Those dreaded door panel cracks . . . fixed!
05-07-2009 | 12:06 PM
#21
i had to trim off the studs with a dremel. i could not get the panel to fit right with the studs exposed. after i did this it fit a lot better. seems like its ok. as for the screws, WTF in all the write-ups i seen none ever said anything about using a certain type of screw. so do you think that it would be in my best interest to change over to flat head screws, or just leave things as they are?
05-07-2009 | 01:05 PM
#23
What else is everyone using in place of those staples? I've seen screws and pop rivets but isn't the point to replace them with something that will give a little bit and allow the panel to expand and contract? The writup in the sticky says copper wire but I'm still trying to figure out how that would work.
I just bought a new set of crackless door panels since the ones on my car now have huge cracks in them, and I want to make sure that these new ones don't crack.
BTW, thanks for bringing this thread back up. It's very helpful.
I just bought a new set of crackless door panels since the ones on my car now have huge cracks in them, and I want to make sure that these new ones don't crack.
BTW, thanks for bringing this thread back up. It's very helpful.
05-07-2009 | 02:28 PM
#24
Your Welcome!!
The whole deal is when the steel strap was installed on the plastic panel, the panel was held in a "bent" position (think of trying to string a bow & arrow bow, you "bend" the bow slightly to string it, then release the tension on the bow to create tension on the string) ,,,while the plastic panel was held in this "bent" position, the steel strap was installed, then the tension was released from the panel, but steel dosnt quite stretch so, over time, the panel is wanting to go straight, causing the cracks which are actually the plastic panel trying to go into a relaxed position. The closing of the door, heat, cold, etc causes the spot with the most stress on it to start to crack.
It is very important to get to these BEFORE the cracks start,,the panels are not cheap, and its a much easier fix to do all this before the cracks are there. That repair is a lil bit more involved. (glue, sanding, painting, etc)
The whole deal is when the steel strap was installed on the plastic panel, the panel was held in a "bent" position (think of trying to string a bow & arrow bow, you "bend" the bow slightly to string it, then release the tension on the bow to create tension on the string) ,,,while the plastic panel was held in this "bent" position, the steel strap was installed, then the tension was released from the panel, but steel dosnt quite stretch so, over time, the panel is wanting to go straight, causing the cracks which are actually the plastic panel trying to go into a relaxed position. The closing of the door, heat, cold, etc causes the spot with the most stress on it to start to crack.
It is very important to get to these BEFORE the cracks start,,the panels are not cheap, and its a much easier fix to do all this before the cracks are there. That repair is a lil bit more involved. (glue, sanding, painting, etc)
