I’m pretty frustrated right now. Long story, get the popcorn ready.

I’m installing a power window kit in my 69 Cutlass. I anticipated this being a pretty labor intensive project. Lucky for me, I already added power door locks years ago (adapted G body door lock actuators, mainly because the are cheaper than factory) so I didn’t need to remove the doors to cut the door jamb conduit. However, I’m having problems I never would have expected.

Problem #1: the wiring harness has way more wire than is needed. That’s better than being too short, the problem is what to do with the excess wire? I don’t like the idea of coiling up the excess in the kick panel, and inside the door. I’m guessing the added length is for cars like Monte Carlo and Grand Prix, something with a longer wheelbase and longer doors. Minor problem, I can live with it, or easily fix it.

Problem #2: The door jamb “conduit” (&#128580 is a joke! A couple of rubber grommets, and fuel hose??? As I mentioned earlier, I already have the factory door jamb conduit installed, I don’t need the provided parts. Seeing how the conduit is available aftermarket, include the proper parts, even if you have to add a couple bucks to the kit price. Fuel hose is pretty hack in my opinion.

This is what is included to run the harness.


Problem #3: the connector for the drivers door switch won’t fit thru the factory conduit. I solved that problem by disassembling the connector, and removing the terminals. Once the wire is thru the conduit, I installed the terminals back into the connector and reassembled it. I’m thinking about installing a 8 way Metri-Pac 280 connector in the kick panel, that way if I ever need to remove a door, it’s easy to unplug, the connector body will fit thru the conduit, and that eliminates all the extra wire coiled up in the kick panel.

Something like this


Problem #4, and by far the biggest problem, the quarter window rollers keep falling out of the track once the window goes up completely.

You can see where the roller from the original manual regulator stopped. With the window all the way up, the roller is almost completely out of the track. When you put the window down, the roller falls out, and am the glass slides down the window guide

I had this happen on the passenger side yesterday. I called Auto City Classic and explained the problem, I was told to slot the regulator mounting holes. I argued that if the parts are made correctly, I shouldn’t HAVE to make the car fit the parts.

I decided to try the drivers quarter window before modifying anything. Sure enough, exact same problem. It seems to me that either the regulator arm is too long, or the roller is too far back on the regulator arm. When I asked about that possibility, I was told that the arms are stamped to copy original parts, and they have been selling this kit for 20 years. If so, maybe their dies are worn out??

I told the tech advisor that their is no way the guys on the assembly line lovingly elongated and filed the cars to get these parts to fit. Seeing how far back the roller is positioned, I’d have to slot the holes a half inch.

Obviously, nothing is going to happen until Monday. My question: have I overlooked something?? Have I assembled something wrong? I’d like to make sure I have covered the obvious issues before bitching Monday morning. Until I get the regulator and window to stay together thru the full range of motion, I can’t adjust the glass. Right now, the bolts are tighten in the original position. That should be close enough I would think.

 

That is a poor copy of what a '68 would use, also only needs two grommets, one small and one large. If you had the correct '69 conduits, there would be room for the wires. The '69 conduits were fastened into the door and cowl with four? screws each end. Looked like little accordians.

 

That’s what I have. I didn’t know the 68 cars used a smaller conduit, I assumed they would have used the same part


So maybe I was a little to critical of the included parts. If the 68 cars used a conduit similar to what Auto City classic provides, I assume it must be split end to end to slip over the harness? No way a motor or switch connector will fit thru that.

 

The arm on my convert regulator is 11 1/2" from the centre of the rivet to the centre of the roller. Might be able to get a hard-top measure tomorrow.

 

Thanks. I’m pulling one of the regulators back out for a measurement sometime between now and Monday.

 

I removed the drivers side quarter regulator and compared it to the none power regulator. I’m guessing the pivot point for the lift arm would be identical between the 2, however I would appreciate it if someone has a 69 power window regulator to verify my measurements.

This is the power regulator. About 10.5 inches from the center of the pivot, to the center of the roller.


Non power regulator. About 9 3/4 inches from center to center.



Here are the 2 regulators side by side. Definitely a difference

 

The '68 conduit is a moulded piece with little tabs on each end for black tape to hold the wires in place. The conduit is not split. The wires are put through without connectors on. It would be a hell of a lot easier to explain if I had a cell with data. Pencil crayons just will not cut it.

 

Yellowstatue, this is from the 1978 Toronado but I believe its similar to what your describing.

 

 

The boots on a '69 harness I have looks the same as the '78 Toro, with the little tabs on the ends to tape the wires. But a '68 boot looks like the one in post one, a thin smooth tube with a large grommet at one end and a small grommet at the other end with the same little tabs on the end to secure the wires with tape, moulded as one piece. The '69 boot is an improvement over '68. Imagine running vacuum hoses through that tube for power locks.

 

Well, after lots of emails, photos, phone calls, and bitching, auto city classic finally agreed there was a problem. They said the have occasionally come across window mounting brackets with shorter roller tracks. The fix is a regulator with a shorter arm. While I find it a little hard to believe that GM would have had a few window brackets that require a oddball regulator, they agreed to send me a regulator built with this supposedly shorter arm.

I personally think they either included the wrong regulator with the kit, or built the regulator with the wrong parts, and this is a polite way of saying “sorry, we screwed up, we will make it right”.

I’ll know more in a few days. Sure hope this is the solution. I was kinda planning to shorten the arm to match the factory manual regulator if they didn’t have a solution. I unfortunately have crossed the point of cheaply turning back, I have already cut the door panels for the switches. Cant make the hole smaller!!!

 

The big plastic washer will cover the switch hole. I am not going to be able to sleep until you get this problem resolved.

 

Go to sleep!! I won’t have the new regulators for a few days.

The master switch will be the problem. I suppose o could glue a few washers together?

 

Here's a couple pictures of something similar on ebay:


And then a repop one. Yellowstatue, do either of these look like the 1968 Cutlass?

1968 CHEVELLE GTO CUTLASS GS POWER WINDOW WIRE RUBBER BOOT, NEW | eBay

 

That looks like '68 Cutlass BUT, There are only two gromets, one large on the body end and one small on the door end, all moulded, as one piece. Long ago I ordered a replacement boot from Fusick's and what I received was what is in Matt's first post. Obviously wrong.

 

My frustration with auto city classic continues, get the popcorn ready!!

I got the rear quarter window regulators straighten out. Now my ever increasing frustration (boarderline fury!!) with the front doors.

I had been waiting on front window rollers/hardware to replace the worn out originals. I got those about 2 weeks ago, I was eager to reinstall the glass and hit the streets. Unfortunately, no matter what I tried, I could not get the front of the glass to go all the way up. I also noticed that the window had lots of “rocking” movement in the door. Since I had all new rollers and tight tracks, knew the problem was elsewhere.

I finally noticed the excessive movement and the “X” cross.

The 2 half’s of one arm pivot independently of each other the horizontal arm) on the pivot.


I looked at the passenger side, sure enough, the arms move independently of each other. Keep in mind, a few degrees of movement here is about 1.5 inches at the end of the arm.

I called auto city classic last Monday morning. I talked to Dennis (again) he assured me that they have very few complaints or problems with their product. He says he will have his regulator guy build new ones and send them out, I’ll have them in 3-4 days. They just showed up. They didn’t go out Thursday like I was promised. Dennis said his regulator guy is really busy, I strongly suggested that someone who place a order back in September and has had more problems than anyone would reasonably expect probably should get priority. At this point he gets pretty combative, saying he is tired of my complaining. I reply that if the parts FIT CORRECTLY, WORK CORRECTLY, I wouldn’t have any complaints. He then tells me these problems are brought on by myself, and my unfamiliarity these these cars. This goes on for a few more minutes, without really accomplishing much.

Well, the replacement regulators just arrived on my doorstep. I’m kinda surprised they showed up on a Sunday. Upon inspection, the passenger regulator is tight on its pivot, no movement. Imagine my absolute shock to find the drivers side is sloppy. Not as bad as the original, but still has some movement. The original regulator have worn out rollers, but have ZERO movement in the arm halves.

At this point, I’m done screwing around with them. I have been basically called a pain in the ***, incompetent, and illiterate. I have to make what they sent work, I have already cut my door panels for the switches, so there is no going back to manual.

I’ll probably weld the arms to the pivots on both side to prevent movement. As a matter of fact, that was a friends original suggestion (and one I seriously considered at the time) when I first had this problem. I just don’t think it’s my place to fix a manufacturing problem with a brand new product.

 

I'd send that junk back and go check out Nu-Relics power window kits. I've heard good things about them over on the chevelle board.

 

I seriously doubt I’d get anywhere with getting a refund. At this point, I just want to get the car back together. I welded the regulator arms to the pivots, that problem is solved. I sent Auto City a email with more video showing the concerns, no reply as of yet.

 

Auto City Classic has the worst customer service I have EVER dealt with. I called in to explain several problems I was having with installation. Before I could explain the several problems I was having he started talking over the top me saying it didn't make sense. I did manage to tell him the drivers side switches weren't seating into the pigtail bracket very well. He told me they were held in by friction, which I knew. He then told me, and I am totally serious, to use electrical tape to hold them in place. When I asked the customer service guy if I could talk to the owner, he said he was the owner. If this guy was the owner, its hard to believe they are still in business. I did read on one of the other sites that another guy had the same **** poor service I got. With absolutely no help from Auto City Classics I decided to take the cover off the driver side switch. Some of the connectors were off center, so I straightened those out and low and behold the windows started working. I am telling you this guy was a total ahole. Just wish I had looked into them a little more before buying their product.
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Electric Life are the best. Not that it does you any good, now.....

 

If I had to do it over again, I’d use anything but Auto City Classic.

 

Thanks. I will give them a try next time.

 

I will never use them again. Still can't believe how arrogant the owner/customer service guy was..