CleanGS97
20+ Year Contributor
- 158
- 0
- Dec 5, 2002
Ok.. I didnt know where to put this but I've been getting alot of requests lately for a write up on reupholstering door inserts. I wrote this while I was bored at work, its intended for 2g's but applies to most cars. Feel free to flame or mention anything i left out, yes there is more than 1 way to go about this, the write up is how I did it, Enjoy!
(mods feel free to move if this belongs somewhere else)
This should all be done in a well ventilated environment..
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1: Materials/Tools used
>some vinyl or other materal you want on the seats(i used marine grade vinyl because it is fade resistant and durable, bad part is it doesnt breathe so my back sweats in the summer)
>Air compressor and glue pot (glue pots can be bought at most hardware stores like Lowes or Home Depot)
>phillips screwdriver
>electric or pneumatic brad stapler (brads are mini-staples if you didnt know already)
>Ziploc bag (for all the screws)
>mini standard screwdriver or pocket knife
>brads
>contact cement for the glue-pot
>scissors
>Blow dryer/heat gun (optional)
>couple hours free time!
****************************************************************
2: removal
The door panels come off pretty easily, there are 6 screws you have to remove first. 2 on each end of the doors, then 1 in the hand "cup" on the armrest (there's a hidden tile covering the screw, pop it out with your mini screwdriver or blade on your pocket knife), and 1 hidden behind the door handle itself. Once you remove the screw from behind the door handle, the oval piece of plastic behind it just pulls out toward the hinge of the door handle, then once the clips come loose it should slide right down the handle and off. Next you want to grab on to the bottom of the door (I grabbed into the little cargo "pit" thingy behind the speaker grill,) and you pull straight out away from the door. everything is pressure clipped into place and the door should pop right off. you want to reach around the back then and unplug the wiring harness from the controls (power windows and door locks if applicable). now you've got your door skin and you can go to town! there are TONS of small screws here so start taking them off, then stash them in your ziploc bag. there are some underneath the armrest so turn the door upside down but just take out all the screws you see that are screwed into the white plastic (back side of the fabric insert in your door) and also take off your control box (power windows and locks) and there are some screws under it as well. Once you have all the screws out the insert should come out fairly easily, Just slide it parallel with the door toward the direction that would normally face the rear of the car (if the skin was still on the door.)
now you're ready to reupholster it..
****************************************************************
3: Gluing the delecate fabric of life.. or your door panels...
Two important notes to keep in mind before you begin:
1) glue isnt like horsepower so more isn't neccesarily better. apply the glue somewhere between liberally and sparingly, in otherwords just enough to lightly coat whatever is being glued. the contact cement adheres to itself so you dont want your shit dripping with it and the more you put on the longer it will take to dry (yes it has to DRY before it will actually stick to itself.. crazy i know.)
2) when i say stretch what i MEAN is pull lightly. when your stretching the fabric over the back of the insert, dont play tug of war w/ it, just stretch it until it gives light resistance and then staple, the same follows for everything else that needs "stretching"
Now back to work peon!!
Lay the piece of fabric you want to get on the door over your insert. cut about 1-2 inches excess around the outside of the insert as your pattern. Now flip it over and using your glue-pot spray the backside of the fabric with glue, dont go overboard, just enough to look like you sneezed on it (you'll know what i mean but it sounds sick right now)
Then spray glue JUST on the cupped part of the insert. this is VERY important, contact cement will only stick to itself so we want this part glued first. give the glue about... 20 mins to dry (leave the fabric apart from the insert, trust me on this even tho i sound insane now..) now come back and drape the pattern over the insert, get it lined up, then press the cupped part in, start at the innermost point and work outward. You want to get the innermost part glued, then stretch everything outward. (you can use a heat gun or blow dryer here but be carefull not to burn the material or overheat it) Once your convinced the cup is all glued and you've let it dry for another 10 mins go ahead and glue the rest of the insert, starting from the cup you just finished and working your way outward on the insert. Once that is done, stretch the fabric over the back of the insert and staple it using brads, be carefull the brads aernt so long they are going to poke thru the front of the insert, and staple them at a downward angle.
let this sit out in the sun for an hour or so if it's nice outside (this will allow the fabric you just glued to stretch and conform with the insert and will allow the glue to heat and dry, if you dont have nice weather a blow dryer works fine just dont get carried away)
installation is the reverse of removal!
(aern't you glad you saved all those screws in the ziploc!?)
Credits: Aaron Guarino, Nick Corneilson (for showing me how to do this)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
sorry so long but I was bored at work. I'll get some pix up to go with the story when i do my touch-ups this spring (SOON!)
as allways feel free to PM me about inconsistencies/questons/gripes
(yea i put vinyl on the bottoms of the doors too but that's for another write up, i was going to do these on an "in demand" basis w/ pics as I can )
Attached pic is finished product
-Aaron
(mods feel free to move if this belongs somewhere else)
This should all be done in a well ventilated environment..
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1: Materials/Tools used
>some vinyl or other materal you want on the seats(i used marine grade vinyl because it is fade resistant and durable, bad part is it doesnt breathe so my back sweats in the summer)
>Air compressor and glue pot (glue pots can be bought at most hardware stores like Lowes or Home Depot)
>phillips screwdriver
>electric or pneumatic brad stapler (brads are mini-staples if you didnt know already)
>Ziploc bag (for all the screws)
>mini standard screwdriver or pocket knife
>brads
>contact cement for the glue-pot
>scissors
>Blow dryer/heat gun (optional)
>couple hours free time!
****************************************************************
2: removal
The door panels come off pretty easily, there are 6 screws you have to remove first. 2 on each end of the doors, then 1 in the hand "cup" on the armrest (there's a hidden tile covering the screw, pop it out with your mini screwdriver or blade on your pocket knife), and 1 hidden behind the door handle itself. Once you remove the screw from behind the door handle, the oval piece of plastic behind it just pulls out toward the hinge of the door handle, then once the clips come loose it should slide right down the handle and off. Next you want to grab on to the bottom of the door (I grabbed into the little cargo "pit" thingy behind the speaker grill,) and you pull straight out away from the door. everything is pressure clipped into place and the door should pop right off. you want to reach around the back then and unplug the wiring harness from the controls (power windows and door locks if applicable). now you've got your door skin and you can go to town! there are TONS of small screws here so start taking them off, then stash them in your ziploc bag. there are some underneath the armrest so turn the door upside down but just take out all the screws you see that are screwed into the white plastic (back side of the fabric insert in your door) and also take off your control box (power windows and locks) and there are some screws under it as well. Once you have all the screws out the insert should come out fairly easily, Just slide it parallel with the door toward the direction that would normally face the rear of the car (if the skin was still on the door.)
now you're ready to reupholster it..
****************************************************************
3: Gluing the delecate fabric of life.. or your door panels...
Two important notes to keep in mind before you begin:
1) glue isnt like horsepower so more isn't neccesarily better. apply the glue somewhere between liberally and sparingly, in otherwords just enough to lightly coat whatever is being glued. the contact cement adheres to itself so you dont want your shit dripping with it and the more you put on the longer it will take to dry (yes it has to DRY before it will actually stick to itself.. crazy i know.)
2) when i say stretch what i MEAN is pull lightly. when your stretching the fabric over the back of the insert, dont play tug of war w/ it, just stretch it until it gives light resistance and then staple, the same follows for everything else that needs "stretching"
Now back to work peon!!
Lay the piece of fabric you want to get on the door over your insert. cut about 1-2 inches excess around the outside of the insert as your pattern. Now flip it over and using your glue-pot spray the backside of the fabric with glue, dont go overboard, just enough to look like you sneezed on it (you'll know what i mean but it sounds sick right now)
Then spray glue JUST on the cupped part of the insert. this is VERY important, contact cement will only stick to itself so we want this part glued first. give the glue about... 20 mins to dry (leave the fabric apart from the insert, trust me on this even tho i sound insane now..) now come back and drape the pattern over the insert, get it lined up, then press the cupped part in, start at the innermost point and work outward. You want to get the innermost part glued, then stretch everything outward. (you can use a heat gun or blow dryer here but be carefull not to burn the material or overheat it) Once your convinced the cup is all glued and you've let it dry for another 10 mins go ahead and glue the rest of the insert, starting from the cup you just finished and working your way outward on the insert. Once that is done, stretch the fabric over the back of the insert and staple it using brads, be carefull the brads aernt so long they are going to poke thru the front of the insert, and staple them at a downward angle.
let this sit out in the sun for an hour or so if it's nice outside (this will allow the fabric you just glued to stretch and conform with the insert and will allow the glue to heat and dry, if you dont have nice weather a blow dryer works fine just dont get carried away)
installation is the reverse of removal!
(aern't you glad you saved all those screws in the ziploc!?)
Credits: Aaron Guarino, Nick Corneilson (for showing me how to do this)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
sorry so long but I was bored at work. I'll get some pix up to go with the story when i do my touch-ups this spring (SOON!)
as allways feel free to PM me about inconsistencies/questons/gripes
(yea i put vinyl on the bottoms of the doors too but that's for another write up, i was going to do these on an "in demand" basis w/ pics as I can )
Attached pic is finished product
-Aaron
