On my 74 the door panels are in pretty good shape but I can't get them to snap on and hold on the sides and bottom. I don't want to put screws in them they seem to be warped at little. What do you guys do with yours when you have this problem?

Paul

 

I own a 78. Mine are held on with screws and the top of the panel fits over the metal on the door frame.

 

there's a few threads on this. Mine are also warped but there's not much you can do. I had a great chat to Chuck over at Coast Corvette and he has tried many different methods to 'unwarp' the door panels, including spraying with water and clamping in shape. Cutting it short - there ain't no way to unwarp 'em and just live with it unless you buy aftermarket replacements...

At least that's his opinion and I tend to believe it.

 

Screw'em.....I did on my 74.Welcome to the 74 owners club.
*We're the ones wearing the VERY tight white jackets & giggling
Having the Lambo doors,you see the underside of the panels so I wanted to make them
FIT better & tried to UN-warp mine using Aluminum strips,fibreglass even jumping on them
(* see above).In the end I just used screws 2
at the top & 1 at the bottom(hidden by the carpet trim). It's a band fix 'til i can get
around to making my own panels and console -
like 2000FRCZ19's
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...many-pics.html
Cheers
and GOOD LUCK.
Gav

 

Replace the door panels. If they're warped, they might snug up with trim screws, but they are not going to look or fit perfectly.

 

i've got an 80 vette that im trying to istall the door panels into. What size screws do I need?

 

Use the screws you took out with the door panels. There are one toward the rear. One in the pocket. One at the top rear of the door panel. 3 two different sizes for the arm rest. As far as size I am not sure. But if you took panels off you have the screws.

 

I tried to save my 1976 panels that were constructed of 'cardboard - paper mache' backing by using boiling hot water from a tea kettle with little success. I even went ahead and had them re-upholstered prior to installation. It just did not look good.

I spent the money with new and will be transfering the hardware over. A bit of a bullet to bite but just think of the first impression everyone gets as they open the door up with the old panel bowed in the middle with the ends sticking onto the back quarter trim and nearly falling off everytime shen the door is opened.

Sort or like a old garage door that sticks, is bowed, dented by hockey pucks and just looks bad. Go new for better quality and fit.

Dano,

 

Near $1,000 dollars for new door panels breaks my heart and my bankbook! Can the deluxe panels be treated with poly urethane where the wood grain is and be made to shine and look as luxurious as say a Cadillac or a Lincoln or a Jags interior?

 

I didnt remove the panels

 

They are not hard to remove. 3 screws in the armrest one in lower rear one in the pocket one on top rear of door one in the handle 2 that hold the mirror bracket. Remove those parts pull out slightly on the panel and lift up and it's off. Maybe 5 no more than 10 minutes.

 

the panels are already off the car. I just wondering what screw size I need to put them into the door without guessing.

 

I have reproduction door panels in my 74 and the fit is terrible. Reproduction panels have a plastic backing that does not fit the door contours properly, they hang out at the top leaving an ugly gap and its almost impossible to fit the lock ***** on. I don't know if new reproduction panels are any better, mine are about 15 years old.

 

You don't have the original screws? Because they are different sizes.

 

All of the parts suppliers sell nice interior screw kits, and the cost is reasonable.

You'll get your door panel screws and can replace all of the other screws in the interior for a nice, fresh look. Hang on to the old ones for spares as you'll probably lose a few here and there over time.

They'll arrive all bagged up, tagged and pretty.

 

Funny you mention that they hang out at the top and don't fit.
I bought an interior kit from Al Knoch about 15 years ago, sounds like the same vintage as
yours. Just got around to trying out the passenger side panel today since I have the door
apart for maintenance. The panel doesn't fit at all. It looks like the top contour is too
shallow. The front and back ends make contact on the top, middle sticks up and cannot be pressed down. When I push on it , it springs back. If nothing else I may strip the parts
off and look for new replacements which actually fit.

Anyone had recent experience with replacement panels? Al Knoch used to be the best.
Wonder if they're doing any better these days?

Biggest frustration with this project is having to replace some parts twice. A lot of junk out there being sold as reproductions.

 

I have bought a couple of things from Zip Corvette that no one else had. No problems. Bought a lot of stuff from Corvette Central. I recomend them highly and only. They will take care of you after the sale.
Gary

 

When I restored my wife's 70 Vette 3 years ago, the reproduction door panels didn't "bolt right in". I ended up making some "L" shaped brackets and screwing them to the bottom of the door to hold them into place.

The "Velcro" type fasteners on the reproduction interior trim panels won't even interlock with itself (after looking I noticed the ***** on the ends of the stems weren't big enough to give decent grip.) The plastic backing plate on the door panels is too thick and won't yield and conform with the door. Mounting the hardware isn't a fun job either.

Someone needs to throttle these parts producers and get them to give us some quality products but, I have a feeling that many parts are made overseas by people who are more worried about the next bowl of rice than making good parts for Americans.

 

I buy a lot of parts from Corvette Central. I've generally been pleased with their products but once in a while I run into a problem. I recently bought a pair of outer window seals for my 1970 coupe. Turns out some vendors offer a cheaper replacement part which is wider than the originals or a reproduction of the originals for more $$. Corvette Central sells the replacement part, didn't know this until I did some research. I installed only the passenger side so far. Had to trim it for length. The part was about 3/16" too long. The wider strip tends to push the window inward. Corvette Central made no mention of these parts being non original so far as fit. If I can't return the drivers side I may wind up tossing them out, buy from another vendor who offers the correct fitting part for just a bit more $$.
I'll see what their take on this is before going further.

It seems good quality replacement interior parts and some trim parts are hard to find even from vendors who I have generally had good luck with. Other types of parts I've had few problems with.

The door panels are looking like very expensive mistakes. I've seen great reviews on Al Knoch interior parts. Makes me wonder if they had a quality issue back in the early to mid 90's. I had trouble with every part of the interior kit. Door panels are junk, can't even make them fit. Seat upholstery had a problem with an improper seam near the release button, under-carpet padding too thick, wheel well carpets very poorly formed, etc.

Has Al Knoch had a change of management? Is their quality under control these days?

I'm going to ask the local Vette shops before I'll buy any others. I can't afford to buy parts two or three times. Getting expensive.

 

I buy most parts from Forum vendor Wilcox Corvette, they told me about the differences in the 2 door seals, so I spent the extra $25 for the better reproduction. I doubt many people you talk with at Corvette Central actually work on Vettes, the guys at Wilcox do, I would like the extend my thanks to Norm and the people at Wilcox for the great advice/help they have given me for the past few years.

When I asked Norm why they would stock the poorly made door seals, he said, some people only care about the money they spend, they don't appreciate how much their time is worth and they would rather spend hours of wasted time trying to make something poorly made fit.