Description
Next steps
If necessary, it is also recommended to treat the plastic parts. In my case, I had to seal various cracks with epoxy, as well as aborted parts (Fig. 1 is the same part as Fig. 2 but unrepaired). After this was done, I repainted all plastic parts. Re-lacquering is recommended so that the difference between old and new on the door panels does not appear too obvious. (Fig. 2)
It is useful to free the armrests of the front doors of rust and other impurities. For this I used sandpaper. The roughness of the paper depends on the grate of the rust layer (Fig. 3).
When the armrests are treated, it is now time to cover them with vinyl. Cut a large enough piece from the vinyl to be used (Fig. 4). In order to make the task easier when you are referring to the vinyl, it is of advantage to draw the individual surfaces on the back of the vinyl. At that time you can cut the exact area around with a carpet knife (red line on Fig. 5). Now can be glued. For the vinyl to hold on to the armrest, the surfaces of armrest who will be covered as well as the vinyl should be sprayed with contact adhesive (to avoid glue on the parts who will not be covered with vinyl, fix some paper or plastic on it with adhesive rubber. Wait until the contact spray on vinyl and armrest is dust-dried. Then press the armrest onto the vinyl, which
before has been sprayed with glue. Preferably start with the outside of the armrest as shown in Fig 5. Then roll the armrest under pressure onto the next side (top side of the armrest) and press firmly. Fold the remaining sides of the vinyl over the rest of the sides and press firmly. Now fold the overhangs and glue them. If necessary, use adhesive for gluing the corners (Fig. 6). It is advisable to indicate the holes of the armrest with a pin, where the later metal parts are screwed on (Fig. 6 black point)
The cut-out for the handles I cutted only at the end, when I screwed on the armrests (Fig. 7 red line).
Now fix the armrest back on the plastic part. (Fig. 8 red circles). Once this is done, you can screw the plastic pieces back to the door trim. Here it is helpful to prepare the screws from the back of the door panel. This allows the plastic parts to be screwed in better and easier way. (Fig. 8 green squares)
You have your door panels almost finished. Now, where the armrests are screwed to the door panels, you can install the handle recesses in the armrest. With a carpet cutter, cut about 1cm from the rounding and make a long cut in the middle. Cut the incision approximately 1cm before the opposite round. The handle recess can now be carefully pressed in and screwed. Should look like in Fig. 9.
Your door panels should now look somewhat like Fig. 10.
Lastly, the strip that guides the Windows is missing. As for me, I bought new ones. Using new ones is always a good idea if you are doing all that new! These strips are originally fastened with metal brackets. However, from my point of view, they can also be glued as long as a strong contact adhesives is used. In this case too, apply a sufficient amount of glue to both sides, allow the product to dry and then press firmly with clamps (Fig. 11).
In the next issue, I will explain how you can restore the armrests of the rear seats. I have also built in a 10“ speaker in each side.
