windshield wiper door access
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
windshield wiper door access
I need to remove the access door to install new washer hoses. It appears that it is attached with 4 bolts, but two of the bolts are very difficult or impossinble to get to. Would it help to remove the grate in front of the door?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 8,117
Likes: 104
From: charlotte north carolina
removing the grate will alow you to tilt the door forward and upward after the two rearmost screws are removed, allowing access to the two forward screws. that's the easy part.
the difficulty is that the four screws are frozen with rust, and will fracture very easily- they're only #10 screws. use a cotton q-tip to apply pb blaster to both ends of the screws every day for 30 (!!!!!) days. i'm not kidding. then with any luck the screws can be removed without breaking. if you get "go fever" and attempt to remove the screws before the blaster has enough time to loosen the rust, you'll be drilling and tapping new screw holes.
the difficulty is that the four screws are frozen with rust, and will fracture very easily- they're only #10 screws. use a cotton q-tip to apply pb blaster to both ends of the screws every day for 30 (!!!!!) days. i'm not kidding. then with any luck the screws can be removed without breaking. if you get "go fever" and attempt to remove the screws before the blaster has enough time to loosen the rust, you'll be drilling and tapping new screw holes.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 31,301
Likes: 4,389
From: Westminster Maryland
Hi Jack,
I believe with the grill off the car and the door open you'll have access to the hoses without taking the door off. I'd avoid taking the door off if I could.
Regards,
Alan
I believe with the grill off the car and the door open you'll have access to the hoses without taking the door off. I'd avoid taking the door off if I could.
Regards,
Alan
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,095
Likes: 299
From: Midlothian VA
Avoid removal if possible. Installing it is WAY more difficult than you'd think. Aligning the bolts and starting them without dropping them into the fender is a risk so make sure to block the fender well with a soft rag you can easily pull out after the door is in place.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
The only difficulty is removing those bolts without breaking them off. They are 'shoulder' bolts and are very fragile. If you want to remove them, shoot PB Blaster into the threaded hole at the outer ends of the wiper door, then let it sit for a day. Repeat that process at least one more time. Then, when you try do remove those bolts, DO NOT APPLY MORE THAN LIGHT PRESSURE TO ANY WRENCH. If the threads are not corroded, the bolts will release with ease; if they are corroded, you WILL break them. And repairing that door...with broken off bolts...is a troublesome issue, since those threads have to be in precise alignment for the door to not bind/function properly.
I agree with Alan 71, change hoses without removing that door if you possibly can.
I agree with Alan 71, change hoses without removing that door if you possibly can.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 40,422
Likes: 792
From: Redondo Beach, California
Trying to unscrew the windshield wiper door will most certainly result in the bolts shearing off and the fragments remaining in the door. Instead of trying to repair my door, I went to J&D Corvette and wanted to buy a salvage door with the bolt holes unblemished. J&D must have had 50 maybe 60 salvage doors. I looked through just about every one of them and then I finally found one door with undamaged bolt holes. EVERY ONE OF THE OTHERS had broken bolt fragments in them. In other words, it was about 1 out of 50 doors that didn't have a bolt sheared off in them.
The door I found was from a 68. I installed it in my 70. The 68 door is different from the 69 and up, but you can't really tell the difference.
The door I found was from a 68. I installed it in my 70. The 68 door is different from the 69 and up, but you can't really tell the difference.
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