Odd find inside my door

I'm restoring the interior of my Caprice. I yanked off the drivers side door panel and found this hole someone cut into the door with a torch and shears. It is right where the power door lock switch goes. There is a smaller hole stamped there from the factory, but it looks like this hole was cut to clear the vacuum hoses. My first thought was a previous owner did this to access something in the door, but the edges around the cut have primer and paint on them which would indicate this cut was made before paint.

I know the power lock option was kind of rare for the 4 doors, so could it be that Fisher Body had to do this to clear the hoses? It would be very difficult to get the switch into the door without doing this.

:confused:

The other possibility that exists: having both power windows and power locks in the door presented the problem. Perhaps the vacuum hoses were supposed to route inside the door to the switch. But seeing that the motor for the window is in the way they had to run the vacuum hoses ouside the door frame, between the door and interior panel like seen here. That led to the interference issue with the hoses and caused them to cut these holes into the door in an afterthought to clear the hoses. Just a theory.

On another note: there are no diagrams or engineering drawings in the assembly books for the A93 power lock option. I have the factory assembly manuals and there is nothing. Only very minor information pertaining to vacuum tees on the engine. More mystery.

Would be interesting to find any answers on this.

-Scott

not sure if the hoses are supposed to be onthe outside like that. the door is already clearanced for the switch.

the switch you have is out of a 69-70 i believe.

Most likely this was a hack job by a previuos owner or his proxy (mechanic). My guess is someone either installed this themselves or were attempting to repair the factory install with bone yard parts off of another car.

Big Dave

Big Dave makes a good point. There are times where I have to modify a used door to match the one thats being replaced in the shop where I work. It's quite possible that your door is from a non power lock vehicle and the hole was cut to be installed on your car. Food for thought...

This is a weird one guys-

If these switches are 69-70 models does anyone have a photo of the 68 vacuum switch?

The locks are an original option on the car. I've pulled the carpet already and all the factory hoses and connections are there and the large manifold is up under the dash with all the colored hoses in place. I've seen enough of it to know this came with the car. I have yet to find a build sheet but know a lot about its history. I looked closely and both doors are original. And both doors have the same cut sections. I pulled the switch out on the pass side and I can see the original paint on the cut areas through the hole. I can see this door still has the factory paper barrier too. The paint overspray on the melted metal edges of the cuts is what really puzzles me. There is no sign of heat. The cuts were done before paint and assembly.

I’m gonna run the VIN number for the build date. I have a feeling this car was a late order because this hack job was done for a reason before the car was assembled. It’s pretty strange.

Ebay thief trying to get way too much money for these but here is a pick of what the original ones looked like

4623321549

ill take pics of my doors tonight...

Interesting. I'd like to see your pictures.

Here are a set like mine on eBay. Listed as Cadillac 63-67. These went in the door panels. I saw a 68 Cadillac switch; they were in the arm rest without a face plate.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270281813462&ssPageName=MERC_VI_RSCC_Pr4_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT&refitem=270281807661&itemcount=4&refwidgetloc=active_view_item&usedrule1=StoreCatToStoreCat&refwidgettype=cross_promot_widget&_trksid=p284.m184&_trkparms=algo%3DDR%26its%3DS%252BI%252BSS%26itu%3 DISS%252BUCI%252BSI%26otn%3D4 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270281813462&ssPageName=MERC_VI_RSCC_Pr4_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT&refitem=270281807661&itemcount=4&refwidgetloc=active_view_item&usedrule1=StoreCatToStoreCat&refwidgettype=cross_promot_widget&_trksid=p284.m184&_trkparms=algo%3DDR%26its%3DS%252BI%252BSS%26itu%3 DISS%252BUCI%252BSI%26otn%3D4)

Hey Scott,

I've seen enough of this kind of stuff over the years....and it is really hard to determine, What happened. At the end of the assembly lines, there is usually two guys going over "build sheet" and looking at marks on the windshield, or stickers. Each one tells them,"How the assembly went". Then a "car hiker" takes the car out the building to "the shipping" area, OR it goes to "the garage" area. THIS is where "Things" can get intresting. Mechanics look to see what the vehicle needs to get it out the door. It could be ,I'm NOT saying this is what happened, BUT if the parts room was out of a certain item... the "next years unit" would be installed. EVEN THO, this is the factory, they would run out of parts. Replacement parts aren't always available at the beginning of a Model year. Usually around 6 week wait. AND to make it work was left up to "The Autoworker Mechanic"??? This is where "Things" like missing nuts,bolts,screws,scratches,etc. took place. I have a 70 Impala convertible,it has an AM-FM stereo radio. The speakers are located in the well for the top and on the top of the dash board. I took the speakers out to get them redone, The rear speakers... NOT a problem. The fronts... well lets just say my age came into play...not as flexible as I once was!!! When I finally got the speakers down,I figured a coat of paint on the grilles would be nice. To my suprise I can't get the front grilles out unless I remove the windshield!!!! Also, the holes...cut "In the factory" look like "BUCKY the Metal Eating Beaver" cut them. Cut freehand with a saw....Not a "holesaw" like one would think. The studs on the grille, holes drilled, the rest of it certainly does not look like the "factory" would do. BUT IT IS!!! So, in regards to your find...You would need a "Cold Case" unit. I have two 70 Impalas, one built 9/69 in upstate New York, the other,5/70 in St. Louis, some "items" are totally different from the other. I think they used up parts left over from 69,(big Strike that year)and just hung 70 sheet metal on it when they came back. So Good Luck with the Investgation...
Gary

This is a weird one guys-

If these switches are 69-70 models does anyone have a photo of the 68 vacuum switch?

Those are the original switches to the car. I have seen original cars both ways. Our 68 has the rounded chrome ones, but I have seen a few original 68 Caprices with the square dull ones and one 67 SS convertible with them. It was all about supply, and the FB workers could really care less about which ones the car got, as long as both sides matched. As far as the paint on the melted areas, by the looks of the overspray on the door jam boot the car has been repainted more than just on the outer surfaces. Isn't it possible that if there's overspray in there that it could just be red "newer" overspray around the door skeleton?

Ya I suppose its possible since it was repainted early in its life over the original red. I have found mask lines along the outside window felt. But since the fasteners and white pin sockets are spotless its hard to believe the door panels were off when it was resprayed. Every bolt has a haze of surface rust and the black tape for the paper barrier near the hole is also clean.

Does anyone know if these other switches had vacuum ports straight out the back? That would help to draw some conclusions since my switches cause interference with the 90° outlet. If the other switches have 90° outets then I'd say someone did this for another reason. The obvious conclusion is an owner did this but if you saw the cuts in person along with the inside of the doors you'd probably scratch your head. :)

Are you the Warren from the SS427 message board?

So far I have found that the car was built in the second week of March 1968. GM had a strike during January and February 68 but I don't know if that affected all plants. I read that foundry plants in New York, Michigan and Ohio were shut down due to a UAW strike. If Doraville was affected then my car may have been sitting on the line during the strike offering the possibility that it was a car that had other parts thrown in to complete.