Panel Removal
- Remove the door panel carefully, since you'll need it as a template. Save everything! Clean the debris from inside the door and repair any rust damage. Lubricate any the moving parts and make sure all bolts are tight and tracks are lined up. Also make sure the drain holes at the bottom of the door are unblocked.
- Remove all of the old plastic from the door and remove the adhesive with lacquer thinner. Use ca. 4mil plastic sheeting from a hardware store to replace the old plastic. Tape the new plastic over the opening in the door. Cut the plastic so it overhangs the sides and bottom of the door by about 3in.
The original Spider plastic was draped into the door openings to route water in the door to the drain holes, but I think it's better if the plastic completely covers the door, with glue applied around the openings in the door to keep moisture out. Alfetta's I've owned had plastic attached that way.
Install the New Plastic Sheet
- Apply contact cement at the top of the door and around the door openings and press the plastic sheeting onto the glue. Use tape to help hold the plastic in place until the cement sets up. (While this is not the correct way to use contact cement, it's easy and it works well because the plastic sheet is held in place by the panel.) Before attaching the new door panel, trim the plastic just enough so it won't show with the panel in place.
- Before making the new panel, check the fit of the old panel. Look specifically for misaligned screw holes. If the screw holes don't line up, make a note of it so you don't drill a bad hole in the new panel.
- Carefully remove the vinyl facing material that will be reused from the old panel. Remove the old staples from the edging material (welt) and then remove the edging. Next remove the staples attaching the vinyl material to the old panel. Save the staples, you may need to use some of them again. Uncurl the vinyl from around the edge of the panel and flip the panel over. Working carefully with an Xacto knife, peel the vinyl material and padding away from the old panel. Be careful to cut the only the fibrous padding and not the vinyl or yourself. Try to keep most of the padding attached to the vinyl and not to the panel since the panel will be discarded. Also try not to bend the goofy chromed-plastic molding excessively or the chrome may be damaged. With patience, the vinyl facing material can be removed with most of its padding intact.
Make the New Panel
- Use the old panel as a template for the new panel. Use a sheet of 1/8 inch Luan Mahogany panelling for the new panel. This material is readily available (e.g., from Builder's Square), cheap ($10 for a 4' X 8' piece), and is plywood, so it should hold its shape well. Resist using a pressed fiber Masonite or cardboard-like material, since it is inherently inferior, unless it's made to withstand moisture.
Trace the outline of the old panel onto the new panel material. Also transfer the required hole positions to the new panel. Make all marks on the side of the panel that the fabric will attach to. Cut out the new panel. To minimize splintering, cut slowly and carefully using a sabre saw with a blade designed for scroll cutting of plywood. Don't cut out any of the holes yet.
- Drill or cut the holes for the window winder and any door handles. Drill carefully and use a piece of wood underneath the panel when drilling to minimize splintering of the wood. Don't drill the holes for the screw holes or any attaching clips yet.
Next, take the vinyl facing material and lay it on the new panel. Check that the screw holes in the fabric line up well with the holes marked on the panel. If there is a discrepancy, re-mark the panel based on the holes in the fabric. Remove the fabric and drill the screw holes in the panel.
- Insert the screws and test fit the panel to the door. Use an awl to find and align the screw holes. If the screw holes don't line up well, you should probably drill a new hole in the metal door frame.
If the new panel needs to be trimmed, do it now. Sand the edges of the panel. Normally, when sanding wood you should try to keep the edges square. In this case however, the edges of the panel should be rounded to minimize the bulk at the edges.
- Next, mark the panel for any attaching clips. Paint the clip receptacles in the metal door frame with an excess of slow-drying paint like Rustoleum. Then mount the panel on the door and press the panel so the paint is transferred to the panel. Remove the panel from the door and use the clips to figure out where the holes for the clips should be drilled. Try to locate the holes in the panel so they won't interfere with the vinyl facing or the edging. Drill the holes for the clips.
- Put a coat of Polyurethane varnish on both sides of the new panel to make it more water resistant. After it dries, attach any clips.
- Test fit the new panel to the door. This is the time to make any adjustments needed to make the panel fit correctly, before the vinyl facing material is put on the panel.
Upholster the New Panel
- Glue the vinyl fabric to the panel. Mount the vinyl fabric on the bottom edge of the panel using screws. Peel back the vinyl fabric and spray some weatherstrip adhesive onto the panel. Spray a small amount away from any holes in the panel. Don't use too much spray, you're just trying to support the vinyl where broad expanses exist. Quickly stretch the vinyl fabric over the remaining three sides and use binder's clips or some other sort of clamps to hold the fabric in place.
- Starting at one end, put some contact cement between the vinyl edge and the panel. Press it together momentarily and then pull it apart a little, so the air can dry the glue. After about five minutes, press it together again and it will stick. About every three inches and at strategic points, put in a staple. Use the existing holes in the vinyl. I reused staples originally removed from the fabric since those staples are about 1/8 inch long, and all I could buy were 1/4 inch long staples (which are too long). (I tried to cut 1/4 inch staples down, but putting them into the staple gun proved too difficult.) Put in the old staples with a hammer. The glue works wonderfully, and since the panel is held against the door, the fabric is pinched tight. Consequently, fewer staples are needed.
- Put the edging (welt) on the new door panel with contact cement. Apply the cement to both the edging and the edge of the panel, wait 5 - 10 minutes, and then press the two pieces together (use a few staples if you like). Cut away any part of the edging that interferes with the clips and the mounting of the door.
- Trim away the plastic sheeting attached to the door just enough so that it won't show with the panel in place. Don't cut away any more plastic than is necessary. Attach the new panel to the door.