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Warning about dealing with 80(ish) door panels

Started by TJ Hopland, November 18, 2012, 10:37:22 PM

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TJ Hopland

Had to replace the door glass in my 80 Eldo today after it was taken out by a deer.  The whole glass replacement was interesting but that is another topic.  A couple years ago I had another 80 Eldo parts car.  On that car I took the window motors so I had to remove the door panels.  The parts car was in pretty bad shape and looked like it had spent its entire life outside.  I was not trying to save the door panels so I was not that careful taking them apart but I did pay attention to where the clips and screws were and such.  I do remember everything sort of shattering into pieces but like I said the whole car was pretty rough so I figured it was just from 30 years of getting baked in the sun not to mention I did it with a screwdriver. 

So we move on to earlier today when I started carefully taking the door panel off using my fancy tools made just for the job.  Every clip holding area on the lower panel broke off and the lower corners completely broke off.   I think this car spent most of its life indoors.  Interior showed almost no signs of fading.  Steering wheel and dash are not even cracked so I dont think it was like the other one that just had a hard life.  Drivers arm rest has one crack but the material is overall still soft.  The lower and upper panels are joined with nut sort of things from the inside so it all comes off in one piece.  The nuts thread onto studs that are part of the lower section and several of these studs broke off in the process also.  Not sure if this was isolated to 80 Eldorados or if it was more years.   Figured I would just throw it out there so if someone with that era car was thinking about messing with the door panels they should do it knowing that they may never be the same again.

Another unusual tip about and 80 Eldo panel is that there is one screw in the middle of the panel that I have not seen on other cars.  You access it after you remove the electric switch panel.  Its at a slight angle so you can hit it with a regular philips screwdriver.    Again I dont know if this is on other models but an 80 Eldo has it.   I had forgot about this which I now remember from the parts car so that could be how some of the joining studs broke off.     
StPaul/Mpls, MN USA

73 Eldo convert w/FiTech EFI
80 Eldo Diesel
90 CDV
And other assorted stuff I keep buying for some reason

planetcadillac

Sometime in the 1970s GM, and many other makes, started going to plastic fasteners. They are called "Christmas Trees" in the industry, they are generally make for one-time-only use and most of them are readily available at most parts stores. There is a special way to install them into the door that makes them fit snug. The biggest issue that I have with late model panels is the fiberboard backing that is used that warps, degades, and sometimes gets damaged due to moisture. That can make reinstallation complicated unless to effect a repair to the backing. I have an 83 Eldorado and had to remove the door panels and drop the door glass slightly in order to replace the doorglass beltline molding.

Always a good idea when taking off the door panel to go in and observe all of the other components inside the door. Great the window tracks, check the door lock actuator, door lock assembly and mirror assembly. Also helpful to tape a piece of paper or cardboard between the door frame and the door panel assembly to resist water intrusion. Many beltline molding deteriorate allowing water inside the door possibly damaging components.
Craig Seman #17308

Gene Beaird

Even for vehicles stored indoors, heat-cycling when the car is being used on summer days, and ozone will wreak havoc on the plastics.  Mid-80's Mazdas (especially the RX7) can have dash parts crack and fall out just by riding gently over a pothole or uneven pavement.  I got very good with the two-part epoxy on our 88 Turbo II because of that. 

While they got better with better recipes as manufacturers got more experienced with using plastics, I fear that now days, they will be getting more like the early applications since they're now making the plastic pieces 'greener' and better able to decompose should the plastic parts be dumped in a landfill.

Gene Beaird,
1968 Calais
1979 Seville
Pearland, Texas
CLC Member No. 29873