Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

For sedans, unscrew the 2 tiny screws at the front of the front door window frame as well as the 2 screws holding the divider piece in place on the rear window frame, on both sides. Lift out the rear dividers then remove the rest of the window frame screws and lift out the frames. The frames slot into the door metal so they are usually a little stuck. By wiggling the frame and pinching it in towards the center of the door where it hangs up, it can be easily removed and lifted off the door.

For hardtops, unscrew the tiny screw at the front of the door windowsill piece, then unscrew the rest of the screws holding it on, on both sides. Be careful to not lose the special countersink washers. Lift off the windowsill.

Press the door card in, near the door handle, to create clearance to access the door handle retainer. Insert a thin flathead screwdriver (approx. 1/8” wide blade works well) behind the door handle. Be VERY CAREFUL that the screwdriver is going between the door handle and the escutcheon, not between the escutcheon and the large trim plate (front doors) or door card itself (rear doors / Deluxe all doors). Press the release tab while pulling and wiggling the door handle to remove it. Repeat on all doors.

Remove the door card screws holding the large trim plate to the door on the front of the front doo (N/A on Deluxe), and the two screws at the rear of the rear door card. Starting at the top rear corner, use a nylon trim tool or butter knife and run the tool behind the door card until a clip is encountered, then gently pry the clip out of the hole. To prevent creasing the door card, it may be necessary to pry on both the top and 2nd clip, pulling the second clip partway out, while pulling the top clip fully out, and continuing in sequence. Unclip the rest of the door card in this manner. When the card comes off, pull the wiring connector off the back of the power window switch. Repeat on all doors.

Photograph the wiring arrangement on both the driver and passenger switch for later reference. Remove the small screw(s) holding the back cover plate onto the connector body. Lift out the wiring connectors and bend the wires so that they are reasonably straight. Unplug the window motor wires: for the yellow wire, hold the wire on the MOTOR side while gripping the connector, to separate; for the black, hold the wire on the HARNESS side while gripping the connector. If applicable, unplug the power lock wire. Repeat on all doors.

Unscrew the 3 (most) or 4 (Caribbean) screws holding on the kick panels (the trim panels on the sides of the inside of the car, under the dash). Lift off the kick panels. (For reassembly, apply DAP Weldwood Landau Top Adhesive or similar to the rear of the panel before attaching. Follow the instructions on the can; generally you should apply it, screw the piece on very soon and press around the piece to transfer some adhesive to the body, then come back after a few minutes after the adhesive becomes tacky, and press the panels into place.)

For sedans, remove the reading light switch on the B-pillar. Starting near the top, pry at the side of the trim enough to see the clips which hold it on. Use a butter knife to press on each side of the clip to see which one is the springy side. Compress the clip in this manner and gently pull the trim away from the body. Repeat for the other clips. Repeat on the other side.

Remove the clamps holding the old rubber conduit on. Remove the conduit and harness as an assembly, going through the kick panel opening (B-pillar opening for sedan rear doors). Slide off the old conduit and install the new. Repeat on all doors.

Installation is reverse of disassembly. For reference, except the final paragraph above and the disaassembly/disconnection of the wiring harness connectors, and B pilllar trim removal, the flat rate book gives 1.8h for a two door; 3.0h for a four door.

Pgh Ultramatic wrote:
Here are the instructions I wrote on the generic weatherstripping. I would appreciate any feedback.

53 Cavalier wrote:

Feedback:
-Maybe indicate on the picture of the door what area the weatherstrip can be used. It gets confusing reading front upper, upper, rear upper, etc.

53 Cavalier wrote:
-I would suggest that one of the first steps should be to check and adjust door alignment so that new seals are trained to fit properly aligned doors. Along with a reminder that door gaps on vehicles from the 50's are not as consistent as modern vehicles.

53 Cavalier wrote:
-When I installed my door weatherstripping I found that the asymmetrical design does matter, that one way it tips a bit towards the car and the other a bit away. To help the seal stay on the surface of the body where it should it was best if it tipped away and that is how the factory seal was installed as well.

53 Cavalier wrote:
-I recommend the black adhesive if you have a black car like I do! LOL

53 Cavalier wrote:
-On the corners, which the factory ones had a separate molded piece glued in, it's important to make sure that the tip of the seal does lean towards the car too much, which it will naturally do as you go around the corner. You cover this a bit, but I think an illustration would be helpful.

53 Cavalier wrote:
-I found that if I did the straight runs as one or two applications, then did just the corners by themselves that worked well for me, but no more than about 12"-18" at one time. *Once the adhesive makes contact it's stuck, so be very careful when positioning it!

53 Cavalier wrote:
-I used a plastic knife and found it worked very well. Less is better when it comes to the adhesive and spread it quickly as it begins to set up right away and can't be evenly spread. It's a combination of being careful, but working as quickly as possible. I don't think you even have a minute as you suggested, I think you have about 20 seconds, depending on the temp.

53 Cavalier wrote:
-Do not install working in the sun or on a hot day!

53 Cavalier wrote:
-Page 3, paragraph 2 had "remainer" instead of "remainder".

53 Cavalier wrote:
-The weatherstrip on my car does not cover the weep holes at all and does not require drilling or cutting out. I'm not sure this is correct.

53 Cavalier wrote:
-I would not suggest the idea of skipping the the bottom of the doors. It will cut into your sales don't need extra places for dust, bugs etc to be able to get in.

53 Cavalier wrote:
-I found I had cut and extend the weather seal to cover the striker plate for the front door, like the factory seal.

53 Cavalier wrote:
-I would suggest not removing all door seals at once so when working on one side of the car you can reference the other side for where seals start and stop. This would be good to note in the instructions.

53 Cavalier wrote:
-I also found that the generic seal worked on the upper front portion of the front door. The end needs to be cut appropriately on my body style in order to channel the water into the A pillar seal.

53 Cavalier wrote:
-On the upper front of the rear door I find that the generic seal does not quite sit on top of the surface it's should seal against. I put a thin piece of cloth between the seal and the body of the car before I close the door and then carefully pull it out to pull the seal into place. I'm hoping that after a while the seal will stay in the correct position on it's own. This is a area that I should have been more careful to make sure the seal tipped out a bit more.

53 Cavalier wrote:
-Check to make sure they are making good contact by spraying foot powder on the car, close the door and then open to see if the seal has powder on it and has made good contact.

53 Cavalier wrote:
-Then set up the sprinkler and test for leaks. If you are out in your car and it rains, it's good to know if you need to find shelter right away, or if you're good to go.