I finally wrote the article;

http://www.offroadvw.net/tech/wes/windows.html

Nice article. Not my kind of equipment though - as little electrical stuff as I can get away with is more my theme.

thanks for the article i may do something similar to this with the new bug

how hard would this be to do on a bus

Nice job Wes, and nice looking kit too. It seems to come with all the bits and bobs, unlike some cheaper kits....

having never really played with a kombi's door, I can't say how hard it would be on a kombi. Not very hard I wouldn't think. It can't be that much different. It's a universal kit, it's designed to fit any car.

I've had mine for quite a few years now. 4 or 5 years, can't remember. They still work perfectly, not probs at all. Even with crap VW winders. The motors are quite powerful.

I tried to find some info on Autostrada. It is a weird little place, and actually a distributor, not a retail shop, however you can still buy from them. I found a website that I think is their's, http://www.autostrada.com.au/ . Go there and search for "electric windows". At the time of typing this they were selling a SPAL kit for $409, I think my original kit in my Baja was the SPAL one. There is an email contact on their website.

Thanks Wes-well done-good story and pics.I have been a bit worried because I plan on doing this to mine during the resto and thought it may have been one of those jobs that would be a pain in the arse-but it appears pretty straight forward.Thanks.

If anyone needs the electric window kit, I have a new Jaycar sourced one in the cupbaord you may want to make an offer on. It is the same construction as the SPAL, just generic though.

because of my roll cage i have to run these too
better start saving
cause i,m sick of opening the door to wind them up
hehehehehe

is there one for a split screen????:P

How about a tutorial for making some of those snazzy door panels Wes

maybe if I get really bored . It isn't as hard as you'd think.

Wes,I tried to deal with that Autostrada crowd when you posted it-Don't remember all the details now,but got some emails from them,but all contact finished when I told them I wasn't a Subaru Dealer-they needed my Dealer number to continue contact with me.Did I go wrong somewhere???

I think they are actually a distributor. I just walk in the door and ask for stuff and they sell it to me. A little different interstate I guess. Just ask who they distribute to in your area and buy it there. I think they sell to autobarn.

It's weird cos they advertise stuff on their site;
http://www.autostrada.com.au/Stockview.asp?key=33

Yes I found that screen-but you need to register to go any further and the first thing they want is a customer ID number.You wouldn't by any chance have a contact phone number for them?

yeah, it's on there contact page (a pop-up)

Autostrada Accessories
84 Brookes St
Fortitude Valley
QLD 4006
Phone: 07 3852 6886
Fax: 07 3852 6887

Sales eMail: sales@autostrada.com.au
Technical eMail: tech@autostrada.com.au

That's a neat solution for the Beetles and well written up.

For the Bay Kombi, I believe that there is a Bosch motor/winder which is a direct, bolt-in replacement for the manual winder which was used on some 1990's 3-series BMWs and other Euros. If the right Bosch part can be found, this is a 30 minute job (modulo some wiring and switch placement).

I'd be keen to know if anyone knows what the Bosch part # is.

ditto

Thanks Wes.

Great article Wes

Good job Wes. I think I will do that 'lecy window. I also would like to see how you made those door trims.

Can anyone tell me if it possible to mount the mechanism so that nothing protrodes through the door panel? I'm looking at building new door trims, and if I can conceal all the mechanisms behind the panel and not have to use the blanking plugs, that would be my ideal solution.

I used the same kit that I bought from Autobahn a few years ago.
I screwed the motor direct to the bottom of the door skin though.
I also glued my plastic sheet to the outside of the inside door skin so it was outside all of the electrics.
I then used rubber tubes which are fitted tightly into gromets in the A pillar, but slide through holes in the front edge of the door for the wiring to go through undamaged. I also 'dented' both the pillar and the door edge to allow more room between them for the gromets etc.
When I made my door liners, I installed pockets on them for the electric window switches and storage etc.

More photos.

I spaced mine in abit by using longer bolts to achieve the same thing.

I already had the holes for the winders so just mounted the switches there to cover them
3 years later still work fine

Thanks for the replies guys. This really helps, and like someone else just said, is there anything you don't have pics of Joel.

And Jeff that's some pretty trick door trims you have there. What did the doo pockets come off? And I assme they are installed back to front by the lights.

I think the 'plastic' part of the door trimis are off an old 626, and yes, they are installed 'backwards'. I had to do that because the 'fat' end wouldn't fit between the door and the big 'Autotechnica' seats. It worked out very good though, because the lights light up the footwells quite well when you open the doors, and it gave me a spot to fit little flouros in a light box behind the VW emblem.

Even more nifty!

The kits being used here are pretty heavy duty indeed! I work for Audioxtra which is a distributor for SPAL products - but none of them look like those. Also, chopping out big chunks of the inner door skin is not necessary with aftermarket Spal kits. Anyone wanting more info:

http://www.audioxtra.com.au/html/s02_article/article_view.asp?art_id=1502&...

As we are a distributor, we don't sell to the public but call your closest branch and we'll let you know the retailers near you.