Wednesday, December 09, 2020

So, I haven't opened up a door in decades... last time I did was on my 69 Super Bee, the car I had from 95 to 2002.

 I sold it and got my 69 R/T then, and haven't needed to look inside until now, to find out what broke when it was at JBA. The window rolled up and down for the past 18 years until it's out of my hands and some gorilla decided to not take the same gentle care of it that I have. 

This car has spent a lot of decades in So Cal, and not getting rained on. 

pardon the lack of focus, but I didn't notice at the time. How about that... still has the plastic 


 

Part number and date stamp! Cool!



And here's how the window mechanism works, and that hole in the glass is where this plastic part has been for the past 51 years... (made in Feb 1969) 


and I suspect someone slammed the door shut. 


and that's where the plastic cracked apart


so, if you've got a 60s car, you might want to replace this part with something that isn't dried out plastic, 5 decades old. 

Here's the part from Year One 

Of course, this is the kit from Year One for replacing the parts that wear out in both front doors

https://www.yearone.com/Product/chrysler-b-body/rt537#prettyPhoto 

5 comments:

  1. So Jesse it looks like it was a matter of an old part wearing out. Glad it wasn't anything worse. Although, those guys at JBA could have said something to you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank God we have Year One! Unfortunately they don't have parts for Chevrolet Opalas :(

    ReplyDelete
  3. The date code on the door panel looks like Feb. 4, 1969, which is later than Nov. 1968 when you said the car was built. Do you think the door panel was replaced at some point?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Must have been, good catch! The center console date stamp was Nov 68, and I think it was the registration expiration of Nov 69 that caused me to feel the car was bought in Nov 68, or the info in the owners manual, like the name address, etc.
      Since I'm at work, not in the garage at this moment, I can't look around and see what it was.

      Delete
    2. Well, now I'm sure I've made a mistake, the date code on the center console is mid December. So, I must have been quite a bit off on my thoughts of when it was bought and made. Unless I'm looking at replaced parts, and we all know, there's not way to be sure what has been done to a car that we buy 30 some years after it has been though several owners.
      Anyway, https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2019/01/50-years-after-it-was-built-my-69-rt.html for the december date code on the center console.
      I'll now revise my notion, and guess based on these two codes, that it's likely a Feb 1969 build. Those bins of parts at the factory might last a while, so, it's possible that the Coronets getting the center console and doors like this, instead of the 4 door, or the other trim level interior parts, would get parts that sat in a bin, or on a shelf, for a month or two.
      Great catch Marc! Thanks!

      Delete