Door panel replacements for cracked panels
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Joined: Jan 2023
Posts: 4
Likes: 5
From: Amityville NY
Door panel replacements for cracked panels Hello! I know this subject has been long dead here and also pretty well covered but with no real resolution except for “fix it as best you can and hope for the best”. Well I think now that the last of the trans ams are 20 years old, maybe it’s time to revisit our options.
I, like most of you have the dreaded door panel crack. Just on the driver side as the passenger side has yet to start. I removed both panels as soon as I saw the issue arise. Quite frankly I’m tired of having an incomplete car to drive around and I’m embarrassed to even have my wife sit in it.
I have yet to attempt the repair that most have done. Mostly because I haven’t had the time but also because I’m real particular and don’t want a repaired panel, I want a good one with no repairs.
So, my never ending search has provided an interesting result lately. A company called coverlay. This company has the the door panel inserts that crack available as a set. It’s not the complete panel just the outside ring so you would have to install the center parts yourself. The price seems reasonable to me but also, I’d pay a kings ransom for NOS door panels.
has anyone used these for restoration purposes?
Does anyone have another supplier for restoration door panels?
I, like most of you have the dreaded door panel crack. Just on the driver side as the passenger side has yet to start. I removed both panels as soon as I saw the issue arise. Quite frankly I’m tired of having an incomplete car to drive around and I’m embarrassed to even have my wife sit in it.
I have yet to attempt the repair that most have done. Mostly because I haven’t had the time but also because I’m real particular and don’t want a repaired panel, I want a good one with no repairs.
So, my never ending search has provided an interesting result lately. A company called coverlay. This company has the the door panel inserts that crack available as a set. It’s not the complete panel just the outside ring so you would have to install the center parts yourself. The price seems reasonable to me but also, I’d pay a kings ransom for NOS door panels.
has anyone used these for restoration purposes?
Does anyone have another supplier for restoration door panels?
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2023
Posts: 4
Likes: 5
From: Amityville NY
I don’t know about better materials but new for sure. My main concerns are color and ability to attach the goods from my old door panel. Sometimes these aftermarket manufacturers leave off a critical molding to avoid licensing issues. But then again, are there such issues at this point in the game with Pontiac being long dead and doubtful to be revived?
with my luck Pontiac will become GMs exclusively electric line of cars. :-/
with my luck Pontiac will become GMs exclusively electric line of cars. :-/
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,629
Likes: 2,551
From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
I don’t know about better materials but new for sure. My main concerns are color and ability to attach the goods from my old door panel. Sometimes these aftermarket manufacturers leave off a critical molding to avoid licensing issues. But then again, are there such issues at this point in the game with Pontiac being long dead and doubtful to be revived?
But the quality is always highly suspect on any repro parts, at least until some folks have tried them out and can comment on overall quality. Fitment, materials, and color match are all going to be a gamble when the item is new to the market.
Color match might be the hardest, as 2000-'02 are not a true black (they are called Ebony, but it's really a dark charcoal gray) and the 1999-and-earlier are a lighter "dark gray" but still a blended color that might be hard to perfectly match in the aftermarket.
FWIW, Hawks Motorsports has a lot of repro (and even some nice used OEM) parts for these cars, including some interior items. Color match and quality is usually quite good with their stuff (I've bought a few pieces in recent years, such as their console lid). Not sure if they are making door panels for the Pontiacs though.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2023
Posts: 4
Likes: 5
From: Amityville NY
I don't recall any part of the door panel having any sort of Pontiac or GM proprietary logo, so I don't think it would be incomplete due to any trademark related issues.
But the quality is always highly suspect on any repro parts, at least until some folks have tried them out and can comment on overall quality. Fitment, materials, and color match are all going to be a gamble when the item is new to the market.
Color match might be the hardest, as 2000-'02 are not a true black (they are called Ebony, but it's really a dark charcoal gray) and the 1999-and-earlier are a lighter "dark gray" but still a blended color that might be hard to perfectly match in the aftermarket.
FWIW, Hawks Motorsports has a lot of repro (and even some nice used OEM) parts for these cars, including some interior items. Color match and quality is usually quite good with their stuff (I've bought a few pieces in recent years, such as their console lid). Not sure if they are making door panels for the Pontiacs though.
But the quality is always highly suspect on any repro parts, at least until some folks have tried them out and can comment on overall quality. Fitment, materials, and color match are all going to be a gamble when the item is new to the market.
Color match might be the hardest, as 2000-'02 are not a true black (they are called Ebony, but it's really a dark charcoal gray) and the 1999-and-earlier are a lighter "dark gray" but still a blended color that might be hard to perfectly match in the aftermarket.
FWIW, Hawks Motorsports has a lot of repro (and even some nice used OEM) parts for these cars, including some interior items. Color match and quality is usually quite good with their stuff (I've bought a few pieces in recent years, such as their console lid). Not sure if they are making door panels for the Pontiacs though.
Thanks for the info about hawks. Hopefully they come up with something as they sound better than coverlay. I called them today to try to get more info but I hung up the phone a little disappointed. I have a feeling the color won’t be right and there might be difficulties attaching the rest of the door parts. The did tell me that it is a direct replacement for OEM but they were hard to communicate with in the sense that they seemed not to be listening to my concerns, talked over me while repeating the same information they just told me and seemed more interested in selling the parts than answering the questions. They have a 90 day return policy so maybe it’s worth a shot. Maybe I’ll just do the best I can and hope someone comes out with something better.
I don't recall any part of the door panel having any sort of Pontiac or GM proprietary logo, so I don't think it would be incomplete due to any trademark related issues.
But the quality is always highly suspect on any repro parts, at least until some folks have tried them out and can comment on overall quality. Fitment, materials, and color match are all going to be a gamble when the item is new to the market.
Color match might be the hardest, as 2000-'02 are not a true black (they are called Ebony, but it's really a dark charcoal gray) and the 1999-and-earlier are a lighter "dark gray" but still a blended color that might be hard to perfectly match in the aftermarket.
FWIW, Hawks Motorsports has a lot of repro (and even some nice used OEM) parts for these cars, including some interior items. Color match and quality is usually quite good with their stuff (I've bought a few pieces in recent years, such as their console lid). Not sure if they are making door panels for the Pontiacs though.
But the quality is always highly suspect on any repro parts, at least until some folks have tried them out and can comment on overall quality. Fitment, materials, and color match are all going to be a gamble when the item is new to the market.
Color match might be the hardest, as 2000-'02 are not a true black (they are called Ebony, but it's really a dark charcoal gray) and the 1999-and-earlier are a lighter "dark gray" but still a blended color that might be hard to perfectly match in the aftermarket.
FWIW, Hawks Motorsports has a lot of repro (and even some nice used OEM) parts for these cars, including some interior items. Color match and quality is usually quite good with their stuff (I've bought a few pieces in recent years, such as their console lid). Not sure if they are making door panels for the Pontiacs though.
It's also ridiculous how many companies screw up the color matching. GM and every other OEM have strict guidelines, standards and approved suppliers for all polymers used in their vehicles for various applications. The exact colorants GM uses from the exact same suppliers are available
https://www.polyonedistribution.com/...1-Pager_v2.pdf
You have standards like GMW16208 (formerly GM.PP.033) and countless others that cover UV stabilized polymers, impact resistant polymers, typical applicability use-cases (interior trim, grommets, air ducts, under hood, etc) and there are companies that can not only sell you these resins, but can do it with the proper approved colorants already blended and ready for molding. It baffles me that there are a fair amount of companies who go through all of the effort to even make a product, yet not use OEM spec resins.
Hawks doesn't do much of the reproduction work if any at all. They're basically dealers for OER, Year One and a few others. They may very well do a few things, but the majority of their 4th gen stuff is made by someone else who also sells directly to the public.
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Would be great to see a company like Trim Parts start producing items for 4th gens. Their quality is top notch; much of their inventory for the old classics is made on original GM tooling to original GM standards. Never been disappointed in their products.
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 9,764
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From: Eastern MA
The Coverlay panel was discussed in a thread a while back.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/appearanc...el-insert.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/appearanc...el-insert.html