55 Nomad Power Windows Install "Need Some Help"

[Troberts]

Does anyone have a "diagram" of the inside of the Nomad Door showing the parts for power windows? I have new wiring, new motors and new switches - just need some help with how all the track parts are installed. Of course mine are "in a basket".... :) Thanks for any help!

[LEE T]

The P/W regulator is different from the manual regulator, and the mounting holes for it are a little different, but the tracks are all the same. If you have the regulators then I have pictures of what you need to know. There is also conduit to run the wire from the door to the A pillar, and metal boxes to shield the switches.

http://i747.photobucket.com/albums/xx119/from7/Power%20windows/000_4945_zpsa0rmwzix.jpg

http://i747.photobucket.com/albums/xx119/from7/Power%20windows/000_4950_zpsh738q6c9.jpg

http://i747.photobucket.com/albums/xx119/from7/Power%20windows/000_4952_zps1n2lazcn.jpg

[Troberts]

Thanks Lee - I do have the regulators that came with my Nomad, and they should be the correct ones for pw because it had power windows before I got it but I don't know if they were original factory...Any pictures you could provide would be great and much appreciated.
Thanks again,
Tony

[LEE T]

The other pictures were of a nomad that had P/W added, and here is an original P/W hardtop. Notice that the manual regulator mounting holes were never used. I'll get some stuff together and send to your pm later.

http://i747.photobucket.com/albums/xx119/from7/Power%20windows/d8209b5d-f953-46db-8f27-ddeda31d0ce6_zps7xazpjfi.jpg

[Troberts]

Thanks very much!

[Troberts]

Well I am pleased to say my power windows install went off without a hitch. For anyone else that may be planning to install power windows it is not bad at all....one of the biggest things that helped me was the diagram I am posting with this reply. Also, when you attach your motor to your regulator, you want to attach it so the window would be in the up position. You can still install it if you place the motor to the regulator in which the window is in the down position too, but it is a little easier in the up position.

[chevynut]

I guess I'm not understanding why you have to re-drill anything. I have an Electric-Life power window kit and it bolts right in to the stock holes.

[Troberts]

Oh - that is from a specific piece of information I came across that outlined a conversion from roll up to pw. If you already had pw you wouldn't have to re drill any new holes. And maybe the kit you got was made to bolt right up even if you previously had roll up.....anyway I just thought showing where the tracks were located inside the door helped me out.

[chevynut]

So are you saying the factory PW used different holes than the factory manual regulator? Why would they do something that silly? :)

[Troberts]

So are you saying the factory PW used different holes than the factory manual regulator? Why would they do something that silly? :)

No, I don't know because even though my Nomad had power windows when I purchased it I believe they were added at some point over the years and I don't think they were factory because those holes shown in the diagram that needed to be drilled near the factory holes had been drilled on my doors. I had a guy email me several documents showing the installation (conversion) to power windows for 55 Chevy's and one document pertaining to the Nomad. Anyways...I just posted the one diagram to help illustrate how the tracks looked in the door, in case it might help someone who may be deciding to go with PW's. I'm sure you probably don't need them but I would be happy to email you those documents with illustrations & specific directions on how to change over to PW's if you want to see them.

Regards,
Tony

[chevynut]

Thanks for the offer Troberts but I think my E-L kit is all set up to work. I was asking because I haven't actually run my windows, only installed the mechanism in the door.

[LEE T]

So are you saying the factory PW used different holes than the factory manual regulator? Why would they do something that silly? :)
I have had three original P/W cars (57 nomad and two 55 HTs) over the years and many other P/W sets that I removed from other cars and they all had different holes for power regulators. This is one of the original cars, and you can clearly see the original manual regulator holes that were never used, but I don't know why they designed it to need different holes.

http://i747.photobucket.com/albums/xx119/from7/Power%20windows/e32f5a99-3b74-4379-97db-4fe7af6c77cb_zpsnvcxzro4.jpg

[LEE T]

If you check the 57 shop manual on page 1-53 fig. 100 shows the holes for manual regulators, and fig. 101 shows the power regulator holes. And page 1-29 fig. 56 arrow #4 shows the holes for both manual and power regulators. They must have drilled the extra holes at some point on the assembly line for cars with P/W.

[Troberts]

If you check the 57 shop manual on page 1-53 fig. 100 shows the holes for manual regulators, and fig. 101 shows the power regulator holes. And page 1-29 fig. 56 arrow #4 shows the holes for both manual and power regulators. They must have drilled the extra holes at some point on the assembly line for cars with P/W.

Thanks for that info Lee.....I was not aware of that and have learned much "on the fly" as I have been finishing up a few last things and getting my Nomad "on the road" for some cruisin...

thanks,
Tony

[LEE T]

The other pictures were of a nomad that had P/W added, and here is an original P/W hardtop. Notice that the manual regulator mounting holes were never used. I'll get some stuff together and send to your pm later.

http://i747.photobucket.com/albums/xx119/from7/Power%20windows/d8209b5d-f953-46db-8f27-ddeda31d0ce6_zps7xazpjfi.jpg

I don't know why you guys couldn't believe that the first time I said it, since the original car picture was right there.

[Troberts]

I certainly believed you the first time, don't know about Chevynut.... :)

Thanks again,
Tony

[chevynut]

It's not about believing, it's about understanding what you guys are saying. Like I said, nothing in my E-L PW kit says anything about drilling any holes...they bolted right in to the stock holes. I also think the kit came with new tracks that bolt to the door. My Nomad only has one set of holes in the door and it had manual windows. Do you only have to drill the new holes if you're using the original GM power window regulators? I had a set of them from a 4-door once and as I recall you could adapt them to work in a 2-door. I remember long ago there was an article in CCI about how to do that. But Troberts, it looks like you have some aftermarket window kit, so I'm not understanding why you had to drill new holes.

[LEE T]

The kit from Auto City Classics is the only one I have used and they require that you drill new holes, and even provide a metal template.

[chevynut]

Here's the E-L kit I have:

http://www.a1electric.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=AEOS&Product_Code=GM68-K

Also found out that this kit won't work with a 1-piece side window setup. Here's a good article on which power window kit to use if eliminating the vent windows:

https://www.a1electric.com/install/chevy/chev08.htm

[chevynut]

I think maybe I figured out why you have to drill new holes with some kits... ;)

I was looking at the E-L window kits for 55-57 Chevys. Here's the 4-door kit for the front doors:

http://www.a1electric.com/images8/gm95-ka.jpg

Now here's the 2-door kit for front doors:

http://www.a1electric.com/images8/gm68-ka.jpg

Both of these are direct bolt-in. Notice the difference in the mounting hole location for the 4-door versus the 2-door relative to the center of the gears and motor. It looks like you could actually use the 4-door model in a 2-door if you drilled new holes, just like you guys showed.

So I wonder if GM only had one kind of front power window setup and they used it on all cars. It was probably a bolt-in for a 4-door, but they had to drill the new holes for the 2-door installation.