Custom Door panel take 1
Custom Door panel take 1 So on my v6 99 firebird I had the basic door panels and when I bought my T/A rear bumper I also bought several interior pieces including a pair of T/A door panels, but they are a different color then my stock interior. even then I installed them on the car anyway because I wanted the speaker pods of the T/A panels. Well I finally decided to do what I alway wanted to do, I am going to pull the pods and leather wrapped cardboard insert from the T/A panel and transplant it to the shell of my factory door panels creating a custom 2-tone door panel using all factory parts.
so here is what I am starting with. I'm partway thru the first panel swap right now and it's going fairly smoothly, I need to get some screws and washer to put the handle section back on tomorrow, I'll also be retinting the windows tomorrow.
so here is what I am starting with. I'm partway thru the first panel swap right now and it's going fairly smoothly, I need to get some screws and washer to put the handle section back on tomorrow, I'll also be retinting the windows tomorrow.
I was largely inspired by the camel/ebony interior I saw in this pic (with a few modifications I felt it could be a great interior, so was copying the concept using my stock color and tan, If I where to keep the car long term (been trying to sell for a while, but no one will give me the parts value of the car so I won't do it, and I don't like the idea of parting out a running driving car) I would want to do 2-tone seats with the grey as the outside and the tan as the inlay in the seat and then do a tan carpet (since it needs a new carpet anyway. I feel that would be just the right balance of color.
it's surprisingly easy, from the time of the pics in the first post to having BOTH doors swapped and this included removing the second door panel from the car I did it in 2 and a half hours most of which was cutting off the plastic tabs holding everything on, I had without realizing it managed to leave most of the plastic tabs untouched on the passenger door panel so I was able to slip the cardboard insert right back over them for a factory install and only have to glue the 5 points on the lower back of the panel and the 1 tab at the front of the speaker pod. I made sure to only snip the tabs that held the door skin to the inserts and pods so I left the pods attached to the insert which took a little wrestling to get in place but it was that much less I had to re-secure.
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I just bought the screws and washers for reattaching the armrest and will do that tonight, still have to do the tint on the passenger window before I install the panels (which I'll do tomorrow). the armrest will be easy as pie, the yellowish white "tubes" that hold the armrest on are hollow on the inside so you can just thread a screw down into it to reattach them. what red-line parts do you have?
small update for those wondering how to do this, to reattach the armrest use the screws and washers in these photos, you will need 8 per door panel (16 total, which is why the 3/4" length screws are the better option over the 1" screws because they come in a 20 pack) there are 2 tubes, one at each end of the door handle opening and 6 on the armrest section. One important note is to screw these in by HAND, DO NOT use a drill, and just tighten them till they don't want to turn, don't over torque them or you might strip it out.
also pictured is the 5 other tabs that have to be cut off to get the speaker pod, door pocket panel off.
edit: on second thought cut off the white tubes level with the side of the armrest they stick out of, this will allow you to pull the armrest tight up against the cardboard insert.
also pictured is the 5 other tabs that have to be cut off to get the speaker pod, door pocket panel off.
edit: on second thought cut off the white tubes level with the side of the armrest they stick out of, this will allow you to pull the armrest tight up against the cardboard insert.
Last edited by Daniel Richards; Jul 26, 2015 at 01:43 AM.
I just bought the screws and washers for reattaching the armrest and will do that tonight, still have to do the tint on the passenger window before I install the panels (which I'll do tomorrow). the armrest will be easy as pie, the yellowish white "tubes" that hold the armrest on are hollow on the inside so you can just thread a screw down into it to reattach them. what red-line parts do you have?
