Packard Forum Index » Project Blogs

Thanks for the advice, guys. I liked that video, Guscha.

One more thing while on this topic. I have never seen caulk applied between the roof metal and the top window molding, but I did not grow up in that era. My car has it. Older people say, "Yeah, they did that on some cars." - as if it's called for on some of them.

Is caulking normal for a NEW car like mine, or was it done only because the rubber and/or molding was not installed right? Maybe the wrong rubber?

I will show some pics later. The car is not with me, or I would do it now.

Interior.

Attach file:

---

  (112.47 KB)

Dash

Attach file:

---

  (96.34 KB)

Door rust

Attach file:

---

  (71.17 KB)

Caulk.

Attach file:

---

  (55.37 KB)

I don't know if the caulk was applied at the factory but having said that, the weatherstrip that holds the windshield had a tendency to sag and roll forward letting the weight of the glass push down and even out of the top of opening in worst cases. There were a couple of bulletins advising the addition of some reinforcing metal pieces at the bottom to stabilize it. I'd bet even that didn't go all the way on some cars because of tolerances and people might have resorted to caulk, sealant, chewing gum and who knows what.

Edit: Randy has the answer on the caulk but the sagging weatherstrip was still an issue.

Refer to the shop manual BODY, PAGE 9, FIGURE 30.
When all else fails RFM.

"When all else fails RFM."

LOL!!!!

Quote:

I expect Randy directed his response to my post since I didn't believe they used it and should have known better. In all fairness, I do RFM on occasion--just increasingly don't remember anything past the time the page turns.

JeffM -

In addition to the shop manual, which is available from this site's Literature and Manuals archive, FREE (in PDF, section-by-section), you'll find supplemental information from factory service bulletins and newsletters, like an article on broken door glass, in the site's online Service Index. Entries are sorted section-by-section (like the service manual) and hot-linked to scans of the actual documents (where available).

WRT to rust issues, encapsulating paints like POR-15 are fine products. I painted a steel mailbox post with POR-15 and their ChassisCoat black, and it still going strong - over ten years now. Like any paint, it's all about proper surface preparation, which involves more than scraping the loss stuff off. Read, understand, and follow the supplier's directions.

Yet, if the metal won't hold up to the rigors of a wire wheel or you can poke through it with a flat-bladed pocket-szied screwdriver, then it needs the rusty metal needs to be cut out and replaced with good. That doesn't necessarily mean entire panels. Check out others' blogs for examples of what can be done.

Looks like the rockers (inner and outer) and adjacent underbody supports are going to require some surgery. That door panel shot looks like someone didn't properly address some rust issues for a previous repaint. Stuff like that always comes back to haunt you.

These are common issues with any brand of the period. Automakers didn't paint the underbody back then, but merely applied undercoating (over primer) that wasn't intended to last for decades.