roadblock in 66 Overlander

air66stream · 10-10-2007, 10:54 PM

I have been gutting the interior of my 66 Overlander to relace the floor in the bathroom. I have found a few hidden screws, cut a few rusted screws, and ran across a few tiny brad nails in the upper cabinets, no major surprises. I finally hit a roadblock. The right closet in front of the tub is not coming out easily. The front is loose, it is hung up in the rear. It looks like there are quite a few small round head nails (red arrows) holding the shower wall to the upper cabinet AND the closet. If this is the neat step, how do I remove these round head nails? I tried to hammer from the inside the closet, and it almost seems that it is glued as well as nailed. Anyone help would be appreciated. I'm just trying not to break anything if I can help it. Thanks, Tom

62overlander · 10-11-2007, 05:04 AM

would a small cats paw pull them? the shape pulls the head of almost all fasteners through small taps. Once you get it going put some thin wood between the cats paw and the cabinet so the wood does not get damaged.

muddy_hollow · 10-11-2007, 05:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by air66stream

I have been gutting the interior of my 66 Overlander to relace the floor in the bathroom. I have found a few hidden screws, cut a few rusted screws, and ran across a few tiny brad nails in the upper cabinets, no major surprises. I finally hit a roadblock. The right closet in front of the tub is not coming out easily. The front is loose, it is hung up in the rear. It looks like there are quite a few small round head nails (red arrows) holding the shower wall to the upper cabinet AND the closet. If this is the neat step, how do I remove these round head nails? I tried to hammer from the inside the closet, and it almost seems that it is glued as well as nailed. Anyone help would be appreciated. I'm just trying not to break anything if I can help it. Thanks, Tom

I ran into similar issues with my '56 interior. Removing the nails will do no good if the seam is glued. Look at taking the entire unit out by removing the aluminum channel on the wall.

I tried knocking out a panel and it split. No biggie now, since I'm rebuilding all the cabinets from scratch.

Good luck.

D

air66stream · 10-12-2007, 10:12 PM

Well, I got the panel off without destroying it. The nails were spiral cut with round heads. It made them tough to get out. The panel wasn't glued at all. I think the nails just held so well it just seemed like it was glued when I hit it from behind. I am amazed at how well this old thing is put together. Next step is to remove the upper cabinets, then start on the bathroom itself. Thanks for all the input. Tom

Mark Wiltrakis · 10-12-2007, 10:39 PM

Tom -
I encountered the same problem removing the wardrobe closet in my '59 Tradewind. Hammering from within the wardrobe was not helpful, but driving a thin two-inch wide putty knife between components from the outside, very carefully from floor to ceiling, allowed me to pull one nail at a time. I did not encounter any glue, but the nails made a VERY snug connection between the wardrobe pieces. I stalled at this point in my interior removal for several days until I was able to start wedging the two surfaces apart with the putty knife. Good luck -
Mark