'74 Avanti II door pull strap removal

[Raymond Compton]

I have been prepping my car for a trip to the body shop. We had a catastrophic right, front tire delamination/blowout last summer which did a fair amount of damage to that fender. Since the previous paint job was just masked around rubber and trim, I thought that this would be a good time to remove all of the rubber and weather stripping, paint the car in its original “Silver Moondust Metallic” (again) then install new rubber ,windshield, and install new carpet over one of the foam/aluminum sound and heat insulating materials.

So, the small but maddening problem that I have is that I cannot figure out how

to get the small chrome covers off of the ends of the door pull straps to unbolt

them from the door so that I can remove the door panel and get to the window

mechanism. They look as if they should just pop off but however I am doing it,

it is wrong. I need to find out the correct technique so that I do not damage

the leather door panel.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

[WayneC]

This is more of a suggestion, because its been some years since I've done it, but I think I gently slid a clean wide putty knife beneath the end of the cover to protect the upholstery and then squeezed a sharp screwdriver (or a narrow putty knife with a chisel edge) between the putty knife and the chrome cover to gently lever it free.

[Raymond Compton]

Thanks for the suggestion. This is about what I have tried though with a card stock backing. I will try the putty knife. Also, this is from the "outside" edge, right?

Thanks again.

[Raymond Compton]

Thanks again.

I was able to get the covers off. The force required was several times what I was initially willing to use.

[WayneC]

Thanks again.

I was able to get the covers off. The force required was several times what I was initially willing to use.

My memory was very fuzzy, so I'm glad if my suggestion helped.

Now its your obligation to report back and tell us where you pried, how, and with what tools.

[Raymond Compton]

My memory was very fuzzy, so I'm glad if my suggestion helped.

Now its your obligation to report back and tell us where you pried, how, and with what tools.

Sorry it took so long to get back. I was so happy to get the straps off that I never thought to check back here. Anyway, To the best of my recollection, I used a putty knife between the outside edge of the cover and the leather panel and used a screwdriver to pry the outside edge. The cover then just popped off. As I mentioned, the force required was much more than I had expected and I probably should have put a layer of shop towl under the putty knife to further protect the leather.