Topic: Window crank handle washer *behind* door panel???

[Angela]

I picked up a pair of doors for spare parts and while taking them apart I was surprised to find washers/plates BEHIND the door panels at the window crank handles. Both driver and passenger side doors had washers in that location. They're identical to the washers which I found between the cranks and the door panels..... i.e. each door had TWO washers, one between the crank and the door panel, another washer between the door panel and the door. See photo. The door panels, watershields, handles and washers all appear to be original parts and thus far I cannot find any evidence they'd ever been taken apart (usually the OE door panels fall apart if you try to reuse them or at least make it obvious from the back side that someone had reused them). These doors are from a '67 65A Metuchen car.

I find no documentation that implies the use of the crank handle washers between the door and the door panels, yet I find them here. Is this common and I just haven't run across it until now? Or is this odd and a mistake by a factory assembly line worker? Or something a previous owner added?

[Bob Gaines]

I picked up a pair of doors for spare parts and while taking them apart I was surprised to find washers/plates BEHIND the door panels at the window crank handles. Both driver and passenger side doors had washers in that location. They're identical to the washers which I found between the cranks and the door panels..... i.e. each door had TWO washers, one between the crank and the door panel, another washer between the door panel and the door. See photo. The door panels, watershields, handles and washers all appear to be original parts and thus far I cannot find any evidence they'd ever been taken apart (usually the OE door panels fall apart if you try to reuse them or at least make it obvious from the back side that someone had reused them). These doors are from a '67 65A Metuchen car.

I find no documentation that implies the use of the crank handle washers between the door and the door panels, yet I find them here. Is this common and I just haven't run across it until now? Or is this odd and a mistake by a factory assembly line worker? Or something a previous owner added?

Not typical between the door body and the panel.

[Angela]

Also, I noticed the body assembly manual specifies two pieces of tape to be applied prior to installation of the watershield. One piece of tape is to be applied over the access hole to the lower adjustment nut of the vent window.

See pic below. What is the purpose of the tape (item #2, view "cc") covering this hole? Am I correctly interpreting the instructions, in that the tape is meant to cover the hole shown?

I didn't find any tape in this location when I took apart these doors.

[J_Speegle]

You often will find a couple of the smaller holes (in the 2"-3" in dia ones)  with tape over them - black mastic

Likely just reduces the chance of push through (of the more fragile weather sheet)  that could be made from workers. Why just two holes --- only some olong gone engineer know

[Oz390]

just and observation... as you look at Jeff's photo you can see the taped holes lie outside the "ring" of sealant for the watershield. 

So possibly an alternative "waterproofing" for the areas where it could drip from the inside of the door under the panel and onto the interior surface...  and following that thought, maybe why the lower clips had foam seals too... never thought of that before....

Lack of tape (seen it often, pretty much as shown by Jeff's pic) and the added washers are possibly PO work, or just one of those variants that you can find from time to time that can't be documented as factory or not... I'm sure if you inspected 100 cars randomly back-in-the-day variations from shift to shift and car to car would be found..,

[Angela]

Great pic Jeff; thanks! At least I now see some evidence that the tape was indeed used, even if we're not sure why it was done so.

[J_Speegle]

See pic below. What is the purpose of the tape (item #2, view "cc") covering this hole? Am I correctly interpreting the instructions, in that the tape is meant to cover the hole shown?

Just for discussion what is the date of the printing or change from that page?  We have accepted that these manuals were only a guide for the workers and plant and the guide was only good until the detail was changed if it was. We don't have those documents

just and observation... as you look at Jeff's photo you can see the taped holes lie outside the "ring" of sealant for the watershield. 

Did check a few dozen more quickly and the routing of the sealant was pretty consistent so your idea seems to hold water


Did find some examples (San Jose cars in this sampling) where it appears that they changed from tape to rubber/plastic plugs


From 7R01C162734

[drummingrocks]

Did find some examples (San Jose cars in this sampling) where it appears that they changed from tape to rubber/plastic plugs

+1, I've seen both the tape and the plugs, though I've never really noticed a pattern on the ones I've seen.  I will say that I've had two Metuchen '66s, one built in December '65, the other in March '66, that both had plugs.