Replacing door on 144

[Billy Smalls]

Hi

I am about to replace the driver’s door on my 1970 144 and I’m planning for all the tricky jobs.

I think the main tricky bits will be the winding mechanism for the glass and swapping over the rubber seal around the door.

I’m going to get a new ‘axe shaped bit that the glass sits on’ from Brookhouse as mine is barely holding together.

Any advice to be had?

I was super lucky to find a door in California, incredibly it’s the same colour (California White) as my car, so quite excited to fit it…..the bottom of mine is toast

Thanks all

[srs4164]

Hello Billy,

Seeing as how no one else has responded, I'll give you my input, though I'm no mechanic or expert.

I've had to remove and reinstall only the top section of the rubber seal so that I could remove the window 'frame' from the door. This was very simple. Simply gently pulled it out of its track and used a screwdriver to feed it back in to reinstall. I'd be surprised if having to remove the entire piece to swap from one door to another caused any other serious complications.

I'm guessing your new door didn't come with this frame and that you'll be removing this to swap onto your new door. You'd need to remove this anyway to get the old glass out. Have you ever done that before? If so, I don't need to tell you about the clips that you need to remove from the winding mechanism's 'pins' that go through the 'axe' that the glass sits in. The clips can not be seen, so you have to find and remove them "by touch". Once they're off, you can remove the glass. After that, you should be able to remove all the screws holding the winding mechanism to the door to get it out, though I've never actually had to do that.

Your biggest headache will probably come with swapping the glass from one axe to a new one. There is some kind of strip of material that the glass actually sits in and the metal of the axe is pressed against this. Its supposedly really really difficult to get the glass separated from this assembly. Again, I've never had to do it. Then, I believe the strip of material is no longer available and am not sure if you should expect yours to be reusable or not. I wouldn't count on it. Even if you can get it separated, I believe its even harder to get the glass into the new axe properly. You may want to check with a body shop to see about getting this part done. Or, see if you can source a good used window still attached to an axe in good condition. Whatever additional cost might be involved as compared to the price of a new axe could very well be worth it.

Other than that, I've never removed and reinstalled a door, but I believe I've read that its important to mark where your hinges are located at before removal, so that you can relocate them accordingly.

I hope at least some of this is helpful and good luck. Hopefully, you'll post how this turns out as I'll be interested to know.

Stan (coincidentally, I'm in California, which is the reason my '72 164E isn't a rust bucket, thankfully!)

[Volvorama]

Door can be unbolted from hinges with 1/2 inch spanners as can the check strap that holds it to the A-pillar (hidden by rubber cushion). Alternatively the hinges can be removed from the body (after you've removed the trim from the footwells) using a 1/2 inch socket through the cut-outs in the A pillar (you may need to remove some thin card covering the cut-outs first. The early 140 doors are a delight to work as the top frame is a doddle to remove.
Good luck
I also have California doors - as part of a California 144!

[srs4164]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Volvo-140-14...hXVl9E&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Volvo-140-14...pV59Am&vxp=mtr

Not sure which door your replacing, but maybe one of these works?

[srs4164]

Oops, just reread your original post. Doesn't look like either of these are the correct one. Sorry.

[Billy Smalls]

Originally Posted by srs4164

Oops, just reread your original post. Doesn't look like either of these are the correct one. Sorry.

Hi There! this is the guy who i bought the door from!! and the first item is correct, as your passenger side is our (UK) driver side....thanks for seeing these.

Most likely taken off the door sat in my shed over here.....I figured the glass wouldn't travel too well and the 'axe' is only £20 so left it.

But thanks for helping out!!

[Billy Smalls]

This job was swapping everything from a knackered (UK) driver’s door over to a nice rust free door with everything stripped previously. On an old style, chromed handle and separate alloy top frame.

Well I got this job done – it took me 7 hours from getting tools out to tools away. It looks daunting once the door card’s off. Actually it’s not too bad and the trickiest bits are as mentioned; blind fixing two of the three clips that form the winding mechanism joints. The other is getting the glass into the new ‘axe’ with its rubber seal.

The clips are just perseverance and swearing but mind you don’t force them and bend the bits that initially slide into the groove of the joint ‘axle’ – you can un-bend them of course but take care. You will hear and feel a definite ‘click’ once they are on correctly and you can familiarise yourself by doing the easy third one that points towards you with total access, bottom right as you look at the job.

This was on an older door – the top frame comes away easily, 2 bolts each side and a little screw on a right angled bracket here the base of the door for extra stability.

With the glass, first mark where the axe channel will sit, as it’s not obvious. Fix the mechanism loosely as a trial run, offer it up to the glass and mark the glass with a wax crayon or tippex (mark it well as it will rub off with all the heave-hoe) – insert rubber into the new ‘axe’ as a U shape, then starting at one end and with the glass upright on a piece of carpet and clothes wrapped round the axe slowly and evenly push down onto the glass with the axe sliding along gradually. Don’t be tempted to hammer the axe onto it as I reckon the shock could bust the glass. And make sure the glass is the right way round, the glass etching will be facing out and the axe head will be on the right (for a UK driver’s door that is) – I had to push all my weight onto the axe from above – be careful not to slip as you could impale yourself!!! – it’s just common sense, but you need that slow even force downwards!!

The latch and lock are easy – the lock barrel slides out easily once you undo the little screw that should be hidden with a black rubber bung. It’s not attached to the mechanism, the square thread just slides in and out and be careful not to lose the spring. The threaded vertical bar that runs from the door handle to the mechanism is held on with a simple clip with good access (just don’t drop it down into the door) and you don’t need to touch the threaded bit (that was done at the factory). The handle lifts out vertical bar and all.

Door stay is easy – 2 bolts on the leading edge and one on the inner face. Greasy mess though!!

When it came to reassembling the top frame and glass. Fit the winding mechanism without the axe; fit the axe with the 3 spring clip things mentioned earlier (each one has a dish, a spring, another dish, the clip) then fit the glass / axe to the mechanism and the glass will hold its own weight and long as you have the door roughly upright and don’t go knocking it. Then you need to slide the top frame down through the door and around the glass. This sounds harder than it is as with a bit of jiggling, it goes together well (you may temporarily snare it on the lock / latch bit – but that’s easily solved)

The rubber seal round the door – don’t take it off the frame unless you have to. Refitting is simple but time consuming. I found slotting it in from one side and squidging it into the other with a blunt flathead every 10mm or less. It takes a while but is simple. Don’t be tempted to slide a flathead along it as I reckon it may rip it and you probably won’t get the force behind it to squidge in.

Refitting the door to the car is of course tricky and you’ll need a mate unless you’re very strong in the arm. Mine is back on but still needs some adjustment as I can see light where the rubber should butt up to the aperture. Trial and error I would suggest – I know the advice was to drill 2 pilot holes in each hinge but I didn’t bother…..

If anyone wants any other advice – just ask

Fixings likely to need a plus-gas bath the night before – cross head screw holding the door handle on that is accessed from outside of the door (maybe a bung should have been protecting mine?) and I found the screw holding the top frame to that bracket (for extra stability) needed a good squirt too.

cheers

[srs4164]

Billy,

Congratulations on the successful swap! I'm definitely curious to know how you removed the glass from the old 'axe'. Did you just pry it out with a screwdriver between the bottom edge of the glass and the 'rubber'? Were you able to reuse the original rubber, or did you have to use a new piece for this?

I'm surprised you were able to get a tight enough fit after pressing the glass into the new 'axe'. Hopefully, it is not something that starts to become loose over time.

Stan

[Billy Smalls]

Originally Posted by srs4164

Billy,

Congratulations on the successful swap! I'm definitely curious to know how you removed the glass from the old 'axe'. Did you just pry it out with a screwdriver between the bottom edge of the glass and the 'rubber'? Were you able to reuse the original rubber, or did you have to use a new piece for this?

I'm surprised you were able to get a tight enough fit after pressing the glass into the new 'axe'. Hopefully, it is not something that starts to become loose over time.

Stan

Hi Stan

Well the passage of time and English weather meant that the axe freed itself from the glass long ago - it rotted to nothing, so wasn't even holding the glass. The rubber that sat in the axe and held the glass was perished and sitting in the bottom of the door!!! it was all f**ked to be honest!! ha ha

The axe came with a simple piece of generic window seal rubber. inch and half wide by the length of the glass, about 2mm thick. I curled it into the axe as a U shape, then slowly slid the glass into the U shaped rubber - it took a lot of pressure to get it in there but it was done in 5 minutes. There's no way it's coming out - and the only stress on it would be when I wind the glass and there's a little friction on the glass from the surround frame - don't forget it's just sat there under it own weight, gravity is working with it.

Order from Brookhouse and you'll be able to do this job easily - I did!! and I'm no expert....if I can help then do message me

cheers