primergray Posted January 16, 2015 Report Share Posted January 16, 2015 Ok, so...window won't go down...motor runs...regulator does go up and holds my window closed. How do you get the freaking door panel off? I found a couple threads mentioning the hidden screw under the "don't hit my open car door" light, but is there anything holding the armrest on? How exactly do you get the door panel off? *mentally filed under 'things that are easier to do on g-bodies'* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nas Escobar Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 You have to take out the trim around the interior door handle. Then you have to pop out the switch for the power windows and you'll find a big ass phillips screwdriver. I think there's 2 phillips where the seat belt goes into the door and you have to remove the panel where the other part of the seat belt is (the retractor is hidden behind a removable cover, that has to come off). You might find screws there, but it's mostly held on by clips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primergray Posted January 17, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 Big ass Phillips screws by the seat belt...but that doesn't mean I have to actually remove the seat belt too, right? Looks like there are covers that allow the belt to stay on the door while you remove the panel. I'm just worried about breaking cold plastic clips for the switch panel, etc. I'm just super afraid of breaking clips Ugh...I hate virgin door panels...cardboard holes ripping, plastic clip mangling, never quite getting it back on as well as it was before... Aside from the seatbelt issue, seems that the process would be more or less like this: Oh well, as they say...it's not really yours until you bleed on it.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nas Escobar Posted January 17, 2015 Report Share Posted January 17, 2015 The big one is behind the power window switch. Stick a flathead screwdriver in there (correct equipment to use is a panel removal tool) and pop out the trim around the power switch. You'll see a bracket with the phillips screwdriver, very hard to miss. The 2 philips on the trim that are at the corner of the door are normal sized. They hold the trim there because it's split to allow the belt to move out. The switch has metal clips. If they pop off, slide them in again. Just don't allow them to bend. It also helps to jam a rag in there to avoid scratches. The clips around the edges of the panel are guaranteed to break. They almost always do. Auto Zone sells a pack of 15 for $5. You may have to shop around for them, but I can tell you which ones you'll find em at since you're local to me and all... I would say the removal of your door panel is similar to the Cutlass Supreme ones. Actually the 2 interiors look very similar. Oh and I forgot to mention, seat belt doesn't come off the door, it can stay on just slide out the top portion of the seat belt through the center crack in the panel. That cover at the bottom is more of an access panel. There should be a phillips there somewhere unless your p.o. was an asshat and pulled on it without looking which broke the panel. That's what happened with mine. Then they had the audacity to screw in a shitload of tapping screws to hold it in place. There's also a phillips near the sail panel area. It should be a total of 5 or 6 screws then start prying from the bottom. Anywhere it catches, there's a screw nearby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primergray Posted January 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2015 (edited) All right, tore into it yesterday and the track was mostly off the window...enough where it was connected at one end, but the front end was hanging down in a way that the regulator slid out of the track...so I slid the regulator back into the track and patched it up with some sticky wedged between the window and the metal. From what I hear that only works about half the time I'll just have to keep an eye on it and hope I don't have to get a new window...I do hate to waste perfect glass for something like that. I hate door panels...but it wasn't TOO bad. Had to remove the belt from the door and let it hang from the top so I could peel back that thick black liner and get to the insides. Next up...probably replacing the alternator...thinking that whine combined with dropping to 10-11 volts on the gauge after driving 10 min or so with the headlights on isn't a sustainable situation. Looks like that's about the easiest thing to do on a 3800, though. Onward through the fog...or light snow...or whatever.... Edited January 26, 2015 by primergray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nas Escobar Posted January 27, 2015 Report Share Posted January 27, 2015 If the clips on the window are bad, you don't need to change the whole window, just the sash clips that go on the bottom of the window. The regulator is also replaceable if that's the issue. The glass never has to be changed out AFAIK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primergray Posted January 27, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 27, 2015 Clips? What are these clips you speak of? Mine is like this http://www.w-body.com/showthread.php/80577-1st-Gen-Window-Replacement?highlight=window+track with the metal track affixed to the black mounting surface at the bottom of the window with pressure/glue... Clips would make too much sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nas Escobar Posted January 27, 2015 Report Share Posted January 27, 2015 Damn.... There's a 96 Regal at Pick A Part in Fredericksburg if you wanna check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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