Converting no powered doors to powered doors

[ol-Betsy]

I've came across plenty of threads of swapping powered doors onto a truck with nonpowered doors, but I'm doing the opposite.

I have a 1994 k1500 with powered doors that have rust at the bottom. I got my hands on clean doors from a 94 but they have different door cards from them not having powered locks and windows. I know the doors themselves are interchangable, but will the powered components and door cards swap into the non powered door directly?

 

[Stumpy]

I don't know about a '94, but on my '96 it's a yes. I took the door card from a power door, and put it on my manual door(passenger side), no issues at all. I swapped the whole door on the driver side, but used the window from my manual door. All works as it should.

 

[someotherguy]

Yep. The door cards (GM calls them "door modules") swap right over. As long as you get door shells from the correct style as your truck, you won't have any issues. Close as possible to your year model as you can find is the best bet, for a few reasons.

1. GM changed the shape of the stamping slightly in 1995 to accommodate the new interior door handle (your 1994 door modules will still fit, it's guys with newer trucks trying to use older shells that will have to.. clearance them a bit there..)

2. Around 1996-1997 it's hit or miss around the exterior handle opening as GM increased the size as the exterior handles changed slightly a few times (larger plastic bezel surround.)

3. Body part stamping dies wear with use.. I've noticed when swapping doors around that if there's too many years between the parts, they don't fit well. Sometimes you can tweak 'em, sometimes there's just not enough tweak in the world to make them fit right.

Oh.. and a "maybe gotcha" - 4. if you get manual doors that are REALLY old, they may not have a hole in the jamb area for the wiring to pass through. You can fix that with a hole saw, just gotta place it correctly. Before you install the door!

Richard

 

[ol-Betsy]

Yep. The door cards (GM calls them "door modules") swap right over. As long as you get door shells from the correct style as your truck, you won't have any issues. Close as possible to your year model as you can find is the best bet, for a few reasons.

1. GM changed the shape of the stamping slightly in 1995 to accommodate the new interior door handle (your 1994 door modules will still fit, it's guys with newer trucks trying to use older shells that will have to.. clearance them a bit there..)

2. Around 1996-1997 it's hit or miss around the exterior handle opening as GM increased the size as the exterior handles changed slightly a few times (larger plastic bezel surround.)

3. Body part stamping dies wear with use.. I've noticed when swapping doors around that if there's too many years between the parts, they don't fit well. Sometimes you can tweak 'em, sometimes there's just not enough tweak in the world to make them fit right.

Oh.. and a "maybe gotcha" - 4. if you get manual doors that are REALLY old, they may not have a hole in the jamb area for the wiring to pass through. You can fix that with a hole saw, just gotta place it correctly. Before you install the door!

Richard

The manual doors I'm about to get also came off a 94 so I'd think they'd have the holes cut for the wiring. Thanks! Sounds like I found the perfect deal

 

[someotherguy]

The manual doors I'm about to get also came off a 94 so I'd think they'd have the holes cut for the wiring. Thanks! Sounds like I found the perfect deal

Most likely will. Figured I'd mention it just in case. Typically the doors will have the holes just capped with a plastic plug. I've seen cabs as late as '94 with no hole in the cab for the wiring and that's a bit of a pain to deal with; had to drill them in my '94 3500HD as I'd planned on converting to power windows/locks and then later decided against it. LOL

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Should be right there in the middle between the hinges. Nada. Much like the trucks that weren't A/C-equipped; those didn't have the holes in the firewall for the evaporator core lines.

Richard

 

[gmt400wt]

I was looking into this last summer myself. I have a guy 2ho has a few of these pickups and been buying parts off of him for my 1990 WT. I bought door cards and removed the dash to get the harness that is tucked in behind the dash. I have not got to installing this yet and am not sure if there is relays and fuses needed but if you watch my youtube video you may find a little bit of extra information for what size hole saw bit you need for putting the hole needed in the cab from the door into the cab and i also show you where the harness runs as and which wires go into the fuse box under the dash into the fuse box.

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[someotherguy]

I was looking into this last summer myself. I have a guy 2ho has a few of these pickups and been buying parts off of him for my 1990 WT. I bought door cards and removed the dash to get the harness that is tucked in behind the dash. I have not got to installing this yet and am not sure if there is relays and fuses needed but if you watch my youtube video you may find a little bit of extra information for what size hole saw bit you need for putting the hole needed in the cab from the door into the cab and i also show you where the harness runs as and which wires go into the fuse box under the dash into the fuse box.

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Thankfully many of the earlier trucks have the hole in the cab for the wiring pass-through, just with a thin plastic plug you can knock out. However, I had to drill the holes in my 1994 3500HD because I planned on converting it to power windows. I drilled the holes but ended up passing on converting as my customers kept buying up all my good power window stuff. That shop wrecker was built mostly out of parts my customers didn't want for one reason or another, so it stayed crank window.

Richard