Hey all, it's time for the latest installment of my progress on the power window conversion.

(See my first post here )

I took advantage of the 75 degree, crystal clear day and pulled the wiring for my power options. This new harness gives me both power locks and power windows, so I cut out my old 2-wire harness for the locks.

It started innocently enough... pulling off the door panels, and pulling the dash apart. Then came the fun part... the pull. I elected to take the passenger side of the harness and thread it through the whole thing, starting at the driver's door (since the driver's door has about twice the connectors and there's almost no way in heck it'll fit thorough that little boot between the door and the body).

Then came the struggle... where do I run the nickel-size harness into the dash? I ended up removing the parking brake assembly (which required a run to Sears with most of the inside taken out... 10mm wrenches DO come in handy) and threading it through there. The harness just BARELY cleared the brake assembly, in fact it is pinched slightly, but I console myself that the wire loom should keep the wires inside protected. Here is the run coming into the cab from the driver's door...



This part of the install took literally half the afternoon. I have a whole new respect for women, pushing things through holes that are larger than the holes themselves.

From there, it was under the steering wheel, under the radio, above the glove box and into the passenger door.




I hooked up the actuators, plugged in the driver-side insert with the switches, put in my fuses for the power locks, and SUCCESS!! Currently, the lock actuator control and command wires, along with illumination and ground are the only wires connected. I have yet to run the power wire for the windows, which brings me to planning for Phase II...

I currently have an "Electrical Box B" under the hood, just behind the battery made from a RadioShack project box. It currently holds a constant 12V fuse bus that serves the power locks. I am debating to add a switched 12V bus or to run the power from the in-dash fuse box. (I'm a bit leary of running switched and constant 12V wires through the hood release... if they short, back-feeding gets fun. Plus that hole already has 4 wires through it).

Does anyone have any suggestions for a switched 12V source? Should I just add a relay and fuse bus to my electrical box, or can someone point me to where I can find new fuse connections for the in-dash fusebox? (Having trouble hitting the junkyards on the normal 9-5 shift).

 

When I did my conversion, I came from the main posts on the fuse box with a fused 30 amp wire and ran it inside the truck to a basic automotive relay. Switched trigger was my radio. I drilled holes in the firewall and added premolded grommets, about 4 of them, so if I ever need to run any wires into the cab I have plenty of holes (idea taken from Bob!). My power windows have been working FLAWLESSLY for a couple months now, I love these things!

 

Anyone have advice on the switched 12V electrical source?

 

Well, looks like I found the solution after doing a bit of research.

I went into this thinking that I had to add another circuit to the interior fuse box for the windows and locks. According to the owner's manual, a circuit already exists for both power windows and the "front wash system" at fuse #12. I verified that it's switched ignition, and it has a 10A fuse which should be more then enough to drive the windows.

So, looks like I'll be tapping into the power source for the front wash system. I could leave my locks as-is but if I can get rid of the homemade secondary electrical box then by all means I will. (Running power wires through the hood release gromit kinda perturbs me. At least they are fused.)

Still trying to figure out where I will run the source for the locks from. Worst case scenario I can leave it as is but I really would rather tinker with it.

 

nice work........