Z06Vette.com - Corvette Z06 Forum - I hate my C5 door panels. Any solution to this?

ferrari360man · 05-07-2009, 10:22 AM

And I dont mean Caravaggio, because 2500 for door panels is just nuts to me.

The vinyl or whatever it is is seperating from the panel on both doors, and I am upgrading to a momo wheel, a short throw shifter with momo knob, REAL leather racing seats, and I just feel like I want to do something with my panels too. Is there anyone else who can leather them? They are mod red so I want to keep the bottom portion the red, but the upper portion I want redone in black leather.

What can I do?

vant · 05-07-2009, 10:43 AM

I have been thinking about this as well. A good automotive upholstry shop can handle the job in any material you want.

Also, I want to eventually cover the plastic radio bezel trim (all the way down to and including the console cover) in leather. Caravaggio does this and it looks absolutely amazing, but also very expensive.

I don't live that far away from you. If you decide to bring it to a local shop, let me know.

-Jake

Edit: By the way, the panel may be separating because the white plastic pegs that hold it in place are shot. I need to replace 2 of those on my driver's door panel. I just need to find the part number and vendor who sells them at a realistic price. I'm sure the dealership would sell them for about $20 each.

proexpert · 05-07-2009, 11:06 AM

I did this for very little money.

Speaker cover from GM.
Door pull and arm rest from Vette Essentials.
Changed the reflector using the local embroidery shop.

froggy47 · 05-07-2009, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by proexpert

I did this for very little money.

Speaker cover from GM.
Door pull and arm rest from Vette Essentials.
Changed the reflector using the local embroidery shop.

How much was the speaker cover? Did you just paint it? How does it attach on the back side? I have one that is punched in.

BTW looks nice.

proexpert · 05-07-2009, 12:05 PM

The speaker covers are from GM, $20 each, you can get at any dealer or online GM store. No I didn't paint them, GM makes them in black, gray, tan, and red. The speaker cover has tabs that bend to secure it in place, you have to remove the door panel to do this.

I took most of the interior apart, just because I could.

**PaulS** · 05-07-2009, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ferrari360man

And I dont mean Caravaggio, because 2500 for door panels is just nuts to me.

The vinyl or whatever it is is seperating from the panel on both doors, and I am upgrading to a momo wheel, a short throw shifter with momo knob, REAL leather racing seats, and I just feel like I want to do something with my panels too. Is there anyone else who can leather them? They are mod red so I want to keep the bottom portion the red, but the upper portion I want redone in black leather.

What can I do?

If it's separating near the arm rest you can either cover it with a home made armrest cushion or I have heard you can drill ever so gently on the back side, insert some glue and weight it down (bag of beans, flour etc.) until it dries. You will need to be careful you don't go into the backing or the pleather itself.

The styrofoam on the back of the doors comes of fairly easily as it's just in place with 3 screws and some gummy compound in about 6 places. It's not difficult to get these doors torn down. I separated the lower section and removed the pleather on the lower section in about 15 minutes this morning.

The Bose speaker covers have metal tabs on the backside that bend. Straighten them out and you can push the cover right out.

froggy47 · 05-07-2009, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by proexpert

The speaker covers are from GM, $20 each, you can get at any dealer or online GM store. No I didn't paint them, GM makes them in black, gray, tan, and red. The speaker cover has tabs that bend to secure it in place, you have to remove the door panel to do this.

I took most of the interior apart, just because I could.

I bet when you were a kid, you got in trouble with your parents for taking stuff apart.

**YumaZ06** · 05-07-2009, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by froggy47

I bet when you were a kid, you got in trouble with your parents for taking stuff apart.

proexpert · 05-07-2009, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by froggy47

I bet when you were a kid, you got in trouble with your parents for taking stuff apart.

And now every time I give my kids a toy, they ask "Did you put it back together right DAD?"

I once bought a $600 gas grille from Home Depot just so I could take it apart and model it in the computer. We don't cook on gas. The wife was like WTF??? So after a month I returned it, Home Depot asked if I didn't like it. I told them I loved it, but never had the heart to light it.

froggy47 · 05-07-2009, 01:53 PM

LeRox · 05-07-2009, 02:22 PM

vant, sent you a PM to help with your broken plastic door peg problem.....

chewbakkah · 05-08-2009, 12:36 AM

no door panels, saves weight, which means you can go ahead and order that larger steak

ZOra6 · 05-08-2009, 07:31 AM

I have this problem as well. It will be interesting to see if there are any reasonable solutions other than back filling with glue. Not that it wont work, it's just not something I am confident enough to do.

ferrari360man · 05-08-2009, 09:21 PM

I found my solution. Me and my mother are pulling the panels apart, and I am leaving the bottom portion the mod red color, but we are going to design a pattern for the upper black portion of the panel, and re do this with black real leather and red stitching. Itll be done in a week or two, and when it is I will post pictures. Hell of a lot cheaper than caravaggio, thats for sure.

GR8 WHITE · 05-08-2009, 09:34 PM

Damn PROEXPERT....Now you make me wanna rip mine apart. Just to said "I Did too"