how to remove slider track for passenger door?

[Loganator17]

I've got a pretty classic rust spot, behind the aluminum track that holds the slider door aligned. This is the track you see from the outside of the van that holds the middle slider. Does anyone know how to remove this piece without damaging more of the body? Thanks for any tips!Logan

[Loganator17]

Never mind... Turns out the track is connected via bolts. You access the nuts holding it on from inside, I had to remove all the interior panels. I'm glad I looked into this fix now, what looked like an inch of rust is a 2 inch square, with several other spots nearby. Ahh this is gonna be a lot more work than expected!

[timsrv]

I just took that thing off my van too (for painting the van). Rust sucks, but it's much better dealing with sooner (rather than later). Tim

[craftech]

I just took that thing off my van too (for painting the van). Rust sucks, but it's much better dealing with sooner (rather than later). Tim

I have this problem too, so I am glad I found this post. Any tips for removing the panels on an 84 LE without damaging them?

John

[timsrv]

Age makes these plastic parts brittle. Even when you have the right tools and know what you're doing it can be a challenge taking these off without damage (especially the all plastic corner pieces). These panels are held on with "snap in" fasteners. I'm not sure the correct term, but I call them "Christmas trees". They are easy to install but can be a PITA to remove. For installation it's all about lining things up, then pounding the panel lightly with your fists in the key spots. Once the fasteners enter the holes in the sheet metal they grab on. Taking them back out requires outward force to be applied in specific locations. When prying these off, the closer you get to the fastener the better. There are tools for this, but other things can work. Basically you slide the "pry bar" between the panel & the sheet metal, then move it along the periphery until it hits a fastener. When a fastener is located you pry outward. If you're too far away from the fastener the panel can crack or the fastener pocket (part of the panel) can tear/break out. Some panels overlap others, so in these cases take the top one off 1st. There are screws in some places, so check the panel carefully and always remove these 1st. Tim

PS: You may also want to go to Youtube and search for videos showing how it's done. I'm sure there's some videos there that will be very helpful.

[Burntboot]

I ran into this several years ago when I was dealing with the "little" hole behind the slider.
I envisioned warping the heck out of the panel trying to weld in a patch panel, so…
-(the rest of the repairs to the 1/4 were done with steel welded in correctly)
I ground out the rust and used Oshpo until it ran out of rust to convert.
I made a patch panel to go on the back side of the 1/4 and bonded it in place with "body-panel adhesive".
Used the mounting holes as clamping points and let it set up. Once cured, I coated everything in epoxy primer to seal it from the elements.

The repaired area was contained within the footprint of the chrome insert so at least, theoretically, it could be done without repainting the 1/4.
A little hack, but an effective repair just the same, added bonus, it seems to have stiffened up the 1/4 as well.
BB

[craftech]

Age makes these plastic parts brittle. Even when you have the right tools and know what you're doing it can be a challenge taking these off without damage (especially the all plastic corner pieces). These panels are held on with "snap in" fasteners. I'm not sure the correct term, but I call them "Christmas trees". They are easy to install but can be a PITA to remove. For installation it's all about lining things up, then pounding the panel lightly with your fists in the key spots. Once the fasteners enter the holes in the sheet metal they grab on. Taking them back out requires outward force to be applied in specific locations. When prying these off, the closer you get to the fastener the better. There are tools for this, but other things can work. Basically you slide the "pry bar" between the panel & the sheet metal, then move it along the periphery until it hits a fastener. When a fastener is located you pry outward. If you're too far away from the fastener the panel can crack or the fastener pocket (part of the panel) can tear/break out. Some panels overlap others, so in these cases take the top one off 1st. There are screws in some places, so check the panel carefully and always remove these 1st. Tim

PS: You may also want to go to Youtube and search for videos showing how it's done. I'm sure there's some videos there that will be very helpful.

OK, Thanks Tim. I actually have a set of those tools. I have never used them, but I will now. Thanks again.

Regards,

John