Anyone know how to remove the door panels on a 64 Galaxie? I can't figure it out. No way to push the panel back far enough to see what kind of fastner holds the handle to the shaft..

Isn't it the old-style clip that sits behind the handle? I would think so ... are you familiar with that type? They require a special pair of "reverse action plyers" that spreads the clip apart ... then you push (or pull) the clip off.

Alan
54 Chevy Pickup

Bend a coat hangar wire in a tight little J hook and hook that wire loop clip and pull it out of the handle slots. The loop will either be directly toward the "handle" or directly opposite, depending who put it on.

Drop by Auto Zone's "HELP" products department and see how the handles are made. GM and everybody is pretty much the same.

Putting them back on, just insert the clip all the way into the handle slots, and push/snap the handle onto the post.

They were designed that way for instant installation on the assembly line.

I'm sure you are right. I've seen that type of clip lots of times. Problem with this car is that you can't push the panel far enough away from the handle to see what is there or get a tool to access it.

You mean to tell me that you can't get a coat hangar wire behind the handle....... is it that tight?

www.readershotrods.com

Here you go:

NAPA/Balkamp #735-5086
$4.29 at napaonline.com

Replacement clip (if needed)
#735-1145 $1.99/pkg

If you're REALLY thrifty (or don't wand to make the trip to NAPA) you can improvise by making a tool out of an old hacksaw blade -- been there, done that.

Just take the blade to the grinder to knock off all the teeth -- so that it doesn't cut the fabric. Then just grind into the blade until you reach the hole -- making a bit of a "fish-hook" at the end. Bend the left-over "tang" slightly so that you can feel it latch onto the loop end of the clip and pull.

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Hey thanks, I'll try that. It loop type retainer is exactly what I would expect there but like I said you cant push the panel in at all on any of the doors. Thanks again..Ray

That's amazing that a "bent" hacksaw blade will go in there but the diameter of a coat hangar wire will not.

It's a fiber panel, you mean it will not flex that much?

Well ... they say a picture is worth a thousand words.
I'll try to describe it using my awesome MS-Paint skills.

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blade.bmp (292.1 KB, 56 views)