has anybody had any luck repairing cracks-damage in c3 door panels? those "as seen on TV" setups look like they might do a good job. but everything on TV looks like it'll do what it is supposed to. but at 400 on up a set for new, i figure somebody has tried...

 

Do you have pics of your panels? Generally, repairs of this nature look like what they are...repairs. I'd say bite the bullet and buy new. They'll last for years. There are deals at shows. Several years ago a got a $400+ dash for my '76 at one of the manufacturers for $100.

 

sometimes you can call high volume car dealer and they have a vendor that comes around and repairs their used cars

 

can't make the bad spot look worse. gotta try.

 

Oh but you can make it look worse. Trust me. And even if it doesn't look worse, your eye will go to that repair every time you get in the car. And you will THINK it looks worse.

 

I have used a generic leather repair kit on my 4-runners leather seats. And the drivers seat was a nasty repair. The filler was almost like bondo and you sanded it down and then use leather dye. I did have to dye the complete seat to hide the slight color change. I was very happy with the repair. When I sold it, the buyer had to look real close to even see the repair. Matching the color is the hardest part.

BUT... my 79 is a different story. First thing I did was order new panels. $400.00 and I was not going to even try repairing them.

My Toyota, sure... My Vette, no way.

 

I have to agree with kanvasman. My panels were original on my '73 (had 1973 stamped on the backside) and were hard as nails and cracked around the edges. Bought new ones from Willcox and well worth the price, just watch for their sales on this forum.

 

They are on sale until Sunday

 

Ordered mine for Wilcox. Very nice..... Waiting for fall weather to install. 100+ degrees in my garage is not for me.....

 

I'm in your 'camp'. Try to repair it; if the repair doesn't work, you're not out much and you learn something in the process.

I've had decent succes with repairing interior panels. First, you have to trim all the old material that is sticking UP from the surface. Use small, quality cuticle scissors, if you have them. They have a fine, curved blade that will cut close to the surface.

If you have large gaps or deep cracks, you might want to fill most of that volume with some kind of sturdy packing. Then, use a polymer body putty [filler] material complete your fill process. You may need to do this in several stages, as you can only apply this stuff in thin amounts (check package) or you'll get shrinkage and/or cracking and the fill won't be strong. You don't need to buy a quart of this stuff; it comes in squeeze tubes in small amounts, too.

Once you've filled up to [or slightly beyond] the surface, you can use a plastic scraper to level it. After drying, you can sand to finish; or, with the last thin coat, you can use a toothpick tip to lightly form some surface grain to match the vinyl on the panel. You might even be able to take a piece of similar vinyl that has been dusted with talc powder to press onto the still-tacky surface for transferring the grain image.

Final step is to put on a bit of sealer/primer, then shoot with same color of interior vinyl dye (NOT spray paint ). You can get one of your interior pieces matched for vinyl dye color at a professional auto paint supply store. Use the SEARCH function to learn about vinyl dye and how to apply. It's really easy, if you use the right stuff. You can also recolor your panels to restore original look and finish, if you need.

If the panel you are working on does not get much flexing during use, this method will work pretty well. For seat covers and other flexible things, you probably need to go to an upholstery shop or, as mentioned above, to a new car dealer. They contract such repairs out to local folks, and they are really good (at least, for the car dealers!).