power head light doors?

I have always been troubled with driving at night with the vette due to poor quality head light actuator boots. I have bought over the past two years 20 boots. they were lasting around three openings, then I was given the reply to this question on another forum and was told to load them with green grease and cover them also in green grease. Well that worked better they now last 10 openings. I would like to drive my car at night due to the cooler weather and less traffic but I need head lights for this. I know some here have converted to other GM electric openers using a kit but over here there are no American cars to scavenge off of. I may look at some Japanese cars like a Nissan 200SX that has pop-up lights. My question does any one know of a complete setup that is fairly easy to install?

Any 80's Mazda stuff over there? The RX-7 has gear motor headlight actuators that are very similar to the Firebird.

Unfortunately NO, I think if you go to McSpeed.com which is chris Mcdonald, an old friend from down the road here, his site tells of a electric motor kit to convert to, but you need find a good set of F body....Camaro/firebird motors to work with, and maybe even the electronic control box.....

IMO, I would not bother, frankly, as those 80's operating headlight motor boxes were a PIA form every maker I know of, even the vaunted Japs....

look at my site, or TT's and you find trays for fixed headlights installs...and that is much simpler as I think you can probably find the later camaro bulbs there with a bit of looking but HERE they want 25 bux each....

but damn the shipping too....

I did my install off a junkyard raid and some cobble up work with PVC plastic 1x2 's and glue and stainless screws, and some careful mock up work...

then reduced the size of the opening to something more modern....

much simpler that a way.....BUT it was all encouraged by a DEER hit late one evening about ten years ago.....my date was all pissey about the fucking DEER, meanwhile I was wigged about the CAR,

our LAST date, hell with HER liberal woosey ass....

:devil:

I'm thinking that a power window motor from a Honda or Toyota might work???
Need to look to see what can be done. What amazes me is with all the C3 on the road with problems no one has made a complete kit to do the job.:banghead:

Making a modern cable drive power window motor work might be a challenge.

Since you didn't answer I'm guessing there are no Mazda's around?

I still don't see why electricl lineal acuators can't be used. It has been discusted in the past but no one has tried it yet. Its on my list but very far down on it.

Fuelie74 said:

I still don't see why electricl lineal acuators can't be used. It has been discusted in the past but no one has tried it yet. Its on my list but very far down on it.

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That can be done fairly easy with the stock setup, but I only had one actuator like what Chris used on his wiper door, so I did the same with it....

I looked into ONE actuator and modified doors, but just could not get the setup to work well, then there is the extra complications.....so I gave it up as not worth it....I figgered if it went up say 3-4" in front instead of the current nearly 6" it would look much better with the square Camaro bulbs in there,

I have always felt the sharks looked way to geekey with the lights up....

but they were the only bulbs I seen for the times they were designed....

today a much leter round high output bulb maybe better yet raise the door only 2" or do, THAT would be cool as a moose....but the lid is still huge IMO....so back full circle....

a few years ago I spent a good time over winter fiddling with all these concepts....

:crap::chinese:

BBShark said:

Making a modern cable drive power window motor work might be a challenge.

Since you didn't answer I'm guessing there are no Mazda's around?

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There are no junk yards here as cars are very rarely scrapped but there are loads of small warehouses full of assorted used parts from Japan. There are Mazda parts but rare so costly on parts. Not to say I won't look but I am still thinking power window motors from a Honda or Toyota can be used????

BangkokDean said:

...What amazes me is with all the C3 on the road with problems no one has made a complete kit to do the job.:banghead:

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Probably not the answer you're looking for Dean, but Chris McDonald (McSpeed) will put together a complete kit if you ask him to and I can't imagine that it would cost a great deal to have it shipped to you.

If you went with a kit from Chris but didn't like the idea of having it shipped directly to you, he could ship it to me and I could give it to one of the several guys out here who regularly travel to Thailand on their vacations.

Couple of options for you anyway...

saudivette said:

BangkokDean said:

...What amazes me is with all the C3 on the road with problems no one has made a complete kit to do the job.:banghead:

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Probably not the answer you're looking for Dean, but Chris McDonald (McSpeed) will put together a complete kit if you ask him to and I can't imagine that it would cost a great deal to have it shipped to you.

If you went with a kit from Chris but didn't like the idea of having it shipped directly to you, he could ship it to me and I could give it to one of the several guys out here who regularly travel to Thailand on their vacations.

Couple of options for you anyway...

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Thanks for the offer I am still looking at making one out of a power window motor. But it won't hurt to contact Chris to see what it will cost.
Cheers

Have a look at Chris' website, he explains the conversion in detail and has lots of photos on his page. The plastic gears should be upgraded with brass gears (same as C5 headlights)... other than that I'm sure he can put together a complete kit. He recommends using junkyard parts to lower the cost of the project but he also lists the part numbers if I remember correctly.

I could order the headlight parts from www.car-parts.com - that is a nationwide recycler (junkyard) inventory and all of those places ship the parts... we could piece it together here and send it to you

Dean, don't quote me but I think from memory that to buy everything new with the part numbers that Chris provides, would have cost around $600...

I got mine a lot under that by buying 2nd hand parts. And, as Karsten says, brass gears are a good investment.

Thanks guys in the next few weeks I will be hunting for either Nissan 200SX, or Mazda head light set ups over here. In any case I have ordered replacement parts for the vacuum set up to keep the car drivable for now. If Karsten can find prices for the parts needed that would help but don't go out of your way as this is going to be a project to do before the end of the year. I have ordered a stroked engine and will be doing the change over in about three months so that will be a good time to change the head lights doors lifts.

The kit from McSpeed is $100, the headlight motors and arms are $190 each (new) and anywhere from $50-$200 used on junkyards....