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Rear Defoggers, Electric Trunk Latches, And Other Cool Stuff

by Doug Walker (“moparz”)

You know those little econo-box cars are pretty neat sometimes. I mean they have all those neat options and stuff. Cruise control, tilt wheels, heated seats, etc.

I have been checking out my 1966 Dart interior and I can't figure out a way to get a holder for a “Big Gulp” in there and make it look right. My wife is not impressed with all of that painted metal after riding in her Cadillac, so I thought maybe a little updating might be more enjoyable on those weekend trips since we usually take my car.

It took a couple of trips to the junkyard for the pieces to install a rear window defogger, trunk light, electric trunk latch, electric antenna, and speaker switch.

First, the wiring

On the backside of the fuse block I hooked into two terminals that were piggybacked at the fuses. One lead for an “always on” wire and one for a “switched on” wire, both using 20 amp fuses. From these two wires I ran all of the switches I needed in a series.

Working my way from the trunk. I ran three wires along side the inside door frame up to the kick panel and up across the underside of the dash to the holes I had already drilled for the switches.

TRUNK LIGHT/ELECTRIC LATCH

I had already put an electric trunk latch in my old Duster and had gotten used to using it. so I wanted another for this car.

Most Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth luxury and police cars built in the late 1970s and onwards already have these installed. and almost all have a trunk light with them. Grab both and all of the wiring that goes with them. There is usually a switch for the trunk latch in the glove box marked “trunk” get that also.

This way you will have good wire and the right connecters. Simply put the pieces back together in your car the way they were in the donor car. Hook up the wire for the trunk light to the “always on” wire from the fuse block. You can hook up the electric trunk latch to either the “always on“ wire or the wire that is only on with the ignition. I installed the latch switch way under the dash but you could also install it back in the glove box, anywhere convenient is okay.

The trunk light uses a mercury liquid switch. When the trunk lid is lifted the the should make contact and come on. the main thing to check is that it goes OFF when the lid is lowered or you will soon have a run down battery.

REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER

The forced air rear window defogger was popular throughout the seventies in all sizes of cars. Later models usually have the electric style with the grid lines in the back window which are more efficient, though I don't care for the looks.

There are two styles of forced air blowers that will work. One blower motor mounts in the trunk to the back of the seat frame (usually on C-bodys) and the less common style mounts under the package shelf, where your right side rear speaker would go (mostly on A-bodys). One will draw air from your trunk and the other would draw air from the inside of your car.

You already have an older car, so be aware of the possibility of exhaust leaks getting into the passenger compartment via the trunk if you use the blower motor that mounts to the back of the seat frame. Because of the angle of the blower outlet differs, they are not interchangable unless you make a simple modification.

Turn the blower motor over so the motor and wires are hanging down. There should be an extra three holes in the mounting plate. Remove the existing three bolts, rotate the motor until the exhaust hole is parallel with the length of the mounting plate, and reinstall screws. This allows a blower motor designed to mount on the back of the seat frame to be mounted where the right hand speaker goes, which should be much safer.

Simply find a complete donor car and start unbolting the pieces. The plastic vent and hose are very fragile, so go slowly. If you tear the fabric hose, you can use the defroster vent hoses found in later model Darts and Valiants; mine came from a 1974 Dart and it is much more flexible and a little longer. Get one while you’re at the yard anyway.

The donor car wiring up under the dash gets complicated so I usually just cut it off. Most of the switches for these are not suitable for what you want to do. On my first installation I just used an old switch from Radio Shack but you need to use a three position switch since the blower has 2 speeds. About six months later, I found a more suitable switch at the junkyard, I think it was from a Polara.

Installation is pretty straightforward. Holes for the vent and blower mounting are usually already drilled in the metal since this was an option in most cars. Trace the outline for the vent from inside the trunk,remove the package shelf and cut out the outline. Remember that the cardboard is twenty to thirty years old and is very brittle.

My seatback frame inside the trunk already had one hole in it that matched up to where I need to mount the blower and I added a hole to secure it. A little trial and error with getting the right wire to the right switch terminal. and I was done.

ELECTRIC ANTENNA

I bought some original equipment antennas but the mounting bracket at the top of the fender was much flatter than my Dart, so the antenna never mounted correctly and was not vertical. Eventually I found an aftermarket one at the yard.

Once I got everything back home, I jacked up the right side to remove the flat panel inside the fenderwell for access to the old antenna and removed it along with the kick panel inside the car.

Since I was using my original radio, it did not have any connections for the auto raise and lower. One wire from the antenna was spliced into the “always on” connection I already had and the other wire from the antenna was hooked into the “switched on” connection. The switched wire raises the antenna when turned on and the always-on wire lowers the antenna when you turn off the key. Use the mounting bracket at the base of the antenna motor for more stability. I just drilled an “approximate” hole through the kick panel sheet metal and bent the mounting tab a little for fit.

Now the car has a much cleaner look than that really ugly Mopar antenna stick.

SUNVISOR/VANITY LIGHT/MIRROR

After reading Unsafe At Any Speed by Ralph Nadar years ago, one of the stories that stayed with me (among many) was about the sharp fiber board sunvisors in old cars scalping the top of peoples heads in an accident. Since most of the fabric on my sunvisor and the hair on my hairline was already gone I needed something a little better.

Since I had a green interior, I knew it would not be easy to find something to match quickly. Many many trips later I found a Cordoba with a matching green interior for a donor car. The visor from the passenger side already had light and vanity mirror in it so why not make my wife a little happier also.

Just match up the holes in the new visor with the old holes in the visor (mark them first) and thread the wire down alongside the windshield post to just under the dash. Hook up the wire and you’re all set. Safety and convenience.

SPEAKERS AND SWITCHES

The radio speaker on my 30-year-old car still worked but just barely. Looking through the K-Mart and Walmart stores I found a pair of Panasonic slim mount speakers at a reasonable price.

Remove the speaker from the underside of the dash and remove the speaker from the speaker mounting bracket and bolt on the new speaker. Make sure the black cloth is still in place on the top of the speaker mount or the top of your dash will be real ugly without it. I did have to adjust the heater controls a little bit to get it to fit in there.

Since I was still using my old original radio I did not have a front to rear volume balance switch. My rear seat passengers usually got blasted while I could hardly hear any music at all. A 1974 Dart was the donor car for this one. I usually don't see very many cars with this option so I grab them when I can. The main thing here is do not destroy it while trying to get it out. For some reason this switch is delicate or cheaply made.

A little common sense with the wiring and your in business. Much better.

ROCKET SCIENCE

None of this stuff compares with rebuilding your front suspension or installing sway bars but it does make things a little more enjoyable. I drive my car to work everyday and use it as a truck on weekends (usually to junkyard or swap meets) so the time I spend in it should be comfortable for me.

None of these items take very long or cost very much with a little scrounging at the yards. A few hand tools, a drill, electrical tape, and stake on terminals is all you need.

It feels more like a Cadillac going down the road. Now for the tilt wheel and the electric seat warmers—stay tuned.