StuntmanMike

iTrader: (2)

Excuse me if this has been covered a ton before, but I didn't get any hits in a search.

I'm thinking I want to cover my Birds door panels in leather or vinyl. My driver's side is starting to crack, and my pass side has a big crack in it. Sad thing is that they weren't cracked when I got the car, I just never got around to the preventative fix. D'oh!

I'm planning on fixing the cracks of course, but once I do that the repair will prob be visible. I was thinking covering them would hide that, while adding a nice look and feel to the car.

I just saw the redline armrest covers, which look great, and might be a nice addition to the project.

I was thinking I'd do the plastic part of the door panel in leather/vinyl, and possibly do the insert with a suede type fabric.

Anyone do this already, or have any thoughts or advice on the project?

Thanks!

joeformula

iTrader: (11)

I saw a thread about this but I can't find it in the search either

TechCam97

iTrader: (5)

Pro tip: Go to Google and type "LS1Tech" and then whatever you are wanting to search for. Like so:



Then click on the "More results from ls1tech.com" link and you'll have more threads than you can shake a stick at. I usually won't use the built in search button, I just go straight to Google. I can find what I need much quicker that way.

Here's one thread I found for you.

StuntmanMike

iTrader: (2)

Oh awesome, thanks for the tip and the link. That was a good thread, too bad it died out.

blackbyrd

iTrader: (14)

I let an upholstry shop do mine and redo the insert, looks great and definantly gives the interior a more plush luxury feel.

joeformula

iTrader: (11)

Thanks for the tip Tech

drain89

iTrader: (13)

care to post some pics? I've been thinking about doing this.

blackbyrd

iTrader: (14)

Here ya go, door panels aren't for everyone but I like them and that's what matters.

The perforated leather is a slightly different color and gives a subtle effect of being 2 toned

Daniel Richards

iTrader: (1)

if you type it as site:ls1tech.com instead of just LS1tech you will only see results from ls1tech.

WarmWeatherBird

I tried all sorts of things with mine. If you're going DIY, recovering could be fine - I recovered my dash after fixing the cracks and it looks really nice! I was able to find a pleather that looked right matching the other surfaces. Color wasn't quite right but SEM fixed that.

But the biggest thing from my experience that I could warn you about if you do it yourself are those tabs on the back that hold the outside frame (the plastic part that cracks) together with the interior panel that has the armrest and the perforated leather. I believe the way they were made is that they put those tabs through the slot and then melted them flat to on the reverse side.

I'd recommend heating those up to squish them into a form that you can pull back through the tab slots and then melting them back down flat when you're ready to seal them back up. One of my attempts, I bought a pair of doors from a yard that weren't cracked (anything 93-97 should be solid for you) and used a dremel to shave off a little on the back side of those tabs so I could separate the two - mate the frame with my interior panel and then epoxy them back together. (the interior on the yard doors was bad which is why I was playing the mating game)

I thought I'd left enough of the tab to push through the door and epoxy to - but seems I was wrong.

What my experience was that over time, that epoxy would come loose. Not everywhere - but in certain spots - and it drove me nuts. I'm guessing it was just door slamming, normal wear and tear, maybe some bass vibrations once in a while that would do it in - but I tried several different epoxys and never found one that quite worked. (would dremel off the old epoxy and try the new one) Always wished I'd followed the advice I saw posted about melting those with a torch and keeping them intact. (seemed like too much trouble at the time - but then I was forever taking the panel off - regluing that section and putting it back on) Seemed to give me the most trouble around the speaker pod.

What finally solved my problem was just stalking craigslist. Found a guy who was parting a 97 transam that he'd wrecked - door panels were still available and in good shape - $50 each. I was thrilled. Brought them home - scrubbed them down really really well and then hit them with the SEM color coat. I don't know what color you have - but if you have the ebony interior, the Landeau Black SEM Color Coat followed by a coat or two of Low Luster Clear is a really good match. Be sure you don't spray in humidity though - it will turn white. The can tells you not to spray in high humidity but I don't think they tell you why. (ask me how I know) I used an adhesion promoter too and they've held up really well.

I think you also mentioned repairing the ones you have. If the seam is really small, you might try some of that SEM leather repair. You paint it on with a fine detail paintbrush (really small from the craft store) - heat it up with a good hair dryer or heat gun to cure it - and then give it a hit with the color coat. Might hold you for a while if you can blend it well.

Also - I 2nd the google search method. I put LS1tech in the search string too - it pulls up a great list for what's in these forums. Dunno why that's easier but it seems to be.

WarmWeatherBird

One other thing - if you do troll the yards looking for a pair of door panels - check them out closely. I love love love the yard finds - but ONE time I went to a yard and saw a firebird that had custom seats and door panels in it - I got really excited about it. The wallet was coming out. One of the guys who worked there quietly told me that they had been recovered so the car could be sold/parted/whatever. They had a term or code for it - I can't remember what it was - but the way he explained it to me is if there is an accident and blood is sprayed around the car - it gets classified as a kind of biohazard since you don't know what's in that blood. Any soft surfaces that got sprayed would absorb the blood and had to be replaced - or in this instance - they just recovered over the top of them for them to list or part the car the way they did. Gaag. I have no idea how commonplace that is - seems you would just junk those parts and hunt down replacements - but not that car. Can you imagine? You get this weird smell in the summer heat and can't figure out what it is? Gaaaag.
Anyways - obscure event warning.

joeformula

iTrader: (11)

That looks amazing!

blackbyrd

iTrader: (14)

Warmweatherbird, my solution to dissassembling the armrest was drywall screws and big washers. I did the arm rests way before the wrap job back when the car was a DD and it held up for to daily use for 4 years, now its a nice weather car so it doesnt see as much use but I did it back in 02-03 and its held up just fine. Even seen a few others do the same thing.

Thanks Joe

I still want to wrap the panels behind the seats and in the trunk deck as well as the center console lid (actual center console is already done) but I want to redo the lower center console first. I didnt have my milhouse box fully secured and a lady slammed on her brakes infront of me and when I slammed mine in response the box slid off the trunk deck into my center console and busted up the cup holder. I always wanted to do something a bit more custom to bridge the console and my amp rack. Just dont have the same time on my hands I used to.

WarmWeatherBird

That's a good idea about the drywall screws. I've looked at those for replacements around the car - they seem to be similar threads and head shape to some of the ones securing trim pieces. I used washers behind the armrest - but not all the way around like the speaker pods. The top of the speaker pods where they come around inside towards that little map pocket type area is where I would have them separate. The top and down that inside. It seemed like my cardboard/perforated leather piece was already sort of weak in that area and it just kept pulling or vibrating loose. So when I was sitting in the drivers seat and would look down at the door panel I could see a little space and parts of the tabs as it pulled back. I do like my music loud - but if you've got amp racks and yours held - I'm guessing you turn up the tunes too. I tried epoxies, q-bond, filler powders - and murphy kept pulling that dark section loose.

You wrapped your center console? The whole thing - like around the shifter plate too? Or the bottom half? I'd like to see that! I've got a spare console in my garage - could be fun to try once I get some spare time. I'd fixed the dash with SEM plastic repair but it didn't hold (used the one for "difficult plastics" and it lasted about a year). Went nuts and covered the whole back of the dash in it - with fiberglass tape, lasted another year. Finally got some plast-aid online and redid it AGAIN. So far that seems to be some pretty tough stuff. Then wrapped it in foam and pleather - actually looks like it was supposed to be that way in the first place. Plast-aid might be a good candidate for epoxying those tabs back through - found new panels before I discovered that one for my dash. I had to order mine through a spa repair store. Impressive demo video online though - they put a ball of it on a quarter and then bend the quarter without breaking the ball of epoxy. You can use it all the way from a liquid to a putty type state. Just a matter of whether or not it will stick to that plastic on the back of the door.

blackbyrd

iTrader: (14)

Just the upper for now, made a custom center console that deleted the cuphoulder and ash tray and the cubby under the AC, still need to make my radio bezel. im stil tinkering with a few other ideas before i go there yet.

there was a build thread on the console somewhere that showed it unwrapped. the good news if you are gonna wrap it anyway you dont Have to get everything perfrect as the leather will hide a lot of imperfections as long as they arent major. I cant leave anything alone especially since this isnt a daily driver im always messing with something on it.

WarmWeatherBird

Hey that's pretty interesting! I'm not sure I'd delete my cupholder - and I've got an automatic rather than a stick - but that's an interesting proposition. I'm going to have to study mine and give some thought to how I could stitch/wrap out a cupholder and the ashtray. I'm sure I could pick up a shift plate section at the yard to practice on. I've got the switch for traction control in my console too... I actually have 2 sewing machines and a serger - but when I remade my visors I stitched it all by hand with an awl because there was so much to go through. (I put a homelink and lighted mirror in my driver visor) Thanks for sharing!

StuntmanMike

iTrader: (2)

Great info here! Blackbyrd, that looks terrific! I'd like to go the pro route with mine, but that's not in the budget.

Honestly, I'm thinking I may sell the car, so I'm going to do a few things to spruce it up, including freshening the interior. And If I end up keeping it, then I still have a nice car.

My interior is tan, btw. It looks great with the NBM paint.

I haven't started the project yet, though I went to a local fabric store yesterday to look at fabric samples. I found a tan vinyl that is pretty much a dead on match and they're going to order it for me.

I've also decided to keep the perforated leather in the insert, as it matches the seats.

If the door panels work out, I may cover the rest of the interior panels with the same material.

I was also thinking of doing some inexpensive sound deadening, maybe the vinyl will help a bit in that aspect.

blackbyrd

iTrader: (14)

nice idea on the homelink hadnt thought about that one! well the reason i was okay ditching the cupholder is because of the second one that flips out of the console that is actaully for the passenger, but since I always ride with my right arm on the console that cupholder was always in my way so I didnt use it. same with an ashtray and I had the TCS plate mounted in the cubby with a custom garage door opener I made (hacked up a universal clicker and shaved the inside of the plate down so it could be epoxied flush to it). the cupholder is a tough cookie to wrap for sure best thing to do would be to fill in the indent for a mug grip so its flush, than just do the first recess of the cupholder, if you are wanting to keep it. I actually still have my center console from when the car was an auto in ebony if you are interested.


Well to be honest while it was done by a pro I didnt pay, my father in law rebuilds hotrods for a living and his best friend runs an upholstry shop. It was a christmas gift and one hell of a christmas gift at that!

keeping some of the perforated leather is a good choice, it helps break up the interior a bit. Tan is obvioulsy not my preference, but I cant deny that it does go well with NBM, especially with a tastefull mix of charcoal or ebony parts. I suggested this to another member here just recently that black seats with tan double flat stitch like i have in red with the tan carpet would look amazing (or atleast in my head it does). I think he ended up going with black outer seats with a tan perforated insert.

I have personally had more fun with my car once I got beyond the cookie cutter appearance mods, and realized what you can really do if you are open to making some significant/ drastic departures from what you most often see and are willing to do stuff that isnt just swapping out a part for another. rekindled my love affair for sure.