I’m going to replace my four door cards on my 1966 MK2. I found that various vendors offer these at a variety of prices. Check around before your order, some of the prices vary by $1,000 USD for the same exact product. Mine came from the UK through Aldridge trimming and SNG. They are stunning. They do NOT come with the cut outs for the rear ashtrays, the vendor said the brackets were built in and easily found (gentle cutting!!) as some people don’t want to reinstall the ashtrays. Don’t forget to order new clips. These cards take a beating with age and moisture retention due to the felt and dirt clogging the drain holes.
Some of my windows are difficult to roll up and down. I have tried some spray solvent on the rails and propane on the spring wind up part. It looks like I am going to have to pull everything out of the doors.
What problems will I encounter if I remove the cranking mechanism? Will it be a bear to reinstall the window as I can see it might fall down?
I am refinishing the woodwork on my own and its coming out nicely for an amateur job.
I did my woodwork restoration a few years ago and I I very pleased with the result from a first time effort. I was fortunate that all the veneers were in excellent condition. The original lacquer was dried, crazed and dull and could only be removed with methylated spirits and steel wool.
I am looking for tips on removing the metal window cranking mechanism. I just finished removing the door latch, cleaned with solvent and my mini steam cleaner. I’ve got a small burn on my forearm from the wand to prove it!
I worry that the window will fall and break.
BTW, I believe some of your gauges are in the wrong place?
The instrument configuration is correct for RHDrive. For LHDrive the speedo and tacho are reversed. That is, the speedo is on the outboard side and the tacho on the inboard side irrespective of the driving side. It is to do with the route the cable takes to the location of the hole in the bulkhead.
The manual describes the process clearly but you need to check some alignment factors which might be contributing to the resistance. You need to remove the chrome frames - a straightforward job. When off, wind the window up a bit to grab the glass and slide it forward out of its rear roller track. You will have to fiddle a bit to get it off the front roller. The regulator can then be removed.
A few alignment factors to check on the bench:
measure the span of the two legs to make sure they are parallel and not narrowing.
check for twist; that the two legs are parallel in the other axis. If they are not parallel, the glass will be gripped more on a top corner and its opposite bottom corner.
slide the glass up and down to check if there are any tight spots with the channel insert.
Cautions - these frames are shimmed for adjustment in the vertical and horizontal planes and the shims should all be retrieved during disassembly and marked for ensuring correct reassembly. These shims are on the top of the door panel and at the legs of the frame. If these have been incorrectly fitted by others, you will have to correct it. This system is to make the upper frame match the body opening and to set the correct pressure against the rubber for watertightness.
I just used normal methylated spirits from the hardware shop. I don’t know if there is any differentiation or variables in names or formulae in the US. The original lacquer was methylated spirits based, as was used on furniture years ago before the modern solvent products emerged. I tried paint stripper and turpentine but these did not touch it, so I called on my experience working with wood with my grandad. It is hard work and required many phases of effort.
The difficulties are that the spirits evaporate quickly so it can take many applications to finally clear all traces. As the spirits dry, the accumulated lacquer goes like tacky jam and eventually dries as a lump, making things difficult. So work a small area at a time. The other difficulty is that the steel wool clogs up quickly and needs to be renewed frequently.
The advantage is that water is not needed (and should not come near it) so there is no risk of disturbance to the veneers and adhesion.
After stripping, the surface needs to be rubbed carefully with fine steel wool (000 or 0000 grade) to create a superior smooth finish. When that is done, the wood looks beautiful and no damage occurs. You have to treat it like a valuable piece of furniture. In fact, that is what it is.
NEVER use any tools or abrasives as the veneer is quite thin from the factory preparation and If you go through it, your repair will be always visible.
I used an epoxy two-part marine varnish in natural/clear because I considered it to have the best resistance to hot weather and sunlight. This is a long process because each coat needs to be lightly rubbed super smooth before the next coat. I found that a minimum of five coats were required, with some panels requiring eight or more.
I also painted the visible edges of the base ply - glove box opening etc. - with a dark brown gloss enamel before lacquering. Allow up to a month from start to finish, depending on your dedication and time constraints, plus some curing time after before fitting any parts to the panels.
I did the dashboard of my other favourite car, but it needed a new veneer in ‘butterfly’, or ‘bookleaf’ style. Again, I was very pleased as a rookie amateur.
I failed to mention to not use a hot air stripper, as the heat only softens the varnish and turns it to jam also and then you are tempted to use a scraper which clogs up with melted varnish and will definitely gouge or scratch the veneer resulting in serious repair work.
I was looking into it also and recommendations were mineral spirits or lacquer thinner. Did you use mineral spirits which I believe is considered Methylated Spirits?
This thread has migrated from those with experience removing door hardware to some excellent tips for restoring woodwork.
I’m on pages N-17 to N-19 in the manual. The term packing pieces and “wooden packing pieces” does not ring a bell with me. Surely the wood will have rotted by now?
What are the red “once rubber” wheels? I think they are bump stops to prevent the window from going up or down?
I think that the accumulation of dirt in the window channels may also causing the window to crank slowly. I have used copious amounts of spray lubricant and it move s bit better. Pulling that entire structure out seems somewhat formidable.
Your wood looks fabulous. My only question is, what is that gauge located between the handbrake light and the speedo? I’ve never seen one of these before, perhaps it’s unique to the LHD cars? I refinished the wood on my LHD 1967 Mark 2 3,4 using marine spar varnish 22 years ago . It isn’t as smooth as yours but it is holding up well after all these years
That looks like a vacuum measuring gauge. Many hot rodders here have them to determine the best engine tune. The gauge will move substantially with throttle application. High or low vacuum at idle can help determine a myriad of problems. i.e. late timing, too lean or rich and valves not opening correctly.
I have one that taps into the carb ports on my Holly and I can tell if I have the correct jets, etc. for my altitude on the GTO.
It’s a vacuum gauge, measuring induction manifold vacuum through the range of driving conditions relative to the throttle position. Downhill, accelerator off = very high vacuum; uphill, accelerator floored = very low vacuum. Remember the old vacuum wipers? I have not seen another fitted like this and it seems that this may have been a factory-fitted option (special request for this car?) as the cutout for it was the same quality as those for the other instruments as if done at the same time.
These became popular from the '60s and especially through the '70s when the world oil crisis forced us to drive economically, hence the green band - being ‘green’.
A proper large workshop equivalent can help you diagnose a vast array of faults. I might present an article for publication here in the future as I have one with diagnostic instructions, but I’m not sure which category it matches as it covers all models.
The spacers in mine were not wood, but were made from that red bonded insulating stuff, made as large washers about 6mm thick (a guess, as I didn’t actually measure them at the time). They were quite weathered but ‘sound as a bell’ and refitted. They are only on the bottom of the legs, small washers are along the top (where needed). My top frames now just contact the top rubber seal before the final closing click, thereby applying slight pressure along the top and it is totally watertight.
You might have a problem with the Bailey channel being too ‘full’ or stiff. If you take one side out and roll the window and it runs freely, a new channel insert might fix it. Have you rocked the glass fore and aft to check for clearance? There should be up to 2 or 3 mm gap and it should move relatively easily.
Pages N17 to N22 cover the works well and with good pictures. I don’t know what you mean by ‘once rubber’ wheels. It is not difficult to dismantle these doors after the trims are removed. The glass stays in place as you slide the frame up - but take care you don’t scratch the paint. Just make sure you save and note the location of any packers - Fig. 27.
Methylated spirits is a cocktail of ethanol, methanol, alcohol and was good cheap plonk for those living under bridges, so it is probably mineral spirits. I wouldn’t use thinners only for the nastiness associated with breathing it. Alcohol is only a problem when you drink a lot of it. It’s like cigarettes - too much kills.
The smooth high gloss can only be achieved with repeated coats and smooth sanding between. Use very fine grades - 600/800/1000+. It’s worth the extra effort because it has a nice luxury feel when you run your fingers over it. A la RR. I used expensive small very fine-bristled brushes for this work. Spraying is preferred in the trade but for a one-off job there is a lot of waste and cleaning solvent needed with this method.
Service manual questions, found an error which is no big deal. It mentions 5 and there are only4 big screws across the top under the wood, unless I am missing one?
Collect all the packing pieces.
Care should be taken to replace the same number
of packing pieces under their respective screws.
Remove the two bolts, serrated and plain washers
securing the two legs of the window frame to the door.
Collect the woodenpacking pieces
Are these additional washers on the door frame inside to move the frame away from the door frame? And note the word wooden above. I would have to pull the window out but from what I can feel, those red bumpers are very hard and crumbly.
The two ‘wooden’ pieces (or other material) are thick and they fit between the lugs on the legs and the back of the inner door skin. These tilt the chromed window frame inwards at the top enough to ensure the frame presses on the rubber weather seal when closed.
My S type manual refers to only four screws along the top, page N18 and the picture on N19.
Thanks, that explains the difference. Surely methylated spirits are available in the US. One useful feature is it readily mixes with water and it can be used to dry up remnants of water in crevices quickly - like when you are cleaning out your petrol tank for treating and coating.
By “Packers” do you mean the door handle, the trim ring, the spring and the retaining pin hold the handle to the cranking mechanism.
I have been frighting with the door locking mechanisms. I have used a local shops solvent tank and 50+ years of hardened grease takes quite a bit of work. I am using a product by WD-40 which is a “gel” it sticks very well.
under the four screws that hold the horizontal flange onto the top of the door shell. These are really just ordinary washers placed where required to centralise the window frame in the body opening.
at the bottom of the window channel legs. About 25 dia. x 6 thick. You could cut these from 3mm marine ply.
behind the trim panel at the door, window winder, and locking handles. About 50 square x 3 or 4 mm thick dense foam.
Ah, packing pieces can refer to any one of several types of spacers in between panels, bolts and behind the door cards.
I’ll be off to the motor shop later to solvent clean the door locking mechanisms later. I’ll trying pulling one of the window frames out as that would make inspection, cleaning and adjustments so much easier. If you have ever inspected the workings of the door latch mechanism it is so Rube Goldberg. I can now open both rear doors with the button and am not sure if they will stay locked. Sometimes I have to walk away and try later.
