No matter what improvements a person wants to make to their classic truck, it's important to do things in the right order. This is particularly true when it comes to handling the major operations like making sure to do the body and paintwork before moving on to upholstery or installing the wiring harness while there's still access. Disregarding the right steps can lead to complications further down the line and ultimately affect craftsmanship. That said, some of you might be wondering why in last month's issue I brought the dashboard in my '68 GMC up to snuff with a new gauge cluster and a stereo AM/FM radio before I made sure it wouldn't be that easy for thieves to break in. The answer is simple; I wanted to do the fun stuff first instead of dealing with the ugly realities involved with cracking open the innards of a door.
Right from the very start repairing doors can get ugly real fast if a person doesn't exhibit care and pay attention to how things came apart. The doors on my GMC were a classic textbook example of what's usually wrong with most old trucks that haven't been maintained. The vent window latches were worn out and didn't hold, and one door handle was broken. Neither door could be locked because the locks were bad, and the weather stripping was shot, so the rain and the wind got in. During my tenure as the Editor of Custom Classic Trucks, we covered how to replace C10 weatherstripping in numerous tech features that can be found archived at www.customclassictrucks.com, but never got down to the real nitty-gritty on how to repair the vent window latches or take a door lock apart. Since the door locks and door handles are accessed easiest by removing the window glass first, it's not a bad idea to replace all of the old window channel and door rubber while you're in there. The only thing I have to warn you guys about is if you've worked on '73-'87 doors before, you're going to find the '67-'72 doors are a little trickier because they don't have as large an access panel.
Here's what I started out...
Here's what I started out with, a worn-out windwing latch that made it easy to break into the '68 GMC.
The first step to rebuild...
The first step to rebuild the windwing was to use a 3/32-inch pin punch to drift the roll pin keeper out of the handle.
With the handle removed, there's...
With the handle removed, there's access to remove the wavy round tension washer, and unscrew the chrome retaining nut.
Here's a comparison of the...
Here's a comparison of the original GMC parts with LMC Truck's quality reproduction parts. Notice there are two different lengths of stainless steel capped studs, and the inside depth of each windwing handle is bored to match.
Super-fine steel wool (0000)...
Super-fine steel wool (0000) works best for cleaning the vent window glass.
Note the notched half of the...
Note the notched half of the shaft is placed at the bottom, and the black rubber gasket faces the outside of the vent window glass as the shaft is pulled through.
Next, the black plastic flat...
Next, the black plastic flat washer (GM original is woven fiber) is placed on the inside of the glass.
Followed by installing the...
Followed by installing the chrome retaining nut and carefully tightening it to a snug fit-do not over-tighten!