Learned Something New Today

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mikester

Comic Book Super Hero
Mar 10, 2010
2,904
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Small town NY
Please tell me Im not the only person that didnt know this. LOL
Back when I was putting the interior back in my wagon I was on the hunt for the elusive door glass runs for the four doors. I found a decent set in a slant back Cutlass in a yard that I deal with. That single car has been the source for a few parts for me and a few other members on this site over the past few years. Yesterday I went out there to find a set of usable front upper door panels. When I had the front panels done for my wagon I had the shop stitch them with the same pattern thats on the seats but I had them sew in a piece of matching vinyl along the top. I was on the fence about that vinyl since the day I picked them up. Long story short, I have enough cloth so Im having another set done with just the cloth. I think it will be a nicer look.
All this time theres been a mid 80s Cutlass sedan in front of the slantback. Same car that I got the bench seat out of for the wagon. It seems like someone else has been picking parts off this one. I noticed the front door panels were gone yesterday. I also noticed the glass runs on the car looked like they were in way better shape than the ones I already put in my car. The only issue was the car has power windows, no battery and no keys.
Today I went back to pull the door glass out so I could get the two front runs. As Im getting ready to drill out the rivets that hold stuff together a friend of mine happened to call me. I told him what I was doing. He goes on to tell me Im doing it the hard way. He told me to cut the two wires for the power window motor. Strip the ends. Take each stripped wire and touch them to the 18V battery from my drill. The glass dropped like a rock. Switched the wires and it went back up. Seriously, am I the only person in the world that didnt know this trick ???
In the end the runs turned out to be rock hard. One broke in half as soon as I started to remove it and the other side was just as bad. Didnt get what I wanted but learned something I never knew before.
 
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5spdCab

Royal Smart Person
Dec 29, 2019
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Tukwila, Wa.
Please tell me Im not the only person that didnt know this. LOL
Back when I was putting the interior back in my wagon I was on the hunt for the elusive door glass runs for the four doors. I found a decent set in a slant back Cutlass in a yard that I deal with. That single car has been the source for a few parts for me and a few other members on this site over the past few years. Yesterday I went out there to find a set of usable front upper door panels. When I had the front panels done for my wagon I had the shop stitch them with the same pattern thats on the seats but I had them sew in a piece of matching vinyl along the top. I was on the fence about that vinyl since the day I picked them up. Long story short, I have enough cloth so Im having another set done with just the cloth. I think it will be a nicer look.
All this time theres been a mid 80s Cutlass sedan in front of the slantback. Same car that I got the bench seat out of for the wagon. It seems like someone else has been picking parts off this one. I noticed the front door panels were gone yesterday. I also noticed the glass runs on the car looked like they were in way better shape than the ones I already put in my car. The only issue was the car has power windows, no battery and no keys.
Today I went back to pull the door glass out so I could get the two front runs. As Im getting ready to drill out the rivets that hold stuff together a friend of mine happened to call me. I told him what I was doing. He goes on to tell me Im doing it the hard way. He told me to cut the two wires for the power window motor. Strip the ends. Take each stripped wire and touch them to the 18V battery from my drill. The glass dropped like a rock. Switched the wires and it went back up. Seriously, am I the only person in the world that didnt know this trick ???
In the end the runs turned out to be rock hard. One broke in half as soon as I started to remove it and the other side was just as bad. Didnt get what I wanted but learned something I never knew before.
Don't feel too bad, I learned a similarly related trick only about 1 year ago. I don't know about your local yards, but the yards in my area forbid bringing auto batteries and jumper packs, but they will let us bring battery powered tools. The desk clerk at my yard told me that I could use my tool battery for things like windows, locks, seats, even a stereo if I could access the wiring. So I rigged this up.
20210425_191943.jpg


All of my battery tools are either 18 or 20 volt, but my Hercules brand charger will charge both 12 and 20 volt Hercules batteries, so I purchased a 12 volt battery strictly for this purpose, and a USB adapter for 12 volt batteries.
I removed the inner guts from the adapter, and soldered two wires to the tabs inside. I keep it in my yard tools bucket for when I go parts hunting.
 
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superbon54

G-Body Guru
Apr 15, 2014
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Wisco
Modern power tool batteries have a bunch of uses! I’ve got a USB adapter so I can run electronics or charge a phone when in BFE. Not the safest idea, but with a little steel wool they can be a fire starter. The kids also love it when I load one in their power wheels.
 
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Ribbedroof

Comic Book Super Hero
Supporting Member
Jan 4, 2009
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Wellston, OK
Been using them at work for just that for a couple decades.....
 
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Rktpwrd

Builder of Cool Shjt
Supporting Member
Feb 2, 2015
4,155
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Calgary, Alberta, Canada
That’s exactly how I powered the AstroRoof motor to test its function when I had it on stands out of the car. Works great.
 
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JAMCAR223

Royal Smart Person
Jun 6, 2014
1,853
5,507
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Houston, TX.
I've been checking power seats that way for years.
 
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