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Classic/Antique Car Repair/Door panel removal on a '61 Caddy

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Expert: Paul Wilczynski - 1/13/2009


Question
How do you remove the door panel on a 1961 Cadillac Deville?  I removed the screws on the bottom, as well as the screws in the door handle, and removed the window crank.  But it seems like something is holding it tight near the front of the door panel closest to the hinge of the door?

Answer
Bruce:

GM typically used push-in clips as well as screws to hold their panels onto the inner door sheet metal. I've not done any '61 Cadillacs, but if you pull the panel away from the door and shine a strong light into the gap, you may see the clips holding on.

They're made of tempered spring sheet metal, and are typically popped out with a tool called a "popper". It looks like a nail puller with a forked blade and a bend in the shaft that allows you to rock it back and forth and pop the fastener out of the hole in the door inner sheet metal without damaging the upholstered panel.

You might also look again for fasteners up near the area of the vent window and dogleg.

--Paul

Classic/Antique Car Repair

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Paul Wilczynski

Expertise

Most questions involving vintage car restoration, mechanical and body, paint and upholstery. Parts sourcing. Extensive experience in wood-bodied station wagons, British and French cars of the '40s through '70s. Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger, Citroen Maserati, VW Beetle, 1955-65 Chevrolet (especially Nomad station wagons), Corvair.

Experience

Wide-ranging and long-term. I owned a restoration shop in the 1970s, continue to dabble in vintage exotics. At one time, had a seven-car collection of contemporary exotics which I had restored and maintained myself. When I was 18 years old, I designed a woodie kit for the VW Beetle, which I developed into a product which was featured on television and in over 100 magazines and 25 books at last count. I still own and drive one of my creations. I owned a design and fabrication consultancy from 1982-2002, specializing in show car fabrication for manufacturers including Ford, Mazda, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, etc. Since 2003, I have been a department manager in Industrial Design, and a full-time instructor in automotive design and fabrication at the university level. My students go on to design automobiles as staff designers for major auto manufacturers worldwide.

Organizations
Western Automotive Journalists, Industrial Design Society of America.

Publications
Long list of magazines and books, including Playboy, VW Trends, VW Greats, Hot VWs, and European automotive magazines.

Education/Credentials
I teach design and fabrication at university level. My education is in Industrial Design, University of Illinois (1966-1970).

Awards and Honors
Many awards for restorations in local concours and shows.

Past/Present Clients
Mazda, Ford, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Honda, Toyota, Chrysler, Mercedes, Porsche.

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