Replacement Door Panels

[Kopper]

I'm looking to purchase replacement door panels for my 81. Just wondering what replacement panels were the best to go with.

Thanks Ken

[old Rusty C10]

ive always used ones ive refurbished it doesnt take that much to find a good set at a scrap yard and dye them to the color you want . Ive also added the fancy pockets and stuff. The only thing is its hard to make the custom deluxe ones look like a higher trim level cause the chrome or wood trim piece doesnt sit right on the custom deluxe ones

[Kopper]

I've looked for used but they always seem to have sun damage along the top, the plastic is breaking down.

[dswancutt]

Here are a couple of NOS GM panels that I found on eBay. They would have to be dyed, but they are GM.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-C...08176694QQrdZ1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-C...09228577QQrdZ1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-C...10270940QQrdZ1

Hope this helps

[79underconstruction]

how do you go about dying your panels? i refurbished mine and i went to the local automotive paint store and they gave me some bull gard or something like that to spray on the panels first they said it helps the VINYL paint stick so i got that and paint 18$ for a can of it and then i bought a can of paint which also costed 18$ and now 3 months later the paitn they said would work the best and NOT CHIP is infact chipping..

[kevinr1970]

Is this typical of the people that sell a lot of stuff on Ebay?
He says they are for 73-87 but they are really 81+ panels. I know that you can use them for a few years in the 70's (77+?) but am pretty sure you can't use them on the older style (73-76?) because of the shape of the door.
He also says they are for manual windows but can be used for power. While this is sort of true (you can do anything you put your mind to with the proper tools, and gumption) you can't just stick the switches in the manual holes like he says. The switches use square hols that are a lot smaller than the round holes for the manual handles. Even if you fabbed something up to mount them solid, you would still see the hole around the edge of the switch. Also, while I have heard of it, I have yet to see power windows with manual locks. I have seen the opposite so I do not doubt it was done but have never seen it.
My moniter is really dark here at work but on the light colored panels (the last link) you can see all the holes for mounting the carpet, top trim, pockets, pull straps, etc. On the darker colored ones I don't see those holes?

Now, all that aside, is $169 + 26.50 that great a deal? $196 seems a little steep but I have never priced these out either.

Originally Posted by dswancutt

Here are a couple of NOS GM panels that I found on eBay. They would have to be dyed, but they are GM.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-C...08176694QQrdZ1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-C...09228577QQrdZ1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-C...10270940QQrdZ1

Hope this helps

[killthewabbit]

Anyone ever tried the LMC ones? I'm curious how those worked.

[old Rusty C10]

the LMC didnt look as good as they did on paper i was told i went to my auto body supply shop and they sold me some rattle can stuff that worked great.. ill look for the name of the can in the basement if i still have some

[boatpuller]

Originally Posted by kevinr1970

Is this typical of the people that sell a lot of stuff on Ebay?
He says they are for 73-87 but they are really 81+ panels. I know that you can use them for a few years in the 70's (77+?) but am pretty sure you can't use them on the older style (73-76?) because of the shape of the door.
He also says they are for manual windows but can be used for power. While this is sort of true (you can do anything you put your mind to with the proper tools, and gumption) you can't just stick the switches in the manual holes like he says. The switches use square hols that are a lot smaller than the round holes for the manual handles. Even if you fabbed something up to mount them solid, you would still see the hole around the edge of the switch. Also, while I have heard of it, I have yet to see power windows with manual locks. I have seen the opposite so I do not doubt it was done but have never seen it.
My moniter is really dark here at work but on the light colored panels (the last link) you can see all the holes for mounting the carpet, top trim, pockets, pull straps, etc. On the darker colored ones I don't see those holes?

Now, all that aside, is $169 + 26.50 that great a deal? $196 seems a little steep but I have never priced these out either.

i have made alot of great buys on ebay.but,you gotta know what your doing.price's,your limit,seller feedback rating.one of my personal rants is most ebay sellers of our truck parts list everything as fits 73-87.that's true on some stuff.but as we know not everything.don't trust the seller's claim as fits 73-87.i'd find out for sure.dealers parts people can look it up.and,ask on here alot of people know from expeirence.

[benoit454]

The bull stuff is bull dog adhesive promoter, I bought a can when I painted the bumpers of my monte carlo, stuff worked excellent on them.

To refurbish or dye them,

get some grease and wax remover, wipe it on all over, then wipe it off with a clean dry rag. Then you can apply ahesive promoter, follow the directions on it, then apply the vinyl paint, flexible paint, plastic paint whatever.

They are hard plastic or the ones I seen were so krylon fusion would work, I've used it before.

The expensive 9 bucks can stuff or more from body shop supply is SEM, they have good stuff and millions of factory colors to match. I've used duplicolor and plastikote before and both work very well.

I have pics of the door panels on the 86 I did, if someone wants to see.

I just wiped them off with grease and wax remover, then laquer thinner, just for the heck of it, then sprayed on the plastikote vinyl paint.

[Captkaos]

There is a how to on the redoing door panels here:
http://73-87.com/7387garage/interior/vinyl_dye.htm

There are 2 companies that make replacement door panels that I now of (because we sell them) Coverlay and Just Dashes. The later ones will work with most of the factory trim pieces. Coverlay replaces all of it and is molded into the panel.

[ElGracho]

1. All of the GM replacement panels only had the hole for the manual window regulator. They are marked (embossed) on the back side for the power switches. It isn't hard to cut them out.

2. The 81-91 Silverado/Sierra Classic door panels are still available from GM (you will have to dye them). These panels will fit 77-91 doors. They kinda fit 73-76 doors but the doors don't have all the holes for the mounting clips. Also, the earlier window regulators have the wrong length shaft to use with these panels.

[kevinr1970]

Originally Posted by ElGracho

1. All of the GM replacement panels only had the hole for the manual window regulator. They are marked (embossed) on the back side for the power switches. It isn't hard to cut them out.

So what do you do about the hole for the manual, isn't it in the wrong place for the power switches?

Originally Posted by ElGracho

2. The 81-91 Silverado/Sierra Classic door panels are still available from GM (you will have to dye them). These panels will fit 77-91 doors. They kinda fit 73-76 doors but the doors don't have all the holes for the mounting clips. Also, the earlier window regulators have the wrong length shaft to use with these panels.

I knew for some reason they didn't work on the older doors. Thanks for clearing that up.

[ElGracho]

Originally Posted by kevinr1970

So what do you do about the hole for the manual, isn't it in the wrong place for the power switches?

Nope, you actually have to make it a little bigger. It's in the right spot though.

I take back what I said about the holes being marked though, I just looked at the set I have in my back bedroom and they aren't marked. I guess we need to use the old ones to make a template for cutting the new holes.

[kevinr1970]

I bought a set of new in the box OEM panels from someone here that I thought were for manual. I'll have to dig them out and take a better look at them.

So, where do you find the carpet for the silverado panels. I mean the carpet that is mounted above the arm rests? Is that still available from GM?