Power windows & locks

Legacy window system

Although power windows were first introduced in the 1940 Packard using an innovative hydro-electric system, Jaguar lagged far behind the industry. Our 1961 Mk2, for example, had manual rollup windows, and the early 1970s XJ6 saloons only offered power windows as an option.

Our 1972 XJ6 has optional power windows with the switches located on the front facing surface of the console storage compartment. The switches are arranged to reference front/rear and left/right windows. The rear seats have individual switches embedded in their door handles.

The vintage toggle switches and related components — switches, relays, motors, regulators, and wiring — has now degraded but remains operational.

At the same time, we’d like to keep the esthetics as period-correct as possible by avoiding the molded plastic designs common in modern sedans.

Jaguar had a pretty good reason for not putting power window switches on the front doors … namely, there isn’t much room.

There are four horizontal embossed “weld” patterns. The top one is a padded bumper casing that covers the window attachments and and provides an arm rest over the glass track. The second wider band contains the door open and lock plate; directly to the rear is a blank area that covers part of the locking mechanism. About an inch behind the metal skin is the glass window, so there isn’t enough room for power window switches there.

The narrow third band already looks cluttered with the driver side mirror swivel; this space also conflicts with the window motors mounts. So, in summary, about the only location for front door power window switches would be in the fourth band with the arm rest/handle, a solution Jaguar implemented for the rear seat power window switches. However, unlike the rear seat construction, the front seat has a pocket design that makes mounting a switch difficult.

So the only available real estate is forward of the armrest/pocket, directly below the chrome door handle and behind the speaker enclosure. Unfortunately, this is the area used to mount the window regulator and electric motor, so Jaguar had no realistic choice: the center console had to have the front power window controls and a master control for the rear windows.

Motor upgrades and power locking

Although all four window units still operate, the age of the system dictates a replacement with modern motors and regulators. Adding power locking with central key fob control (plus driver door activation) is a useful modern convenience that avoids fumbling around with small Jaguar keys.

Console control upgrade

The original “staggered” 4-switch layout is well replicated with modern switches of a similar design.

Jaguar apparently borrowed the idea of GM’s window switch, a toggle with a horizontal bar, and reproduction parts are still available for the GM 1960-70s muscle cars like the Camaro, Pontiac and Firebird.

A 4-toggle horizontal row switch assembly mounted behind the shifter push button pad provides good accessibility and improved esthetics.

 

Power window switches

As mentioned above, the XJ6 power windows switch assembly has been replaced with a vintage 1969 Camaro (General Motors) 4-button switch that is more attractive and compact than the original Jaguar one.

Unfortunately the only way to obtain the Camaro switch connector is to purchase the entire Camaro wiring harness!

Instead, we fabricated a custom pigtail that will connect directly to the Infinitybox Mastercell via a 9-pin Molex 0.093″ standard connector.

 

Power lock switch

Since the original XJ6 did not have power locks, a suitable master locking switch must be fit somewhere on the driver side (left) door or elsewhere on the dash or center console.

The most convenient location is probably on the left door panel just below the door handle and window swivel adjustment. Fortunately, there is a door shell opening at this point previously used for the window mechanism that can be repurposed for the power locking switch.

The same Camaro switch used for the rear door power windows is readily adapted for a master power locking function. The switch will be mounted directly on to the interior door panel and secured on the back of the panel by an aluminum backing plate milled to the exact outline profile of the switch body.

Door shell fitment

Replacement window motors/regulators and lock activators do fit within the existing door shell but not without the need for some special mounts.

Electric Life (EL), a niche manufacturer founded in the late 1980s with employment now over 500, makes a street rod universal kit (that is, not designed for a specific car model) that fits (just barely) the XJ6. Unlike the Jaguar system that moves the window glass from the side using a swivel arm, the EL3000 mounts the motor on a vertical glide in the middle of the door frame. This means that space is very tight under the glass, but space is now available outside of the window channel.

Rear door

Both the front and rear doors must position the EL3000 system “upside down”; that the motor mounts face the inside of the external door skin at the top of the door cavity!

Obviously, one can’t just bolt the motor through the outside door skin (unless a Frankenstein effect is desired). Our solution involves FixIt epoxy putty that holds small spacers tapped for machine screws inserted through the motor mounts. Two pillar spacers keep the motor in position and a third pillar spacer near the top of the window glide provides added stability.

An anchor bolt at the bottom of the vertical window glide helps secure the entire window assembly.

A horizontal support bar is secured with custom machined “C-clamps” that are tightened with a set screw into the side glass guide at the top, and hold the horizontal bar at the bottom.

The chrome XJ6 exterior door handles and interior lock hardware is attractive enough to retain. The convenience of remote push button locking can be accomplished by adding door actuators wired up to the Infinitybox inMotion system. The actuators are only 1.25″ deep are positioned under a raised bump in the interior door skin to allow enough clearance with the glass pane.

Front door

The front door presents the same fitment challenges as the rear but is addressed in a similar manner with FixIt putty used to secure spacer motor mounts, C-clamps bar supports, and lock actuators fastened under “bumps” on the interior door skin.

One benefit of a vertical window system is that space is freed up outside of the window pane glides.

This means that Pioneer tweeters can be put close to the 5.25″ speaker enclosure (before this would have been in conflict with the window motor), eliminating the need for more drastic door shell surgery.