Driver’s Door Mechanism and Window - Slant

David in San Antonio

David in San Antonio

Well-known member
Driver’s Door Mechanism and Window - Slant

Slant windshield Fordor, driver’s door.
Is there a method that makes this easier?
I’m replacing the door mechanism and it’s a bear to locate in place inside the door (sandwiched between the outer and inner door metal, and with the window glass). The nuts and lock washers have to be suspended in space while running the bolts through the inner door while keeping the mechanism aligned with the holes. You cannot see behind the inner door metal, and it seems to require at least three hands, but there’s no room for human hands let alone a hand holding a wrench. Has anyone figured out a method to make this easier?
And less importantly, how was this done at the factory?
(I got the replacement mechanism from Steve Becker at Bert’s. He said all the models prior to the slant windshield were much simpler.)
I managed to crack the window while removing the old mechanism, too.
There’s got to be a better way. I hope.
 
Re: Driver’s Door Mechanism and Window - Slant

I find working on the SW front doors. pull the glass out first than you can get to the window Reg, and the door latch. otherwise, you will fight it the whole time.
 
Re: Driver’s Door Mechanism and Window - Slant

It's been some years but found it easier to grind off and remove the rivet holding the window raising arm to the bedding channel and replacing with a pan head machine screw/nut and locktite, etc. Also remove the lock jamb felt runner which may have to come out with the glass (per Mr. Hash) guiding it thru the lock jamb metal channel.
 
Re: Driver’s Door Mechanism and Window - Slant

The replacement latch mechanism from Steve Becker at Bert’s Model A Store is finally installed, the window is working, and the interior door panel back in place. Although the driver’s door glass has a small crack in it I chose not to replace it.
The process of getting the door glass out of the way so the latch mechanism could be removed was very difficult. The two diagonal arms that lift the glass are supposed to allow their removal by moving them to the wider gap in the mechanism. One arm did fine. Its twin was recalcitrant, defiant, and downright stubborn. It flatly refused to be coaxed to pop out of the track until a friend just applied brute force to it.
Placing the latch mechanism back in the door was a challenge. It is supposed to be closest to the interior with the window mechanism behind it, closer to the outside skin of the door.
Got this partly wrong and finally realized why the inner door latch axle wouldn’t protrude into the interior enough, and was at an angle. Pulled it apart again, put it back in correctly, and then the felt window channels interfered and had to be put in their places. It was practically a rebellion.
Then stuck the plastic sheet onto the interior of the door with a few dabs of silicone and attempted to clip the upholstered door trim panel in place. It uses little black wire clips that tuck between the cloth and the underlying cardboard, then have two bent arms that are supposed to pop into holes drilled into the sheet metal. Well, between the age of the clips and the wear on the cardboard, when most of the clips were popped in place, some of the others would slip off the cardboard and fall into the door cavity. Magnet on a stick helped retrieve them. This happened several times. Some of the clips got cockeyed and wouldn’t snap into the sheet metal. Now I know why some hot rods have visible screws holding their door panels in place.
Well, it’s done now. The new door mechanism is a bit stiff, and now the window winder is, too. Perhaps they’ll loosen up with time and usage.
Thanks to all who offered suggestions, and to local friends Steve and Calvin for getting their hands greasy, keeping their sense of humor and not losing patience. I confess I did swear quietly maybe once or twice. There were only a few screws and washers left over.
Just to complete the picture, this was done in the shade of a huge oak tree. Literal shade tree repairs. And just to top it off, a couple of acorns rained down and sounded like one of us had dropped a screw.
How was your Labor Day?
 
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