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How to install new front door panel cards

How to install new front door panel cards

Basically, you have three options for this project in terms of budget:

- $$$: If you're baller, you can just buy brand new door panels straight from Aardvark Racing, and just pop the old ones off and the new ones on: http://www.2002parts.com/bmw/door-panels.html

- $$: This is the route I went, using the much more affordable door panel rebuild kit from Aardvark, cleaning up and reusing my old vinyl: http://www.2002parts.com/bmw/door-panel-kit.html

- $: For the true DIYer, you could cut your own new plywood panels using the old fiberboard cards as templates.

The first step of course is to remove the door panels. Since 75% of all of my clips were broken, this was easy for me. If that's not the case for you, you'll need something nice and flat and wide to help pop the clips out of the door. Once it's free, the whole thing lifts straight up (though it's a bit of a tight fit, so may take some coercion) at the top by the window and comes out.

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(Yuck! If yours also looks like this, then you should definitely be doing this job too!)

Once it's out, you can begin taking out all of the staples that hold the vinyl to the old card and then peel the covering off of the card. It's glued down in strips with some sort of thin fibrous fill in between and can get a bit messy, but my came apart without much fuss:

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(old card)

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(old covering)

From here you'll need to finish removing any of the fill material that's still left on the back side of the vinyl, and also remove the trim hardware from the old card. There should be 4-5 clips that hold on the strip of window felt and the chrome trim along the top, and the black steel top molding has bent tabs that go through the door card to hold it in place. I just kind of ripped it out of the old card first and then unbent the tabs, but this might not be so wise if you need the old card more or less in tact to use as a pattern if your cutting your own new boards. Make sure not to loose any of the upper trim clips!

Now time to clean up that old grungy vinyl! I picked up this leather cleaning kit from Advance Auto and it sure seemed to work well for me:

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/turtlewax-deep-cleaning-leather-kit-t480kt/10611292-P?searchTerm=leather+cleaner

Now for reassembly, I started with installing the black upper molding to the new door panel. Being thicker the securing tabs didn't really go all the way 'through' the wood, but once inserted I managed to spread them enough with some nose pliers so that they gripped well enough to hold everything together:

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Then, I used some thin quilting fleece and glued it to the back of the vinyl with 3M spray adhesive to replace the now-shredded original fill material. This gives just a little bit of loft and softness to the vinyl, which I think is worth having, but isn't strictly necessary:

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Finally, it's time to install the vinyl cover onto the new door card. I started with gluing the top of the vinyl in place over the steel molding to keep everything in place. Then, I put the chrome trim pieces back on reusing the old clips, and then snapped the window felt back into the clips also:

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Once everything is in place up top, just start gluing the vinyl/felt to the front of the panel. I chose to glue the whole thing, assuming that if and when I ever need to do this job again, the vinyl won't have enough life left in it to be reused any more and I'll just need to pop for new ones. Again, I like the same 3M spray adhesive that I used for carpet and headliner gluing:

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Now is a good time to cut holes through the felt so that the door hardware (handle, window winder, vent knob, etc.) can all poke through properly, and then the finishing touch is to wrap all of the sides of the vinyl around and glue them down to the back of the panel. I just stuck with the glue again here and didn't bother with staples, but you could re-staple the sides too if preferred:

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It is WELL worth the extra $13 to get the new clips from Aardvark instead of trying to salvage the old ones, especially because you can leave the old clips in the old card to help you figure out which locations they all go into (there are more holes in the panels than there are clips). They just twist in by hand and then you can pop the finished door panel back on the door! I found it easiest to do with the window down; get the top pressed down into the top of the door first until all of the clips line up with the holes. Remember to fish the door lock pin up through the hole in the top of the panel when installing, which unfortunately is probably the trickiest part of the whole job, but once you have it through the grommet and the top seated, you can go around the perimeter and pop all of the clips home into the door.

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And that's it! Re-install all of the door handle hardware, grab a good bier, and be proud of your excellent handiwork!

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AustrianVespaGuy
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I did mine a couple years back and I stapled and glued and used new vinyl since mine was shot. The shortest staples I could find for my staple gun were 1/4 inch and even with padding I had to put them in at a slight angle to keep them from poking through to the other side. I think the 3m spray glue I used would have held nicely, but I am one to over do it rather than re do it. Hat tip to Aardvark Racing on the panels, they are perfect (wish the thickness thing wasn't an issue, but it sure makes for a nicer quality panel)! I also put a spar varnish on the wood to keep them from absorbing any water (don't forget the edges if you do coat them) Very accurate write up though!

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Can I commend my Aussie colleague beaner7102 who has made CNC cut replacements in plastic. Cut and paste description from a DM. Ask him for price and availability- this was 2014 and in AU dollars.

Simeon,

Not sure if you saw my post.

"I did draw one up and had several sets cut, which I have sent all over Oz. They are made from 3mm foamed PVC sheet, which is rigid, not brittle and completely waterproof. easy to glue and will self extinguish when burned.

I still have some sets left, $50 per pair, $20 shipping with Aust Post from Melb to Adelaide."

Cheers

Shaun Feruglio

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Sorry guys, looks like I accidentally posted this when it was only half done, but got it all finished and updated now, which should answer Simeon's question (I used glue and didn't bother re-stapling, but either method should work!)

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Excellent instructional.  Thank you.  

 

I reconditioned the panel vinyl, replaced cardboard with precut thin plywood from Aardvark, and used quilting padding between the cards and the vinyl.  Now, I have an uncontrollable desire to rub, feel, and caress the new panels each time I walk by them.  Look good and feel good.  Quite an upgrade and difference.  In addition, I reconditioned all of the inner door workings:  lubrication, replacement of bushings, etc.

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