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How To Rebuild Your Door Panels



Auto Upholstery Repair Fleece
The fleece was stretched first, then the excess trimmed off. More glue was sprayed on, then the vinyl was stretched over the panel and wrapped around the underside of the metal panel.		 Auto Upholstery Repair Cleaning Stainless Trim
The stainless trim was given a quick cleaning with a piece of steel wool. This little trick brought the trim back to a bright luster.		 Auto Upholstery Repair Drillin A Hole For Trim
The new panel comes prepunched for the trim, but the holes didn't line up. The trim was laid on the panel and a piece of tape was marked to locate the holes. Then the panel was drilled in the correct places. The carpet was pulled back to clear the drill bit. When installed, the trim will cover the edge of the carpet.
Auto Upholstery Repair Piercing Vinyl
The GTO badge has three pins that require the vinyl to be pierced. This was accomplished with a small pick tool.		 Auto Upholstery Repair Window Crank Hole
A window-crank hole was cut with a razor knife. If the car had been equipped with power windows, the panel would have accepted the switch by cutting out the perforated sections.		 Auto Upholstery Repair Riveted
The window felts were drilled and riveted to the metal backing plate to complete the rebuild.
Auto Upholstery Repair Drilled For Inserts
The original plastic armrests were cracked and crumbling from years of UV exposure. The new OPG pieces were drilled for the stainless trim inserts.		 Auto Upholstery Repair Armrests
The front and rear armests also had new soft pads installed. The rear armrests came fully assembled with trim and ashtrays.		 Auto Upholstery Repair Installation
The installation was simple, just like removal. The top went on first.
Auto Upholstery Repair New Pushpins
Redline installed new pushpins in the panels. These will require some adjustment when installing the panel.		 Auto Upholstery Repair Finished
All done, the new door panels really set off the interior and add that new-vinyl smell. Much better than mildew.
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Auto Upholstery Repair 1969 Gto Auto Upholstery Repair Prying Out Tabs Auto Upholstery Repair Grinding Off Staples
Auto Upholstery Repair Original Door Panel Auto Upholstery Repair Marking Upper Backing Plate Auto Upholstery Repair Uniform Surface
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