2 Easy Questions
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Racer
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 284
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From: Palm PA
2 Easy Questions
#1 To replace the T-Top gaskets do you scrape them off or is there a product that dissolves the glue and doesn't destroy the paint?
#2 Are the replacement door panels on the market cheap plastic imitations or do they have the same feel as the originals?
68 Vetteman
#2 Are the replacement door panels on the market cheap plastic imitations or do they have the same feel as the originals?
68 Vetteman
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From: Sitting in his Nowhere land Hanover Pa
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pull off as much of the old weatherstrip as possible then get some 3M adhesive remover. works great.
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2008
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From: Arlington texas
Can't speak of ones for a '68 but I bought some from Willcox for a '78 and they were nice leather with a nice firm plastic backing. My originals were so old the new ones felt way better quality so I imagine they are about the same as orig. Guess the biggest issue would be on who made them.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2001
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From: May help you? You can sure as hell try!
I can't speak for all brands of reproduction door panels but I can say that the Corvette America panels that I have look very good and very comparable in appearance to my originals. The biggest difference is that the backing for the CA panels is plastic where the originals were a molded fiberboard. The vinyl covering was cracked on my originals.
The plastic backing might sound like an improvement but I found that it makes the panels stiffer than the originals and my replacements were also slightly bowed. This made it impossible to get them to stay stuck in place on the door using the original "velcro" type push in place type fasteners that GM originally used. I ended up modifying my panels slightly by cutting slots in the backing toward the bottom and using the push in pin type fasteners that later cars use. After my nailing, stapling and duct tape type modifications (LOL
), they look very good.
I think Al Knoch may now be offering door panels with the original style fiberboard backing as an extra cost option. This may be worth looking in to if you don't want to resort to the measures I did to make your new panels fit like orginals.
Ditto on the 3M weatherstrip adhesive remover. Great stuff!
The plastic backing might sound like an improvement but I found that it makes the panels stiffer than the originals and my replacements were also slightly bowed. This made it impossible to get them to stay stuck in place on the door using the original "velcro" type push in place type fasteners that GM originally used. I ended up modifying my panels slightly by cutting slots in the backing toward the bottom and using the push in pin type fasteners that later cars use. After my nailing, stapling and duct tape type modifications (LOL
), they look very good.I think Al Knoch may now be offering door panels with the original style fiberboard backing as an extra cost option. This may be worth looking in to if you don't want to resort to the measures I did to make your new panels fit like orginals.
Ditto on the 3M weatherstrip adhesive remover. Great stuff!
Last edited by LemansBlue68; Feb 12, 2012 at 08:24 AM.
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From: Southbound
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From: Jeffersonville Indiana 812-288-7103
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
It won't get it all but it sure makes the job easier.
The door panels are on sale at this link... http://willcoxcorvette.com/advanced_...page=1&sort=4a
Be sure to use the sale coupon code from our sale thread if you decide to purchase...
