Well, I got the door panels re-installed over Thanksgiving holiday.
Below are some pics of the finished product. Goto slides 23 - 25 for pics.
John
Here are the steps I took to reupolster the door panel:
1. Roll window all the way down.
2. Remove the small triangle piece at the top front of the door. A Phillips head screw retains it, then gently pull STRAIGHT out on it. There are some alignment pins at the bottom, take note, as they will have to go into the holes in the door upon installation. Also, note the foam piece just behind/at the bottom of the triangle piece. Remove this and reinstall when done.
3. Remove the 3 large Phillips head screws in the armrest base (2 from above in the handle pocket, 1 from below/in front).
4. Remove the slider lock knob by inserting a small screwdriver behind the knob from the front, and GENTLY pry outwards. It will pop off easily.
5. Remove the 2 Phillips head screws (one in the top, one up under the armrest pull handle) that retain the window/door lock/mirror switch bezel. Unsnap the bezel from the door panel by gently pulling/prying, then pull the door handle to the "open" position, and wiggle the bezel away from the door panel. It will take some finesse, but it will come out.
6. With the bezel loose, gently reach in and unplug the 3 wire connectors for the power window and door lock switches and unplug the light from its socket.
7. Now that everything is disconnected, pull UP on the door panel to release the retainer tabs. They are NOT like older GM vehicles where you pulled straight out to release some clips. These are part of the door panel, and you will DESTROY the door panel if you pull out and not up. It can be kind of tough, but it will come up if you wiggle it enough.
8. Lay the door panel face down on a smooth clean surface so as not to scratch or mar the suface of your door panel. I used an old blanket. Gently pull the insulation back from the section where the door panel thru-hole contacts are covered.
9. With the insulation folded back out of the way and using a pair of plyers, break off the melted contacts that hold the factory installed door panel in place. There are approximately fourteen (14) melted pins that will need to be removed.
10. Once all the melted contacts are removed, the door panel will lift right off. Before you reupolster the door panel you will want to drill some pilot holes into the center of the old contact points. I used a 1/16 drill bit. You will reattach the panels with screws and washers (see step 12. below) and the pilot holes will make the job much smoother and effective.
11. With the use of a small flat blade screw driver and a needle nose plyers, carefully bend the staples out straight that holds the rubber window flap against the window. The staples are bented down pretty tight so be patient. Once the staples are straightend out, pull the staples out with the needle nose plyers.
12. Now it is time to reupolster the panel.
a. If you choose, to reupolster the door panel yourself, you will need to staple the new leather or vinyl right on top of the old material. Do not remove the old material. It will provide extra padding and insulation. Trim the material to cover the old material on the backside of the panel. I had use of a pneumatic stapler and used a 1/4 inch staple to fasten the material from the backside of door panel.
b. Or, you may choose to have upholstery shop to recover the door panel for you. I got a quote from a local shop and the cost was $48.00 to cover both panels. For that price, some may choose to pay to have the job done for you.
13. Now to fasten the reupolsterd panel back to the main door panel:
a. Do a preliminary check fit of the panel to the main door panel and confirm all the pilot holes line up and are accessable.
b. Now apply some contact cement or glue and resecure the insulation back in place.
c. Apply glue to the back of the reupolsterd panel to the locations where it comes in contact with the main door panel.
d. Secure the four corners of the reupolsterd panel to the main door panel with screws and washers. I found some 1/2 inch long chrome Phillips head screws at Loews. For added security I placed a bonded neoprene washer (Loews P/N 35019 in a box of 100 ea.) under each screw. The neoprene base allowed the washer to snug up good and tight.
e. Once the panel is secured with the screws and washers, you now need to resecure the rubber window flap. I chose to rivet the window flap back down with 3/16" aluminum rivet. I drilled a hole half way between each of the previous staple locations. Be sure to get the window flap alignment back to the original location.
14. The panel should now be good and secure to the main door panel. Follow above steps 1 - 7 in reverse order to set the main door panel back in place.
15. Step back and enjoy your handy work.
Footnote: Thanks goes to Steve da Wrench Heino for providing instructions for door panel removal outlined in steps 1 - 7...thanks Steve.
Posted by RagSS (Member # 1127) on :
...Great job, ...a nice two-tone look to compliment the seats Posted by 2002Z4CSS (Member # 1393) on :
Turned out very nice! Just like factory. Posted by HTWLSS (Member # 117) on :
I was wondering when you were going to post this over here.....as I posted on SLP, they look great and would have been nice as part of the Factory Anniversary Package.
Posted by MaryandRalph (Member # 244) on :
Very nice job indeed. Posted by JCORPANY_F02_1505 (Member # 579) on :
One more bit of info for inquiring minds who want to know...Material & Source of Supply I used for Door Panels
I have gotten several inquiries of where the material can be purchased for reupolstering the 35th LE door panels.
Below is the source of supply:
The supplier is: Keyston Brothers, Grand Prairie, TX Phone number: 800-866-1868 Material P/N: PVL662 Color: Med. Dk. Pewter
They will be offering a perforated variant of this material sometime in the next 30 days if you prefer and have the patience to wait for it... I did not.
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