T-Bird Project - Part 16: Back to the Body!

T-Bird Project - Part 16: Back to the Body! - Page 2

When we were finished the metalwork we took the time to build a fixture on our workbench that would hold the doors in vertical position. We didn't have to do this, but felt that the effort was worth it. With the doors in their "as-in-the-car" positions we would be better able to see minor surface irregularities during the body filler applications.

The doors are sitting verical. The one on the right is stripped and sprayed with etching primer, while the one on the left still needs some stripping.

You can see real progress on this door. The weld lines are ground and filled and the surface is beginning to look smooth.

Hardware Time

While waiting for various applications of filler to cure we turned our attention to the window and lock hardware. Rather than throw everything in a box - where it would be forgotten until needed - we decided to repair the parts before storing them away. The door lock assemblies were in great condition (probably replaced some years ago) and only needed cleaning and lubrication. One window crank was skipping and the other was quite stiff, so we took them apart.

The window crank assembly with its mounting plate, foreground, removed.

After removing the stop-screw on the geared segment wheel we were able to get the wheel away from its crank mechanism. This allowed us to remove the crank and inspect its teeth for wear. Once we cleaned everything we discovered that the crank's teeth were in excellent condition. All that had happened is that the hardened grease had moved the entire assembly sideways enough to cause misalignment with the mating segment wheel. Proper fitting, lubrication and new rivets were installed to renew the assembly.

The crank looks horrible, but it's mostly hardened grease.

The rivets are going in prior to a final test.

Everything was cleaned after testing and re-lubricated. Any rusted areas were painted with a brush (no need to be beautiful here) and then all the parts were marked and stowed away in plastic bags.

We also took apart the window frames and renewed the sealing material around the glass, as well as cleaned and repaired the channel assemblies. We wrote about removing the window glass in a Beginners' Corner article a couple months ago (see link below), so we won't repeat ourselves here. However, we will mention that we made sure the rollers and other components were working perfectly before reinstalling the glass and chrome trim.

The glass is coming out of the frame.

The parts are ready for repair and lubrication.

Before replacing the chrome trim we buffed it smooth on our wheels to remove any scratches and stains from years of neglect. Once the windows were reassembled we wrapped each one in cardboard to keep them from breakage during storage.