Manual -> Power Lock conversion done: walk-through in post.

[dz]

I have a question that hopefully you guys can help me with.

I'm in the process of doing a manual to power window and lock conversion on my 97 Camaro. I purchased the SPAL Power Window kit and the a1 electric power locks kit.

I also purchased a set of stock switches so I could pop them right in.

What other parts do I need? Basically, it seems like for the power windows, I might need some kind of control module? I realize now that I need a wire harness for the switches. Does anyone know where I can get this?

I'd really like to get it done by this weekend, but I think that that's not going to be possible. If anyone's done this, where'd you mount all the motors? I think I've picked some good spots, but it's hard to be sure without putting all the door panels back on.

By the way, I've been taking some pictures and in the end I plan on putting a guide together to help other people that are doing this conversion. Hopefully I can successfully complete this, as that would probably make my guide a little more helpful [img]smile.gif[/img]

edit: walkthrough two posts down for power lock conversion. Power windows walkthrough will come at a later time when I get all the required supplies.

[ September 04, 2005, 09:56 PM: Message edited by: dz ]

[Chet Mo and the Camaro]

i cant help but i am planning on doing the power winmdows please do a step by step guide!!!!!!

[dz]

Well I ended up bailing on the power windows for now. I did take pictures of where I put the power lock thing, which I think was the hardest part.

I have a 97 Camaro Base. For the power locks, I purchased the A1 Electric power locks kit.

This one: http://www.a1electric.com/mes.htm

Getting the door panel off isn't hard. There are 6 screws total:

2 on the black portion of the panel where the door handle is
3 on the door itself
1 for the mirror

Once you gets those screws out, lift the door up and it'll come off.

Next you have to take the weather / noise plastic thing off. It's just a sheet of plastic. Take it off carefully so that you can put it back on. Try and keep as much rubber as possible on the plastic piece.

Once that's off, I recommend taking the speaker off. There are 3 screws that attach the speaker to a plastic holder, which is connected to the door. Just take off the 3 screws from the holder, turn it counter-clockwise and the speaker will come out. Make sure you detach the cable that attaches to the speaker.

Once you have that out, do the same to the other side.

After the doors are done, remove the panels underneath the dash. On the drivers side, there are 2 panels. I believe there are 4 screws on the top panel, which is right underneath the steering wheel. The 2nd panel, which is above the pedals, I think only had 2 little rivets to pull out.

The passenger side had 2 rivets on the top of it underneath the glove compartment. Then there's a metal piece down near the persons feet.

Once all that's off, you're ready to wire everything up. The wire will stretch all the way from the end of the passenger door to the end of the drivers door. Put all the wires through the rubber thing that goes between the door and the body. It's a pain in the ***, but it's possible. Use a wire hanger to get through first, and then wrap the hanger around the cables and pull them through.

Once you get them through the door, then cut the wires and attach the metal connectors. Trust me, it's much easier to do this after the wires are through the door rather than before.

Now you have to find a place to mount the power lock motor. Here's a picture of where I put mine:



That is the drivers side door. Put it in the same spot on the passenger door.

Once you have the motors in place and the rods connected, make sure both motors are in the 'lock' position. It doesn't matter which position really, but they should at least be in the same one. If you haven't already, connect the long span of wires to a power and a ground. The power has to be constant power from the battery. There's plenty of places to pull this from in the car. Make sure to also use the fuse that came with it. Just cut the loop of wire in the fuse, attach one end to the long span of wires and the other end to your power input.

Once you have the wires with ground and power attached, pull the fuse out of its holder so the system has no power.

Attach the cables to the left and right side motors, put the fuse back in, and watch how your masterpiece comes to life.

Now comes a really important step: Make sure that all your cables are secured down. I ended up drilling holes in the inside door panel (it's fiberglass) alongside the bottom. Here's are some pictures of where I drilled the holes and used the zip ties to hold the cable down:




This is vital because once the door panel is back on, you don't want to have to pull it off because the cable got stuck to your window or something. Make sure everything is fastened down good.

Once all that's done, put everything back on in reverse order and you're set.

My technique probably isn't perfect, but it worked for me and hopefully it'll help someone out.

When I do power windows, I'll write up a little something for that as well with some more pictures and details.

[dz]

Oh yeah, I haven't added switches yet. I need the wire harness first and then I'll do it (I'm trying to keep the stock look). Really, if you think about it, you don't need them for the power locks. You only have 2 doors, and with this kit whenever you unlock one door, the other unlocks. The same with locking; when you lock one door, the other locks.

[96firebird311]

Nice little write up. Added into the FAQ. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Chet Mo and the Camaro]

please do this kind of writeup when u do the windows!

[dz]

Excellent

Glad I could be of service. I'm also going to host this on my personal site. Hopefully I can build up a little collection of all the mods I do to my car. I purchased the car completely bone stock (minus flowmasters) and there are zero power options available. I plan on adding power windows and power mirrors soon, so I'll write something up for that as well.

[96firebird311]

Power mirrors really worth your time? I can't remember last time I adjusted my side mirrors.... but go for it if you want. Be sure to take plenty of pics and do a little write up. I'll tack it into the FAQ as well! [img]smile.gif[/img]

[dz]

I don't know if they're worth my time, but the switches I have include the power mirror controls and I want to have it do something.