ghetto motorization

[goodstuff 10+ year member]

I am thinking about motorizing my back seat using an old power window assembly/motor...has anyone tried anything like this? I was going to go to the junkyard and buy a door but then I thought I might be able to buy a whole car for the same cost and then I would have four assemblies/motors to burn out, wreck, destory/learn....what do you all think? Here's a couple pics...

http://www.caraudio.com/vg/showimage.php?i=6042&c=3059

Click to read more...

 

[goodstuff 10+ year member]

anyone?

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Linear actuators will be your friends.

 

[goodstuff 10+ year member]

they would be if I could afford them as friends...lol

 

[imaspaceguy90 10+ year member]

mayhbe if the motors are powerful anough

 

[Blazin_Jason 10+ year member]

Just make sure that they are the tape drive setup. I think you could make it work.

 

[goodstuff 10+ year member]

what do you by tape drive? like it's a belt or something instead of the metal scissor type mechanics?

 

[Blazin_Jason 10+ year member]

Exactly. I don't see how the scissor style would work. The tape drive would give you more flexability. Not too sure, but I think that the tape drive style is more popular.

 

[goodstuff 10+ year member]

Thats interesting I didnt know they made them that way...all the ones I've see are the scissor style....do you know any specific vechicles that have the tape drive? hmmm thinking that it might be hard to make it move the seat in both directions i.e I could open or close it but not both....

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

I don't think the track ( tape ) kind would work to well. It will close but how would you go about opening it. THe tape has a track in most doors that it slides in. You would have to replicate this track in order for it too work properly. In all actuality I don't think a window motor is strong enough to do what you want. If you mount the motor up high ( where it will need less force to open and close ) it's going to be in the way. If you mount it down low I don't think the window motor will have the balls. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif I know you don't want to here this. But ya need a linear actuator to do it. But you never can tell really without trying. I would get a single motor just to play with and see. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[lubetek 10+ year member]

I don't see this working. closing yes, but opening would be tuff. With the seat back at an angle when in the up postion how would the "cable" PUSH the seat to lower it? you would need the seat back to be pushed because its leaning back. Now if the seat back was in a verticle position with no rearward lean then maybe it would "fall" forward just enough to work. My power windows are on a metal track with a cable and pulley system. This would not work on my car. Doubt it would work on yours. Maybe if you could devise a track system then use the cable and a puley....that would work but it wouldn't look as nice.

 

[goodstuff 10+ year member]

I don't think the track ( tape ) kind would work to well. It will close but how would you go about opening it.

exactly what I was talking about in the last post...as far as space I am planning on mounting it underneath the rear deck somehow...

 

[goodstuff 10+ year member]

I don't see this working. closing yes, but opening would be tuff.

Yeah I agree...but I have never seen the tape drive in action...my plan (before I heard of the tape system)was to mount the assembly horizontally under the rear deck and then use a metal rod( possibly 2 of them) of some kind to attatch the top of the back seat to the part that would normally be attached to the glass...Yeah it will kind of look dumb with the rods way up high in the middle...I am wondering how I could search for the cheapst ones...I dont want one out of a car that is really old but obvioulsy I dont want one from a mercedes either ( i dont think anyways unless its free) I have tried looking online but its hard because most sites are set up to search for make/model and not as a list from cheapest to most expensive makes. Another thought I had would be to swap out the motor for a heavier one if it's not strong enough?

 

[Semi-Auto 10+ year member]

I am thinking about motorizing my back seat using an old power window assembly/motor...has anyone tried anything like this? I was going to go to the junkyard and buy a door but then I thought I might be able to buy a whole car for the same cost and then I would have four assemblies/motors to burn out, wreck, destory/learn....what do you all think? Here's a couple pics...
http://www.caraudio.com/vg/showimage.php?i=6042&c=3059

what makes it ghetto?

are you installing it in the ghetto?

 

[goodstuff 10+ year member]

lol I call it ghetto cause I'm not doing it the standard way (i.e linear actuators) instead Im using old parts from the junk yard...