41 Cadillac Doors

Last post; put the rear fenders on with Buick tail lights, that I spent way to much time doing. Now its time to get the doors in shape and back onto the car.
Sandblasted the door hinges , painted them, and rehung the doors, then looked at the 41 window regulators, wind wings, door latches and hardware to find them in as rusty condition as the rest of the car. The picture below shows the one piece side glass I decided to go with removing the wind wings.

 The 07 doors were complete with glass, electric windows, speakers and door handles and I decided to incorporate as much of the 07 parts as I could and started with measuring the electrical operated  regulators on the passenger side front and back doors.

 The electric window operators are larger than the 41 doors with the wind wings in them so why not make one piece glass side windows and eliminate the wind wings. The front door inside panel was rusted out in several places with the arm rest area completely gone.

 The rear was not as bad with the bottom of the door rusted through. With more measuring and making cardboard templates of the 41 doors; then holding them against the 07 doors, I found that I could cut the 07 inside panels out and fit them into the 41.

 The right rear inside panel was cut out, wire brushed and scraped then treated with "Krud Kutter Rustex" and a cardboard template made of the cutout area.

 Next the bottom of the rusted out area was patched with new metal.

 The cardboard template was put on the inside of the 07 door and the panel cut out.

 A cardboard mock-up of  one piece glass; was made with the bottom shaped the same as the 07 glass (that fits into the regulator), then the metal at the back of the window area where the wind wing was removed to allow the one piece glass to go down.

 The 07 panel was fit into place leaving the re-inforced area at the 41 door hinges in place.

 To make sure that the glass would go up and down I made up a Plexiglass window and attached it to the operator bracket and gave it a try. I found that it would go down about halfway as the cut out for the rear wheel into the door was in the way and decided that was good enough as I don't usually roll the windows down in my cars.

 The front door was handled the same way as the rear with the rusty interior treated with Rustex.

 The 07 front door panel was cutout completely intact including the front corner of the window where the 07 rear view mirror was, thinking I could use the mirror but it was two big and did not fit the look of the 41.

 The 07 panel welded in place with the electric operator and wiring in place and the one piece glass mock up in place. I will have to find some aftermarket rear view mirrors that fit the car and will go on where the wind wing used to be.

 Here the 07 interior door panel is put in place with a small amount of it cut off at the edge. A new bottom panel will be made then carpeted to match the interior.

 The bottom of the front door was patched where it was rusted out. Now I'm waiting for the POR 15 filler putty to arrive to take dare of the rust pinholes where the rubber door seals were.

 I will do the drivers side doors next then tackle the door latches and handles.

 We have free range horses that graze on our property and one of the four had a foal just a day or two old that came up the driveway to show her new baby off.