Customizing an old classic truck is all about things cool and convenient. Having to wind windows up and down is like cranking a jack-in-the-box, and allowing external door handles to break up a truck's flowing bodylines is just plain uncool. Equally uncool is having to assemble an entire Erector Set inside your doors just to enjoy power windows, or having to live with a door popper that's just too pooped to pop.
When it came time for us to add a little more cool to Future Shock '88, we contacted the fine folks at Electric-Life in Chicago, Illinois, to see if they could help us with our future classic. Sure enough, just like they sell direct bolt-in power window kits to handle a ton of different brand applications, Electric-Life's lineup for Chevrolet and GMC trucks begins with the '47-55 Advance Design series and continues through our truck's '88-99 1500 group into present-day trucks. Admittedly, when we hear a manufacturer claims their product is a direct bolt-in, we get a little nervous.
We called on our friends at KA Custom in Huntington Beach, California, to install Electric-Life's power window kit and door poppers. In recent years Kevin and Steve have built a good reputation handling everything from a quick in-and-out install like our Electric-Life power windows and door poppers to building full customs from the ground up.
At first Kevin shared our nervousness regarding Electric-Life's direct bolt-in claim, but as soon as he lifted the Electric-Life power window assembly into place, those feelings disappeared as everything fell into place. For a guy at home with an average skill level and the desire to experience the joy of lowering the passenger door window without twisting his back, installing Electric-Life's power window kit will be a breeze.
The skill level required for installing Electric-Life's door poppers is a little higher, but thanks to KA Custom's willingness to share some trade secrets with CCT's valued readers, there shouldn't be any problem handling a top-notch job.
At the end of the day, Future Shock '88 was equipped with a set of power windows equal to the factory-installed variety, and her doors pop open like a champ. CCT
The Electric-Life power window...
The Electric-Life power window kit came complete ready to bolt into place.
Electric-Life offers custom...
Electric-Life offers custom billet window switches as well as stock. We ordered stock OEM-style window switches.
With the door panel removed,...
With the door panel removed, the next step was to remove the manual window mechanisms and the inner steel panel to access the inside of the door.
Kevin center-punched the four...
Kevin center-punched the four aluminum rivets holding the manual window mechanism in place...
...then drilled them out,...
...then drilled them out, releasing the window mechanism from the inner steel panel.
Next, Kevin removed all the...
Next, Kevin removed all the TORQ head screws and the inner steel panel from the door.
With the inner steel panel...
With the inner steel panel removed, Kevin withdrew the manual window mechanism from the door and tossed it into the trashcan.
Kevin plugged the Electric-Life...
Kevin plugged the Electric-Life power window's wire harness into place on the window motor...
...then inserted the rollers...
...then inserted the rollers attached to the arms on the Electric-Life power window motor to the channels on the '88's window glass.
With this completed, Kevin...
With this completed, Kevin was able to reinstall the inner steel panel.
To install the electric solenoids...
To install the electric solenoids and door poppers, Kevin detached the pull-rods from the inside door handle and door latch.
Then he removed the latch...
Then he removed the latch from the door by removing the three TORQ head screws holding it in place.
Kevin detached the pull-rod...
Kevin detached the pull-rod from the latch, then...
...cleaned the latch assembly...
...cleaned the latch assembly with spray cleaner
...and blew it dry with compressed...
...and blew it dry with compressed air.
With the door latch operating...
With the door latch operating properly, it was time to remove the 50-pound solenoid shaved handle kit from the box and read the included instructions.
With the steel inner door...
With the steel inner door panel removed, Kevin determined the best location to mount the solenoid.
Kevin decided he needed to...
Kevin decided he needed to cut out a notch in the door to position the solenoid mounting bracket properly.
With the notch cut out and...
With the notch cut out and the rough edges filed down, Kevin...
... fashioned a template from...
... fashioned a template from the Electric-Life cardboard box, then used a Miller plasma cutter to cut out the pattern from a steel plate.
Here's the solenoid mounted...
Here's the solenoid mounted in place. Notice that Kevin cut a notch into the door, allowing easy access to attach the pull-cable to the solenoid.
The 50-pound poppers provided...
The 50-pound poppers provided by Electric-Life are engineered to conceal on the front of the door instead of mounting it in plain view at the rear of the door. Kevin drilled a 3/4-inch hole to house the Electric-Life popper.
Here's the popper. Notice...
Here's the popper. Notice its collar has an Allen-head set screw. Kevin pushed the popper through the 3/4-inch hole and then tightened the collar down with an Allen wrench to complete the job.
As evidenced by this photograph,...
As evidenced by this photograph, Electric-Life's front-mounted poppers really add a custom touch to any shaved door application. Like we said, real customs are shaved inside and out!