Help Wanted: Wiper Door

[Jerry Clark]

Hi Everyone:

I have an interesting situation with my 69 wiper door that has been present as long as I have owned the car and quite frankly I can't imagine a solution so I will bring it to the knowledgeable friends of the Discussion Board. The wiper door is bowed upward in the CENTER but meets the fenders and vent panel at each end. Considering there are no adjustments in the center and I really don't want to practice the "heat and beat" method I am open to any suggestions, what am I missing here ? Given my lack of visual perception I have been benefiting form the "out of sight out of mind" principle for awhile but would like to solve this problem.

Thanks as always.

jerry

[Michael Hampson]

Re: Help Wanted: Wiper Door

I don't know if this is your answer or not, Jerry, but I had a similar problem on my '68. The door appreared to bow up significantly in the center, as it did not at all match up with the wiper grill. Turned out, though, that I raised the center supports on the wiper grill to bow the grill upward to match the door, and everything seems OK at this time, including the hood curvature matching the wiper grill.

If that's not the solution, then you may be in for a hard time. I would think it would be impossible to heat the door evenly enough to get an even bending across it's length, and I don't know another safe suggestion...

Michael

[Jerry Clark]

Re: Help Wanted: Wiper Door

Thanks Mike:

Unfortunately this isn't my situation, my vent panel lines up acceptably with the hood, it is the wiper door that is almost 3/8" high in the center.

jerry

[Bob Booth #33372]

Re: Help Wanted: Wiper Door

[Bob Booth #33372]

Re: Help Wanted: Wiper Door

Jerry,

Sorry about the above blank message (old age brain fade, I hit the "post message" button by mistake before typing). Oh well, anyway, I went out and looked at my wiper door and can see no way of adjusting it besides the aforementioned bending method. You can put more spacers in the middle of the grill ahead of it but like you said, it will ruin the hood alignment.

If you do decide to remove it to tweak it, be careful of the four bolts that hold it to the swivel arms. While trying to remove mine during resoration, I snapped two of them off and had to get the tap & die set out (and if memory serves, they are special stepped-shank bolts. Big bolt head, tiny little threads). It looks like it shouldn't be too difficult to bend once off the car. A little bit of "tweak & fit, tweak & fit" ought to do it.

Good luck,

Bob Booth

[Jerry Clark]

Re: Help Wanted: Wiper Door

Hi Bob:

Thanks for the response. I was fortunate enough to have dealt with this particular dissimilar metal area when I restored the car, (never seize), and I agree that the bending method my be the only solution, I just don't have the , lets say guts, to do it. The panel has an upward bend from the factory and this would require going against that bend placing an unnatural stress on the panel as well as it's formed edges, which I can envision crimping quickly, guess I'll live with it, just don't mention it when you see it, I am easily bruised by my peers.

jer

[Jack H.]

Who says no adjustments?

Wiper door screws to wiper door actuator frame in four places along the width. Quite frequently, prior owners have made 'fixes' to car and noticed, when done, specific alignment problems appeared as a byproduct. One 'quick fix' that we see at the shop frequently is the addition of washers/shims under the wiper door to door actuator frame....

This shim method was NOT what the factory did. The entire wiper door frame was aligned (up/down) via individual mounting brackets that extend through the cowl/firewall into the engine compartment (and were originally sealed with putty). A common syndrome is:

(1) Problem(s) with wiper door are noticed (crash repair, broken

frame components, Etc.) that necessitate the wholesale removal

of the door and frame from the car.

(2) Once door/frame is removed and repaired/replaced, novice mechanic

re-installs without following assembly steps or consulting the

chassis service manual.

(3) When frame is finally returned to service in the vehicle/cowl,

the wiper door is installed.

(4) It's NOW that the novice mechanic discovers there WAS rhyme reason

to the variable adjustment of individual door/frame mounts as the

lack of fit becomes apparant.

(5) But, going back to do it right means re-pulling da *****! The

frame end adjustments are easy to get to with the frame installed

but the center posts aren't.

(6) Sooo, a Rube Goldberg scheme of shimming the wiper door here/there

and compensating at the easy to reach frame end points is embarked

on. Bottom line -- door fits at either end but is high/low in

the center.

Not saying this IS what you're fighting, but I see variations on this theme frequently....

[Jerry Clark]

Adjustment...Left

Let me apologize to anyone who was, understandably, mislead by my post. I stated "there are no center adjustments", this is untrue, as Jack so adamantly, and correctly, pointed out.

There are four adjustment points located on the firewall, the center two are difficult to see and all four are all difficult to adjust .

When I posted this question I was working from a four year old memory of a problem, then addressed, unsuccessfully, and forgotten, there were many other more important problems t be dealt with at the time.

In my situation the center adjustments were found to be at the lowest possible adjustment position however the wiper door was still too high, hence the problem. In retrospect a more correct description would have been, "there is no center adjustment left", anyone who was inadvertently led to believe there is no center adjustment in this wiper door has my apology and the promise that I will personally come over and screw theirs up as I have mine.

jerry