August
17-18, 2002
Sometimes you just have to admit to yourself that
you've gotten into a fight you're not going to win. My fight
with the door panels was one such fight. I kept trying to convince
myself that if I was just persistent I would eventually win. I
was wrong. What follows is the sad tell of my
defeat.
Before installing the new reproduction door panels
I applied RAAMmat to the area of the door
behind the door panel. My original plans were to apply the RAAMmat
inside the doors also. But in my haste I applied the RAAMmat
on the outside of
the door first, so rather than remove the RAAMmat,
I decided I didn't need it on the inside. Like with the carpet, about the
only tricky part of the door panel installation is finding the door panel
attachment holes after you install the RAAMmat. A little poking
around with an awl and I eventually found all of the holes. After
installing the RAAMmat I used 3M Super
Weatherstrip Adhesive to glue on the new door panel foam seals. The
location for the foam seals is easy to find because a channel for the
seal is molded into the sheet metal on the door.
I had already installed the
woodgrain trim on the door panels,
so all I needed to do was attach the plastic cork screw fasteners to
the door panels and then pop the panels on the door. I lined up
all the fasteners with the holes in the door, popped them in place,
and stood back to admire my new panels. Sadly, admiration
does not describe my feelings as I gazed upon the panels.
All of the problems with the door
panels that I documented in a previous
episode had not magically disappeared, but were all the more
apparent once the panels
were installed -- the edges of the door panels did not
fit flush with the door; the holes for the window crank
and door handle were not centered on the shafts; the improper
position of the woodgrain trim caused the reproduction arm rests to not fit
properly; and the flimsy plastic strips where the cork screw fasteners
attached came unglued. It was time to holler
Uncle!
I decided I would give up and
restore the original door panels and armrest the best I could and
reuse them. Having made my decision, I removed the offending
abomination and worked on other things the remainder of the day.
Everything else that day went smoothly, so I assume Maych
was also pleased with my decision.
My original door panels and arm
rests are at the house in Grand Island, so I will have to wait until
next weekend to start their restoration. I'll chronicle that in
Part 2 of this episode.
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