panel removal

C

chkolar

Junior Member
I just bought a 1931 Slant Windshield and would like to remove the piece that is between the windshield and the gas tank. It really needs to be repainted while the paint on the car is excellent. I would rather not try to paint on the car because the paint is so bad on this piece it would be difficult to clean it and sand. Any ideas on how to remove this without tearing the whole car apart?
 
chkolar said:
I just bought a 1931 Slant Windshield and would like to remove the piece that is between the windshield and the gas tank. It really needs to be repainted while the paint on the car is excellent. I would rather not try to paint on the car because the paint is so bad on this piece it would be difficult to clean it and sand. Any ideas on how to remove this without tearing the whole car apart?
Click to expand...
Do you have a photo of area?
 
If memory serves me, there are screws on either side of the panel concealed by the dash. Remove the dash board-five screws-then you can locate the screws that hold that panel to the underside of the windshield. They are pretty expensive to replace.
 
That can be a bear. You have to remove the inside dash rail (in very front of passenger compartment, usually wood grained). Then there are several bolts that go upward into caged nuts in that filler piece. They are often very hard to get out as weather(rust) works on them there. Also, the caged nuts often spin out of the little cages making them free floating thus spinning. There are two screws tabs on the filler piece on the outside that go into the upright pillars on each side.
If I paint an ugly picture it’s because it usually is a difficult removal. And not the most convenient piece to get to!



A pessimist …..is an optimist after 20 years!
 
In addition to the other warnings posted so far, if you are able to pry that windshield filler panel up after all the millions of bolts and fasteners have been removed, it's very likely that you will take part of the gas tank welting along with it. The bodies were painted all assembled, so that welting received paint at the same time as the panel, meaning they have been in close proximity since Day One. That welting dries up and becomes quite brittle, easily torn. If it does split and portions stay with the filler panel and some remain on the gas tank, it will be difficult to match beading ends on a replacement strip of welting. It will always be noticeable that a splice job was performed there and your eye will always go right to it.
I have done many Model A and T full and partial paint jobs, and while I prefer to disassemble everything to do so, sometimes it's just not feasible or worth the effort. I can't image any panel being so bad that old paint cannot be carefully scraped and sanded off in preparation for primer and paint. Judicious masking will be necessary, of course, but that will take FAR less time and be FAR less invasive than removing that filler panel. Get yourself a narrow, flexible paint scraper, some 220 wet/dry sandpaper, and do the job that way. Just be glad you don't have to scrape several layers of old factory and barn paint off a decklid. Now, THERE'S a sinkhole of time and effort! That filler panel is mice nuts by comparison.
Marshall
 
Oldbluoval said:
That can be a bear. You have to remove the inside dash rail (in very front of passenger compartment, usually wood grained). Then there are several bolts that go upward into caged nuts in that filler piece. They are often very hard to get out as weather(rust) works on them there. Also, the caged nuts often spin out of the little cages making them free floating thus spinning. There are two screws tabs on the filler piece on the outside that go into the upright pillars on each side.
If I paint an ugly picture it’s because it usually is a difficult removal. And not the most convenient piece to get


Bill is right. It is a difficult piece to get out and back in with damaging things unless your doing a body restoration. If your gas tank welting is ok which it probably isn’t you may luck out. Tha full piece you are speaking of will come out with the windshield in place but lifted up by a couple of helpers while you remove the tank filler piece. As Bill said take the dash tail and all the stringer gas tank bolts out and don’t forget the upper ear screws . If the welting is in need of replacing your into pulling the tank which means removing the windshield first.

A less evasive method might be to try and touch it up as there is very little of it exposed when the windshield is closed . You can tape off what you need to.

Nothing easy about doing body work and what folks think are “little “ tasks like this which really aren’t all that “little “ .
Larry Shepard
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There are two screws tabs on the filler piece on the outside that go into the upright pillars on each side.
At first blush, it may seem as though that panel will be easy to remove. But...
As "Oldbluoval" states, those two screws in the vertical windshield pillars can almost never be backed out with a screwdriver. The heads are shallow to begin with and will have become so rusted and worn away by exposure to the elements in last 95 years or so, that the slots in the heads are too shallow to accept a flat blade screwdriver tip. Perhaps Model A's that have spent their entire lives in a dry, humidity-free environment and never saw any rain or snow will escape this fate. But for the majority of the Model A's out there in Restorer Land, those two pillar screws will be the final nail in the coffin of a difficult panel-ectomy. You will end up drilling them out and then you will have to rethread the holes, which are so low in the pillars that it will be difficult to turn the tap. It's not easy lining up a drill, either, because of the low location of those screws in pillars. You'll almost need to drill out those screws at an angle - without the bit slipping and digging into the paint around the area.
We, who have commented so far, don't mean to be Debbie Downers and discourage you if you are determined to remove the filler panel.to repaint it. We are just sharing the benefit of our past difficulties doing that so that you can avoid needless frustration and possible damage to your Model A for very little gain.
Marshall.
 
Thanks guys. I think you all have scared me enough that I will attempt to sand and repaint in place. This is exactly what I was hoping for when I posted this question. Thanks again for the reply's.
 
Marshall V. Daut said:
There are two screws tabs on the filler piece on the outside that go into the upright pillars on each side.
At first blush, it may seem as though that panel will be easy to remove. But...
As "Oldbluoval" states, those two screws in the vertical windshield pillars can almost never be backed out with a screwdriver. The heads are shallow to begin with and will have become so rusted and worn away by exposure to the elements in last 95 years or so, that the slots in the heads are too shallow to accept a flat blade screwdriver tip. Perhaps Model A's that have spent their entire lives in a dry, humidity-free environment and never saw any rain or snow will escape this fate. But for the majority of the Model A's out there in Restorer Land, those two pillar screws will be the final nail in the coffin of a difficult panel-ectomy. You will end up drilling them out and then you will have to rethread the holes, which are so low in the pillars that it will be difficult to turn the tap. It's not easy lining up a drill, either, because of the low location of those screws in pillars. You'll almost need to drill out those screws at an angle - without the bit slipping and digging into the paint around the area.
We, who have commented so far, don't mean to be Debbie Downers and discourage you if you are determined to remove the filler panel.to repaint it. We are just sharing the benefit of our past difficulties doing that so that you can avoid needless frustration and possible damage to your Model A for very little gain.
Marshall.
Click to expand...

Been there, done that on a friend's '30. Awful location.
 
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