BigBadLou

iTrader: (3)

It took only a few days after bying my car to get tired of pulling the keys out of the ignition (or pocket) whenever I want to open the trunk.

So I bought a trunk hatch pulldown mechanism off a non-vert model Camaro and swapped the electric popper onto mine. Added a wire from the trunk to the center console, put in a button and a relay and aaaaaaallllll is well.

If you want details, lemme know, I'm sure there are some of you out there who want to do the same thing.

Lou

P.S.: I also already ran an extra wire from the console to under the dash for my future alarm so that I can pop the trunk with the remote.

Speedy Mike

i do, pics too!! Im adding that to my alarm system, and need advice in that area... Any help would be great

BigBadLou

iTrader: (3)

It was pretty simple.

I just added the electric popper to the trunk hatch release and ran a wire to it, through the loom on the driver's side. I ran the wire to the center console.

Then I added a relay in the center console and hooked it up to the pink wire off one of the power window switches. That way the trunk can be opened without a key in the ignition.

Then I added a switch for the trunk release. I used a switch from a Z28 that I parted out. The switch triggers the negative side of the relay and gets its ground from the emergency brake switch (or on automatics, it gets the ground from the starter through the shift switch /in P or N/).

That's practically it.

When I add my alarm, I will have to add another relay, unfortunatelly. Because the power window circuit does not have power at all times, like when I'm walking up to the car and want to pop the trunk.

If you need, I can draw up a quick schematic but I think it's pretty simple wiring, should be a no brainer.

Hope this helps!
Lou

Speedy Mike

I already have the alarm, and have a trunk popping button on the remote. I thought the trunk popper was different between the convertible and coupe. Was it a Pull down assembly you put in, or just a simple selinoid? The wiring isnt the problem, its the parts i have to find..

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

I did the swap years ago on my 'vert. It is a simple mater to un-bolt the manual hatch (trunk) release and bolt on a solenoid hatch (trunk) release from a coupe. I have used solenoids available on my web site if you can't find one at a Pick-a-Part yard. I used the trunk release switch from a late 80's Caprice. It was located in the glove box. I mounted it in the center console compartment. I grabbed the wiring for the solenoid release from a coupe. Just be sure to add the ground wire that runs from the 10mm screw attaching the solenoid to the pull-down unit. The other end is attached to the common ground location below the pull-down unit. The reason why you need to add this ground wire is that the the solenoid is electircally isolated from ground by the plastic guides.

Lon Salgren
Top-Down Solutions

Speedy Mike

ok, think i will need that wiring diagram, just as a backup

BlueZee28

iTrader: (30)

duuuuude. send me an email with more details, i HATE having to get the keys out to open the trunk...

Purple 92 SS

im down for photos and diagram myself. ive been wanting to relocate my switch for the tonneau, and put in the trunk switch myself ever since I got the car!

-stev

MrDude_1

i also did this a couple years ago.... its pretty easy.

if i recall correctly, the silinoid itself is one bolt... just unbolt and slide out the old release, and slip in the new one. hardest part is the lock clip.

BigBadLou

iTrader: (3)

Hmmm, photos, photos ... I can't think of anything I would take picture of. As MrDude says, the trunk hatch release solenoid is easy, the wiring in the loom can't be photographed and the relay itself looks like a relay. The only thing I can take a snapshot of and post would be the switch in the center console but it's just the stock switch so no biggie.

I'll try to describe the relay hookup in good detail then. I'll assume you pulled the relay and wires from a donor car together with the trunk release switch.

Relay wires:
ORANGE - power for the relay and trunk release.
Feel free to connect to the pink wire on either power window switch. That way, you will have power for the remote trunk popper only with the ignition on (you don't want a thief reaching in and popping the trunk when you are away from your vehicle).

YELLOW - switched power to the trunk release solenoid.
Run a wire to the trunk and connect it to the solenoid.

BROWN - negative trigger for the relay.
Connect to one side of the switch. Connect other side of the switch to the brown/white wire on the tonneau release switch (it's the ground from the parking brake or PRNDL shift selector).


Now, for the alarm hookup. You will need an extra relay. Feel free to use again, the same donor relay with the same wires if you can find it.
Let's assume that your alarm has a negative output signal for the accessory button.

ORANGE - power to the relay.
Connect to the orange wire on your tonneau release relay.

YELLOW - switched power to the trunk release solenoid.
Connect to the wire you already ran to the trunk.

BROWN - negative trigger for the relay.
Connect to the output wire from your alarm. You can run the wire from under the dash through the center console around the shifter or you can hide it in the loom under the carpet by the driver door and under the seat (that's what I did while I had my carpet out).


I hope it's not too confusing. It's realy simple, it's just too many words for one post and looks complicated.

Enjoy!
Lou

P.S.: If anybody's in Central Texas, stop by and we'll do it in my garage in half an hour, no biggie.

Speedy Mike

anyone with a 91-92 firebird convertible done this? I looked today at different camaros and firebird trunk release selenoids, and i dont believe they are interchangeable... Am i wrong??

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

You can swap a motorized trunk pull-down unit from a 1991-92 coupe for the manual slam-latch in your 1991-92 convertible. But they didn't have a solenoid release. Also be sure you get the correct pull-down unit. They changed mid-year in 1991. If yours has a tan colored plastic frame you'll need a motorized pull-down with a tan colored plastic frame. Do not try using one with a metal frame. It is not compatible.

Lon

Speedy Mike

i'll look, im going out of town for a couple of day, but when i get back ill check the junk yards.. thanks

Purple 92 SS

alright since mine is an 89, i have to get one with a metal frame then huh?

-steve

BigBadLou

iTrader: (3)

You don't need the whole hatch pulldown assembly, you just need the electric popper that's bolted to it.

Lou

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

Correct. Here's a picture of it.



Lon

BigBadLou

iTrader: (3)

Lon, how much do they run?

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

TDS 404080, $14.

Lon

Speedy Mike

i went to the junk yard today and picked up that part.. it doent seem to fit... my trunk release appears to be completly different from the coupe release. That and i am going to need that wiring diagram too.. thanks for the help

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

That solenoid hatch release will ONLY fit the 1986-91 hatch pull-down units with a metal frame. The 1991-92 with a tan colored plastic frame will not accept a solenoid release. The trunk or hatch latch hook is captured until the unit has fully raised.

Lon

Speedy Mike

there is no tan plastic on the trunk latch in my car... its metal, no pull down or anything, it apears that the width between the bolts are also different... damn i wish i had a camera.. also, i found 2 firebirds at the junk yard with the trunk release wielded, is this stock?? Or just a fix for a pull down motor that was ironicly on 2 cars?

sorry, i missed the wiring diagram above...

Speedy Mike

i finally got the motorized trunk release from a 92 firebird, it fits perfectly, anyone know how to wire it?

shr00m

iTrader: (2)

Same deal here. It's weird that the 92's would havea metal frame manual release, yet still need the tan plastic pulldown.

The good news is, if your's is like mine, ASC left the relay and plug needed. All you will need to add is a trigger wire and switch. The 92's use a funky relay and wiring that doesn't make sense even looking at it laid out. Give me a few hours and I'll dig up the wiring diagram.

Kevin D.

Speedy Mike

yea mine has the plug and relay, ive swaped the trunk light wires over and they work fine, but there is one wire missing, a black wire next too the red wire that is confusing, i think it has power and its positive... i'm confused..

shr00m

iTrader: (2)

I might have to scan it for you. I looked it up and don't think I could explain it. It seems that both wires may be positive or negative depending upon which way the latch is moving and whether the trunk is closed or not.

I should have my pull down unit shortly and I'll let you know what I do.

Kevin D.

Matthew91-Z28

Hey guy....i Have been in austin for about 6 months now. I visited your f-body club website a few weeks ago. How many member s do you guys have now and whats coming up?

shr00m

iTrader: (2)

Ok, got my pull down in. It didn't come with the harness so I'm having to create one. ASC was kind enough to leave the plug and relay, but pulled three of the wires out of my plug. I found some pins from a scrap harness and I should be set.

In addition, the 4th gen body harness does not have constant power running to the trunk. I added that tonight. I'm going to wire it up tomorrow and let you know how it works out.

I'm going to wire it up like factory first, just to make sure I get it right, but then I'm going to modify it for safety. This has all ready bit me once; you can't open the trunk when the tonneau is up and you can't open the tonneau when the trunk is open. You WILL lose some paint. I'll be adding some relays, but it's not going to be fun. The trunk wire is grounded when open, but that's going to trigger a relay to remove power from the tonneau release. Then I need to somehow put a sensor on the tonneau that breaks the power wire on the trunk..

Fun times, I'll let you know.

Kevin D.

Speedy Mike

yes, please keep us informed!

shr00m

iTrader: (2)

Wow.. That was easy.. ASC left everything needed.

Here goes, this applies to 91.5-92's when adding the plastic framed pull-down to a ASC converted car.

You should have a black wire in the tail harness connector. It splits into three black wires after it. Two go to ports 2 & 3 on the relay ASC left. The third goes around to another harness plug which on mine changed it to a white wire. This powers the tonneau poppers. Disconnect this connector. Now go back to where the black wire splits into three, cut the black wire there (after the tail harness connector, before the split into three). Splice a wire into the tail harness connector side of the black wire and run it to the tonneau popper wire (again, white on mine, just cut off that end of the connector). Your tonneau should now still work like it did before.

Now, go back to the side of the black wire we didn't cut, remove the wire & pin from that connector. Go to the 5 position connector that plugs into the pull-down unit. You should have two wires still there, E & C. Slide the black wire/pin you removed from the popper connecter into position D on the 5-way connector.

Now find the wires coming off the trunk light. There should be a plug that used to go into the manual latch. It should have a BLK/ORN that goes to the light and a BLK wire that goes to ground (mine came from the taillights). Remove those pins from that connector. The BLK/ORN pin goes into position B of the 5-way connector. The BLK pin goes into position A of the 5-way.

Plug the 5-way connector into the pull-down unit. Now, anytime 12v is supplied to black wire we cut first (or the key is turned) the trunk raises up. Hook a relay and switch up to that wire and you should be set.

Also, if you haven't adjusted it yet, the left/right position of the pull-down is VERY IMPORTANT! The way our hinges are designed, having the pull down too far to one side can cause the trunk to close to far to that side! It will hit your side spoilers and scratch them! I've got more scratches on my new paint figuring this out then I did putting my LS1 in.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Kevin D.

KRUSS

Lon:

On your website you list this as a “1986-1991” unit. What is the difference between it and the 1992 unit on a ’92 vehicle WITHOUT the pull-down feature? Doesn't this solenoid essentially just attach to the trunk-side of the lock cylinder and rotate it when the solenoid is triggered (just as a key would when opening the trunk manually)? If yes, is there something different on the 1992 lock cylinder that would prevent using this same solenoid actuator on a 1992 model year car?

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

Bad news. The 1991.5-92 hatch pull-down unit is COMPLETELY different than the earlier version. The manual latch release is roughly half the size of the earlier one. I've acquired roughly 20 of these 1991.5-92 motorized pull-down units over the years. None has ever had a solenoid release.

As I see it your only option is to convert your 1991.5-92 latch to the older style. This is no easy task. You'll have to cut the existing frame your latch mounts to out of the frame of your car. Next cut the same from a doner 1986-91 car, then weld it into your car. You'll also need to swap the hatch (trunk) hook, since those are different too.

Once you've done all that THEN it is cake to add the 1986-91 solenoid hatch release to a 1986-91 pull-down motor with a manual hatch release.

Lon

Randy82WS7

older years solenoid and latch that i have laying around from a camaro i stripped:
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/elec...h-release.html

KRUSS

Well, that sucks! Always makes you wonder how GM could justify changing to a different latch release with only a model year and a half to go on the project. Having said that, I suspect that the 1991.5 - 1992 slam latch w/ solenoid may have made the transition onto the fourth generation cars since it seems implausible to me that they would expend the engineering resources on a latch system that would be abandoned only a short year and a half later. I’ve worked with GM engineering for some time and they’re very good about spending their resources where they’ll get the best bang for their buck. Doesn’t seem like a latch mechanism that would be orphaned only a short time later is such a project. I’m going to start checking around with some of my fourth-gen buddies to see if I can’t find something on this. Looks like I'm now on a crusade to find a '92 with a slam latch with a solenoid release.

On a different note, it sounds like a power pull-down isn’t as rare on a 1991.5 – 1992 convertible. Is that true? If yes, perhaps that’s an even better solution since my perception is that it’s an even higher-end option. Lon, please comment.

shr00m

iTrader: (2)

I'm pretty sure the pull-down units never came on the 92 verts. If you read my replies above it's real easy to add a 92 style pull-down unit, which can be released electronically just like the older units.

With that said, the reason the 92's didn't have the pull-downs is because there's not enough force from the trunk shocks to make it release normally.

On non-verts the latch goes up and the it's released at the top of the cycle (with new hatch shocks it will actually fling all the way open). On the vert the trunk goes up, doesn't have enough pressure to release, then goes back down. If you pull up on the trunk in the slightest, it will open.

Some new trunk shocks and some precise positioning on the unit and it works well now. It basically goes up, then goes down about half way, trunk gets released, and the motor stops. Closing the trunk pulls it down the rest of the way.

The 4th gen units (they didn't have pulldowns) are completely different. If you want electric release on a 91.5-92 you have to get a 91.5-92 pull-down and spend some time tweaking it.

Kevin D.

gray89vert

iTrader: (3)

im probably gonna do that i need a new motor first

allgood

i am losti have a 92 ta vert i know i have something in my trunk that is black and looks like some kind of plug i quess this what you are talking about and so what else do i need to make my trunk power

shr00m

iTrader: (2)

You need a motrized pull down unit from a 92 non-vert car and some wiring skills. You'll need a switch, a relay and be able to follow my instructions above.

It's easy if you have done wiring and projects before, but its not just a drop in and done deal.

Kevin D.

allgood

I HAVE A SWITCH FROM A FIREBIRD OR TA I WISH I HAD PIC OF IT, THE RELAY (SAME AS THE HORN RIGHT) AND FOR THE PULL DOWN UNIT DO YOU HAVE A PIC OF ONE

allgood

what year car did you get the electric popper from and what else to i need

allgood

is this all i need besides a relay and a switch for my 92 ta convertible to make my trunk power

BigBadLou

iTrader: (3)

Yup.

allgood

do you or any body else have a picture of the correct motrized pull down unit need for a 92 ta vert for the power trunk swap

iansane

iTrader: (1)

Bzzzzzt.

shr00m has explained this a couple times already. You need to whole autopulldown assembly.

I picked one up awhile ago and went to bolt it in. As soon as I plugged it in to the connecter that was left back there by ASC my tonneau cover 'noids just started clicking like crazy. So I just pulled it back out with th intention of wiring it in correctly at some point but I've been too lazy. I think that was 4 years ago. haha

BigBadLou

iTrader: (3)

Dang, sorry, didn't realize that allgood has a '92 model.
Well, can't he just go to a junkyard and pull the correct popper off of a '92?

Lou

iansane

iTrader: (1)

From what I skimmed, and I could've missed something else, Lon said that the 92 style didn't come with a non-pulldown and eletric popper version so you have to mount a pulldown motor and everything in there, which can be done, just a lot more work.

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

The late 91-92 motorized pull-down unit doesn't have a hatch release solenoid. Instead pressing the hatch release button starts the "up" cycle. Towards the end of the up-cycle a plastic lever on the back side of the latch hits a ramp that causes the lever to rotate and release the latch. At that point a coil spring pushes the hatch hook free of the pull-down unit.

For a 91-92 'vert you'd have to swap the entire pull-down unit from a late 91-92 coupe.

Lon

WillSpeedy

As soon as I saw that on Lon's web site I bought it. But I wired it to only work when the key is on and the door is open.(interior light) That way you don't accidentally open it on the highway, and no one can pop it without the ignition on.(Steal stuff)

allgood

what do i need to do this swap, i been told diff. things i have a 92 ta vert.
so do i need the whole unit from a non-vert or do i just need the electric popper from a non-vert unit. please help

BigBadLou

iTrader: (3)

It's all clear now. As Lon said above, you will need the whole pulldown assembly from a '92 vehicle.

Lou

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

I sure hate having to repeat myself. Once again, since you have a 92 convertible you'll need the entire motorized pull-down unit from a late 91-92 coupe.

Lon