Imagine motoring up to your favorite cruising spot and effortlessly rolling down your windows. Power windows are an easy classic-Mustang upgrade you can install in a day, taking the grunt work out of cranking those old manual windows. Electric-Life power windows from National Parts Depot are designed to bolt in to replace your Mustang's manual roll-up windows.
To install power windows, you need to prepare. Consider replacing door weatherstripping, window channels, and other soft parts while you're at it. Hit your local AutoZone or Pep Boys for tools of the electrical trade; butt connectors, bullet plugs, wire crimpers, a soldering gun, solder, heat-shrink tubing, flexible rubber or plastic conduit, attachment hardware that isn't included in the kit, sheetmetal cutting tools, a die grinder, 3M's strip caulk or other flexible sealer, water shields, and more.
So let's get started. During this exercise, we learned the hard way what we shouldn't take apart. For example, we undid the aft window track only to discover it wasn't necessary. One downside to the Electric-Life window kit is the instructions aren't detailed enough for those of us with two left hands. Outside of that, the kit is easy to install and operate.
Wiring can be confusing and intimidating. Power windows get power from one source that's energized when the ignition switch is on or in accessory mode. Power can come from the ignition switch or an accessory female pigtail lead that's energized when the ignition is on. We discourage using a power source that is live all the time.
Safety First
It takes a lot of power to run window glass up and down inside a vintage Mustang door. A powerful short-duration, shunt-wound series motor and gear drive makes it possible, but keep safety in mind during installation. Keep your hands, fingers, and arms out of harm's way inside the door whenever testing and whenever the battery is connected. Electric Life power window mechanisms (and any power window mechanism, for that matter) have enough power to damage fingers, hands, and arms. Because these mechanisms move quickly, it takes just a second for an accident to happen. Remember, safety first: Protect your hands and arms during testing, and cover your eyes and ears during grinding and cutting.