Our SEMA 2025 Hot List
November 18, 2025
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
WHERE’S THE POWER?
Bob Gruitch just thought his car was not performing up to his expectations. A ’55 Chevy equipped with a 502 big block, square port heads and a Crane H296-2 camshaft should be more than enough power. But it lacked power and didn’t idle all that well, especially in gear. This shouldn’t be happening with an engine built by John Gianoli at Reggie Jackson’s High Performance Engine Shop, so Gruitch figured he had something wrong and brought the car to John Bishop’s Hot Rod Tuning Service to have it checked. He’s lucky that he did.
FURIOUS PLYMOUTH
Mike Buzzello has always liked Chryslers and once owned a tubbed Plymouth Road Runner. He lives in Omaha, Nebraska, and attends rod runs and car shows regularly with his friend Steve Gantz. One year at a Goodguys show, Buzzello saw an interesting car drive by, but he couldn’t identify it. Turns out it was a ’61 Plymouth Fury, and he could see how cool the car could be if it had all the right modifications. He searched for a clean body and came across a rust-free car from California that a collector from Texas had just bought. The ’61 Fury was a steal at $1,500, so Buzzello bought the car sight unseen. He knew the car had potential despite what some people said when it arrived at his shop.
SPLIT-LINER
Ronnie Staples has been enjoying custom cars for more than five decades, which not only dates him but also makes him somewhat of a well-versed enthusiast who knows what he wants in a modern super rod.
Spotlighter
WHAAZZZZ UP
How To Install Power Windows in a ’55 Chevrolet Pickup
Author
Warren Boughn
Story & Photography
Adding power windows has long been a popular aftermarket option for restyled pickups, as much for practical reasons as for comfort convenience. Worn-out window regulators will give people fits, and replacement parts have become increasingly harder to find, not to mention the lack of availability or the cost of retro units. So, if the vehicle is to have smooth, trouble-free window operation, it’s often easier and cheaper to replace the old regulators with new electric ones.
In the past we adapted wrecking yard units into our vehicles, and this was great if you had a good background in window geometry and enough fabrication skills to get the job done. Still, there were problems: You didn’t always know the condition of the parts being used, even though they may have looked fine. But with today’s technology and the availability of well-engineered aftermarket parts and window kits, the norm for most fabricators is to go straight to a kit designed for the vehicle being built.
One such company is Specialty Power Windows (SPW). Not only are the company’s parts proven, but it also manufactures its own parts and offers a lifetime warranty along with the kits. The company guarantees them against becoming obsolete and will replace any parts with newer ones for no charge should any part become unobtainable. SPW offers a large assortment of power window and switch kits, available for all sorts of vehicles, and also offers two- and four-window kits.
These SPW kits come complete with all of the necessary templates, hardware, switches, brackets, channels, packing, motorized regulators and wiring harnesses. This helps make the installation easier, and an instructional video is provided as well as easy-to-understand instructions in every kit. So even if you have never installed a power window kit, it doesn’t get much easier than this. Follow along as we document the installation of one of SPW’s ’55-’59 GM truck power window kits in this ’55 Chevy, and see what’s involved and how straightforward it can be.
1. These are the parts you will receive in a Specialty Power Windows kit. We ordered this kit with chrome switches in GM ’60s-’80s style. However, you can order billet aluminum bezels with switches, black switches and bezels, early ’50s GM types, rocker types that are backlit, and so on.
2. Here’s a peek at the freshly chromed window frames and division bars, felts and rubber seals that we will be using. The old glass was replaced as well.
3. As you can see, we removed the division bars/windows/window regulators, inner door handles/linkage and upper panel. This is done for easy access.
There is a lower glass stop/gusset inside of the door that needs to be removed.
We used a pneumatic hacksaw and an electric drill motor to remove the glass stop gusset. Make sure to trim these pieces for maximum clearance.
This is the piece we removed from inside the door. 8. & 9. We measured and marked our window regulators in the top mounting hole 10-1/4 inches in from the rear edge of the door, and 7/8-inch up from the access hole in the door.
We measured and marked our window regulators in the top mounting hole 10-1/4 inches in from the rear edge of the door, and 7/8-inch up from the access hole in the door. The inner doorskin is double-walled in areas.
As we did above, we measured and marked the door 10-1/4 inches in from the rear door edge. This gives us a parallel line to work with. We drew a straight line between the two marks around 14 inches long.
We marked our second regulator-mounting hole 2-3/4 inches down from the access hole in the door on our 10-1/4-inch line.
The third hole was marked 12-3/4 inches down from the access hole on the same 10-1/4-inch line.
We drilled a 5/16-inch hole through our marks. When we hit a double-walled panel, as in the top two, we drilled a 3/4-inch hole through the outer panel and a 5/16-inch hole through the other.
The next step was to remove a 1-inch section of the original truck window frame for the SPW window channel adapter. To do this we used a pneumatic hacksaw.
We then centered the window channel adapter to the original lower glass frame and drilled two 3/16-inch holes through it using the adapter as a drilling template. Then we installed the 8-32x1/2-inch bolts and nuts.
We followed up by installing the top half of the lift bar assembly to the channel adapter.
Now the real fun begins. Place the window first, then the vent window/division bar assemblies into the door window opening without scratching anything.
The vent window/division bar assembly is the first item to be mounted. This is followed by installing the U-channel and whiskers, a step you take only if you want new ones.
The window regulator is the next thing to be installed. It feeds through the factory access hole in the door. Let the regulator assembly lie at the bottom of the door until the next step is performed.
The second half of the lift bar assembly is installed next. The pins face the outside.
Now it’s time to fasten the window regulator to the door.
With the window regulator in place, we can go ahead and connect the lift bar assembly to the regulator.
The next step is to run the wires through the door. We chose to run ours through the upper hinge pocket.
We decided to run only one window switch, hidden under the dash, to operate the windows. This is not normal, since they usually go in the doors.
Now that the windows are in and working, we can reassemble the inside door latch hardware and inside window frames.
The job is finished!
ARTICLE SOURCES
Precision St. Rods & Machines
19158 Roscoe Blvd.
Northridge, California 91324
818/886-5018
Specialty Power Windows
140 Industrial Park Dr.
Forsyth, Georgia 31029
800/634-9801
