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Rehabbing the area behind the 55 and 56 Dodge C-pillar covers
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56D500boy
Posted 2022-12-11 3:06 AM (#626259)
Subject: Rehabbing the area behind the 55 and 56 Dodge C-pillar covers



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I previously presented the contents below in the "What did you do to your FL today" thread as

"I opened *AND* closed a can off worms - 56 Dodge C-pillar trim"

*BUT* I could not find it easily so I decided to bring it out as a separate thread so it can be found (by me and others) in the future, easier.

*******************************

The 56 (and 55) Dodge sedans (at least Custom Royals) have a large stamped stainless steel C-pillar trim piece. The trim mostly fits into a groove in the rear window rubber gasket but it also has one screw at the bottom. The bottom of the trim and the screw is covered by an additional cosmetic stainless trim piece. This last piece is held to the car by a small screw in located in the gap between the rear edge of the rear door (4 drs) and the body structure.

That one little screw has been bugging me for years because it was rusty and crusty and generally bringing the car down. So finally yesterday, I decided to remove that screw and replace it with a chrome or stainless pan head screw. Sounds like a plan?

NOPE. The screw was totally rusted to the body and when I tried to remove it with a Phillips screwdriver, the head just stripped out. Yep. The can opener is about to open the latest can of worms.

First step is to drill out the screw. Takes a couple of drill bits to get that job done.'

Then I could pull the trim piece off the car. Naturally the bent-wire spring clip behind the trim piece breaks. Naturally.

In retrospect, I could have stopped before I took the trim piece off but I didn't. I wanted to clean and polish the trim piece before I put it back on.

So with the lower trim piece off, it exposed a bit of crusty bubbly paint that hasn't seen the light since May of 1956 and was waiting patiently for 66 years for someone to fix it. This is the can of worms.

So to solve the problem and put the lid back on the can (of worms) with the least amount of pain, I did the following:

1. Scraped the bubbling paint off the affected areas.
2. I used a wire brush to further clean up the affected areas.
3. I removed the larger C-pillar cover by drilling out the lower screw (several drill bits were involved) and gently but forcefully prying the large C-pillar trim out of the rubber gasket.
4. Cleaning the exterior of the C-pillar (paint mostly very good still). Some minor scraping and wire brushing.
5. Cleaning out the groove in the rubber window gasket.
6. Treating the affected areas with Rust Converter and having lunch while that dried.
7. Finding some body paint and spraying it into appropriate small glass jars and painting over the dry Rust Converted areas with a small brush (one for the white and one for the dark metallic blue) and letting that dry. Adding a few more coats as time and temperature allowed.
8. Cleaning and polishing the lower trim piece with Goof Off (to get previous spray paint over spray off) and Wenol to polish the cleaned metal.
9. Finding the spare C-pillar stainless cover that I had bought off ebay some years ago and then cleaning and polishing that cover.
10. Finding a workable clip for the back of the lower trim price and installing that.
11. Installing the replacement C-pillar cover by wiggling the trim into the groove in the rubber and the pushing very hard (no tools were used).
12. Installing the lower C-pillar cover with the all important new screw.

Some photos, start to finish (note: I have previously repainted the roof with Chrysler "Stone White" instead of the recommended FORD Wimbledon white (which is much yellower) - the paint I used on the hidden part of the C-pillar was Wimbledon white and it matched very well to the OE Sapphaire White):

And yes, my work was not perfect. I know that. However, the situation behind the C-pillar is better than it was when I opened the can of worms - AND I closed the can of worms in one day, not days or weeks.

The photos:






























Edited by 56D500boy 2022-12-11 3:17 AM
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local2Ed
Posted 2022-12-11 1:21 PM (#626268 - in reply to #626259)
Subject: Re: Rehabbing the area behind the 55 and 56 Dodge C-pillar covers


Extreme Veteran

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A 3/8" cordless impact works well in this situation.
Get all the rust out of the screw head with a pick, select the right screw bit and just give it a short burst, very short.
If it breaks the head of the screw off you're still where you ended up but without drilling the screw head off.
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56D500boy
Posted 2022-12-11 1:38 PM (#626270 - in reply to #626268)
Subject: Re: Rehabbing the area behind the 55 and 56 Dodge C-pillar covers



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Location: Lower Mainland BC
local2Ed - 2022-12-11 10:21 AM
A 3/8" cordless impact works well in this situation.
Get all the rust out of the screw head with a pick, select the right screw bit and just give it a short burst, very short.
If it breaks the head of the screw off you're still where you ended up but without drilling the screw head off.


I've asked Santa for one of those puppies but I doubt that I have been good enough this year.

Still, it might be cold winter so a lump or two of coal could come in handy.



Edited by 56D500boy 2022-12-11 1:39 PM
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56D500boy
Posted 2022-12-11 9:29 PM (#626291 - in reply to #626259)
Subject: RE: Rehabbing the area behind the 55 and 56 Dodge C-pillar covers



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Location: Lower Mainland BC
.
Same process on the passenger side. I haven't gotten the trim back on yet (rubber is too cold (4 C) here) and I need to figure out a trim clip to fit in that big hole and help hold the lower stainless trim in place.





(DaveFs56DodgeCustomRoyalCpillar_AfterRemovingStainlessTrim.jpg)



(DaveFs56DodgeCustomRoyalCpillar_AfterRemovingStainlessTrim_AndCleaning.jpg)



(DaveFs56DodgeCustomRoyalCpillar_AfterRemovingStainlessTrim_AfterUsingRustConverterAndPainting.jpg)



Attachments
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Attachments DaveFs56DodgeCustomRoyalCpillar_AfterRemovingStainlessTrim.jpg (136KB - 59 downloads)
Attachments DaveFs56DodgeCustomRoyalCpillar_AfterRemovingStainlessTrim_AndCleaning.jpg (132KB - 61 downloads)
Attachments DaveFs56DodgeCustomRoyalCpillar_AfterRemovingStainlessTrim_AfterUsingRustConverterAndPainting.jpg (121KB - 64 downloads)
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samstrader
Posted 2023-01-10 9:36 AM (#626840 - in reply to #626259)
Subject: Re: Rehabbing the area behind the 55 and 56 Dodge C-pillar covers


Extreme Veteran

Posts: 443
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Location: Beaumont TX
Your car is actually in very good condition behind those covers. Very good.
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chstrumpetdude
Posted 2023-01-10 9:52 AM (#626841 - in reply to #626259)
Subject: Re: Rehabbing the area behind the 55 and 56 Dodge C-pillar covers


Regular

Posts: 56
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Location: Springfield, MO
I have to say getting an impact driver was a life changer for me. I grew up with my dad having the B&D firestorm nicad tools. As an adult when I had to do work on a 1940 dodge truck windshield, it made disassembly so much easier.

With a 3/8 bit adapter, it can do light duty work on nuts and bolts as well so it can be used for housework and car work if price/wife justification is required.
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56D500boy
Posted 2023-01-10 9:41 PM (#626862 - in reply to #626841)
Subject: Re: Rehabbing the area behind the 55 and 56 Dodge C-pillar covers



Expert 5K+

Posts: 9854
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Location: Lower Mainland BC
chstrumpetdude - 2023-01-10 6:52 AM
I have to say getting an impact driver was a life changer for me. I grew up with my dad having the B&D firestorm nicad tools. As an adult when I had to do work on a 1940 dodge truck windshield, it made disassembly so much easier.
With a 3/8 bit adapter, it can do light duty work on nuts and bolts as well so it can be used for housework and car work if price/wife justification is required.


Based on your comments, I just purchased this Milwaukee kit today:

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/milwaukee-tool-m12-12v-lithium-ion-...

Seemed like a deal. (??)

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