring harness but if you were willing to settle for a basic install then I would imagine you wouldn't need much more than a large 12v power wire and a little creativity.
 
351LX said:
I replaced the doors on my 86 Mustang with some from an 89 and I wanted to keep my manual windows so I converted the power doors to manual, so you just have to do the opposite.The only hardware difference is the window regulator which lifts the glass up and down.I just drilled out the rivets holding the power regulator in place and replaced it with the manual style.The manual and power regulator are attached differently but my 89 doors were pre-drilled for either way so it was just a matter of finding the holes that lined up with the new regulator and riveting it in.The rivets are fairly large, about a 1/4" or so.My first thought was to use bolts but clearance is limited so I just went out and bought a cheap big rivet gun.Harbor Freight or someone similar should have something.A couple of safety tips:when you remove the regulator nothing is holding your glass up so pre-plan some way of holding it, I think I used a couple of vice-grips.Also Ford designed the power window regulator/motor assembly like a big pair of spring loaded scissors, if you remove the motor watch out as the two arms snap together.MM&FF did a manual to power conversion on their project white trash 4 cyl Mustang and the hardest part was the wiring.You could probably use a wiring harness but if you were willing to settle for a basic install then I would imagine you wouldn't need much more than a large 12v power wire and a little creativity.

You are the MAN! A friend of mine a few years ago, wanted to convert from manual to power. We pulled the door panels and looked at what all we thought needed to be done. To make a long story short, we decided that it was going to be too much work to hassle with. We ended up doing the junk yard door thing. Good job! :nice:
 
Wiring wouldnt be a problem for me, Ive completely rewired a car before for a friend, inlcuding replacing most of the old connectors and obviously running the wires. Stock wiring is bulky to say the least, especially down in the kick panel areas. In any case, 90MustangGT, I have a grey interior right now. What color is yours? 351 LX, we have a large rivet gun here in the shop plus I have one from Snap On in my tool box. Ive never seen a power setup in a fox body so I guess Ill just take a look at a friends car and then do it from that.
 
Zero_chance said:
Wiring wouldnt be a problem for me, Ive completely rewired a car before for a friend, inlcuding replacing most of the old connectors and obviously running the wires. Stock wiring is bulky to say the least, especially down in the kick panel areas. In any case, 90MustangGT, I have a grey interior right now. What color is yours? 351 LX, we have a large rivet gun here in the shop plus I have one from Snap On in my tool box. Ive never seen a power setup in a fox body so I guess Ill just take a look at a friends car and then do it from that.

Mine has the red/black theme, but can be painted...
 
The wiring is all self contained for the power windows/ locks, so it is pretty easy to pull from a donor car. I changed from all manual to power with a GT interior upgrade on my LX several years ago, including power mirrors. Since I had the door panels and armrests, I pulled the door wiring, switches, under dash wiring, regulators, locks and the rubber bellows between the doors and the dash area. The under dash window/lock wiring hooks to the main arness with a two wire connector, one wire hot for the locks and one wire switched hot for the windows. It grounds in the driver's door. It was not too hard, just be careful with the power regulators as they are spring loaded and can hurt if not careful. Oh, and if you use the stock wiring connector, up under the drivers side kick panel, you will need a power window circuit breaker for the fuse box.
 
I don't see how you would ever do this based on the design of the rear glass. The actual view available through those quarter windows is like a 5X7 Triangle :)

I always wondered why the windows are so large compared to the visibility they offer, is there a place that sells aftermarket glass for this type of Mustang that is entirely transparent?

(Probably more logical to replace the window than mess with rolling it down)
 
I always wondered why the windows are so large compared to the visibility they offer, is there a place that sells aftermarket glass for this type of Mustang that is entirely transparent?

(Probably more logical to replace the window than mess with rolling it down)

Earlier fox bodies had styling trim installed aft of the window with a window that was set into the body. To keep the same quarter panels but make the 1987 aero windows work, the trim area and the window area were covered by the aero glass, and areas that were not appealing were blacked out. Transparent glass would not look good.
 
There isn't, and you wouldn't want to if they did :)

The quarter panel intrudes into the visible area. A clear glass would show the ugly panel underneath.

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As you can see, the glass covers that rough looking area.
 

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