Installing new door panels and need some help please.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 4,282
Likes: 172
From: Lake Wylie, South Carolina
Installing new door panels and need some help please.
My cars door panels were missing when I bought the car so I am not familiar with this job. I just got my new set of standard DP's from Wilcox today. They were drop shipped from Corvette America and look awesome!. It looks like the upper lip of the DP goes up and over the metal tabs on the inner door frame. Problem is I cannot get the lip close enough to the metal frame edge to get it over it. The door handle seems to be the thing holding\bunding everything up. Any ideas\advice?
Thanks
Wade
Thanks
Wade
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,417
Likes: 336
From: Texas
when i install mine i must attach the pigtail to door lock switch and mirror adjuster and then the lip must go over the top of the door first and then i install the door handle and corner panel/weatherstrip screw and the 2 lower screws. good luck
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 10,045
Likes: 675
From: FL
Wade,
Hard to explain but I will give it a shot.
1) Feed door handle through the panel. You have to kind of hook the handle with a finger and oull it towards you while feeding it through the door panel. Work the panel till the handle is all the way through.
2) Get the top lip on. It is tough but start at one end and work a small section at a time. You have to pull up pretty hard but I haven't managed to break any panels yet.
3) Get the screws started for the door pulls.
4) Get the rest of the screws in. When I put my new panels on, the two top screws would not align so I just ran the drillt hrough the panel and made new holes in the metal (call me Bubba).
Hope this helps. Those door handles can be a PITA. Once you get them through the panel, everything is easy.
Hard to explain but I will give it a shot.
1) Feed door handle through the panel. You have to kind of hook the handle with a finger and oull it towards you while feeding it through the door panel. Work the panel till the handle is all the way through.
2) Get the top lip on. It is tough but start at one end and work a small section at a time. You have to pull up pretty hard but I haven't managed to break any panels yet.
3) Get the screws started for the door pulls.
4) Get the rest of the screws in. When I put my new panels on, the two top screws would not align so I just ran the drillt hrough the panel and made new holes in the metal (call me Bubba).
Hope this helps. Those door handles can be a PITA. Once you get them through the panel, everything is easy.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 2,140
Likes: 7
From: Ohio
My cars door panels were missing when I bought the car so I am not familiar with this job. I just got my new set of standard DP's from Wilcox today. They were drop shipped from Corvette America and look awesome!. It looks like the upper lip of the DP goes up and over the metal tabs on the inner door frame. Problem is I cannot get the lip close enough to the metal frame edge to get it over it. The door handle seems to be the thing holding\bunding everything up. Any ideas\advice?
Thanks
Wade
Thanks
Wade
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 3,246
Likes: 4
From: Bay Area CA
I just reinstalled my stock door panels two days ago. Take the door handels off.
There is a single screw in the back of the open handle, take this out and pull the handle in line with the remining piece, it should slide out. some of the door panels don't come with the holes cut, so i hope your has them cut. Once you have remove the door relese handles, It's easy to put the panels on, then just slide the handle into the channel, pull it outwards and reinstall the screw. Works well.
There is a single screw in the back of the open handle, take this out and pull the handle in line with the remining piece, it should slide out. some of the door panels don't come with the holes cut, so i hope your has them cut. Once you have remove the door relese handles, It's easy to put the panels on, then just slide the handle into the channel, pull it outwards and reinstall the screw. Works well.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 23,831
Likes: 10
From: Springfield MO
St. Jude Donor '07
I just reinstalled my stock door panels two days ago. Take the door handels off.
There is a single screw in the back of the open handle, take this out and pull the handle in line with the remining piece, it should slide out. some of the door panels don't come with the holes cut, so i hope your has them cut. Once you have remove the door relese handles, It's easy to put the panels on, then just slide the handle into the channel, pull it outwards and reinstall the screw. Works well.
There is a single screw in the back of the open handle, take this out and pull the handle in line with the remining piece, it should slide out. some of the door panels don't come with the holes cut, so i hope your has them cut. Once you have remove the door relese handles, It's easy to put the panels on, then just slide the handle into the channel, pull it outwards and reinstall the screw. Works well.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 4,282
Likes: 172
From: Lake Wylie, South Carolina
Thanks guys , wish me luck! I hope to have some finished pics this evening. I have new pull handles as well so I will have to figures those out to. I just opened that bag this morning. Are there screw holes in the actual door itself that these screw into? Can I install these after the panels re mounted? It "looks" like it would be easier to do that. None of my holes are precut so hopefully the abs is drilled as you said so I can just cut the padding. These things are so expensive I am scared to screw them up.....
Thanks
Wade
Thanks
Wade
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Race Director
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 19,659
Likes: 34
From: Lenoir City Tennessee
Ci 6, 8 & 10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Well, how did you do with the door panels? Hopefully all went well with the one you had and now you have a nice looking door panel installed and ready to rock.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 23,831
Likes: 10
From: Springfield MO
St. Jude Donor '07
Thanks guys , wish me luck! I hope to have some finished pics this evening. I have new pull handles as well so I will have to figures those out to. I just opened that bag this morning. Are there screw holes in the actual door itself that these screw into? Can I install these after the panels re mounted? It "looks" like it would be easier to do that. None of my holes are precut so hopefully the abs is drilled as you said so I can just cut the padding. These things are so expensive I am scared to screw them up.....
Thanks
Wade
Thanks
Wade
