Door Stanchion Removal

[DrTaco]

Hey all,

Common problem for the GEN 2s and one of my winter projects I had to get done. Didn't see a how-to anywhere, so decided to knock one out. Hope it helps...

Mark


By now you've realized that the weather stripping around your stanchion is cracked or missing, and figured out that you need to replace the entire stanchion in order to fix it. No biggie, this walkthrough will have your Viper back to showroom condition in no time at all.

Level of Difficulty: EASY
*Time Needed: About 20-30min
*This how-to will focus on the driver's side. But, the passenger side will be the same.
*I did NOT remove the inner door panel trim. It is not neccessary to complete this project. However, if your door panel seems very brittle, or you are concerned about scratches/nicks, removing it only takes a few minutes and is very easy to do.

The Problem: Cracked/missing weatherstripping...


TOOLS NEEDED: *Note, these are what I found useful. You may need more, less or different tools (I will touch on that later)


The First step is to remove the THREE screws holding the inner trim panel to the stanchion (phillips head). Be aware, the screw right above the door release can fall through the trim and POSSIBLY down into the door. Make a special effort to hold onto the screw as it loosens up, just in case


After removing the screws, press DOWN on the top of the inner trim panel and FORWARDS (towards the front of the Viper) to remove the trim panel from the stanchion. It's going to be tight and annoying. TAKE YOUR TIME. I used a body trim removal tool to work around the trim panel until I felt it release.


After you remove the trim panel it will still be attached by the door release metal cable, this is what it will look like (from the driver's seat)


You will next simply remove the release cable end from the trim panel door release handle (think of it as a ball and socket, you're just going to use your fingers to remove the BALL from the SOCKET


Next, you're going to see the door latch release solenoid wiring connector. In English, you're gonna see some wires leading a black box. The black box is held on by a push-pin looking screw. Remove the push pin looking screw with your fingers/ trim removal tool. Pull the box from the socket and push the (now loose) black box to the side.




You will now be looking at a big, black, plastic nut holding the outer door handle to the stanchion. Time to remove it. You can either use a needle nose pliers OR a 15/16 deep well socket. Once the nut has ben removed, reach around the door and take off the door handle. You will now be left with a big hole and a wide open stanchion




Now, remove the final screw near the top of the stanchion that is holding it to the door.


Now, you can remove the stanchion from the door by pulling up and wiggling it until it slides out. NOTE: As seen in the picture, yours may have some kinda 3M tape on it as well. You must be very careful that you do not rip the outer run weatherstripping as you are pulling the stanchion up and out. Use your fingers or a PLASTIC putty knife and go slow. You will know exactly what to do when you get to this point.


Note above: The outer run weatherstripping that the 3M tape was stuck to. I had to peel it forward slightly to release all the 3M tape and then peel it back against the painted portion of the car.



FINAL THOUGHTS
1)You are now ready to reinstal your new stanchion, simply reverse the above steps. Before reinstalling you must make sure that the door stop is all the way in its DOWN position, or else the window will rip your new seal (The "door stop" is held onto the metal slider by the black Torx head screw)
2)Once you have finished reinstalling your new stanchion raise your window SLOWLY, checking for any fitment or blockage issues.
3)Consider storing your vehicle with your windows rolled down just a bit whenever possible to relax the seals and extend the life of your weatherstripping.

Well, that's all folks. Hope it helped...shoot me a PM with any questions.

[SnakeWatching]

Should the last picture of this write-up say:
"1).... Before reinstalling you must make sure that the Window "up travel" stop is all the way in its DOWN position,"

Instead of:
"1 ) ....Before reinstalling you must make sure that the door stop is all the way in its DOWN position,"

Am I correct???

The pictures and write-up are great.

[ILLMAX1]

Originally posted in 2013. Appreciated in 2021. This was much needed. Thanks.