fbekholden.com

Hi all.

I'm ready to replace my door seals....so I've gotta remove the doors ...so I've gotta remove handles/winders and trim to get to the door bolts on bottom hinge (I think)..... while I'm at it, there's those pesky perished quarter vent seals that need changing while I'm at it.... did I mention the window channels?

But I digress. The original vinyl and arm rests on each door are in pretty good nic, but the woody/cardboardy door cards are warped and need replacing, as well as the clips and plugs. So I have found a new set of cards (available on ebay for $130 --> am I a fool?). My plan is to carefully remove the vinyl from the warped cards and re-attach em to the new cards while I have them off the doors.

Any pitfalls others have found when doing this? Suggestions? Helpful advice?

I dunno if staples or glue was used - till I take em off and look. I know that later model cars have a clear plastic liner to keep water away from the trim (installing door speakers into my Gemini back in the 80's haha). Should install plastic like that for the EK?

There are a couple of small spots on the original trim where the vinyl isn't sitting flat and taut. Is there some way I could get it back to looking good and flush on the new door card. I'll post some pics I think.

Cheers all
Tim (Grafton)

$130 isn't too bad, is that for trimboard? I sell the cards in Trimboard for $25 a card plus freight, which is usually between $10 and $20. Don't use Masonite (too brittle) or MDF as it bloats and gets mouldy if it gets wet.
(Trimboard is the modern equivalent of what they used to be made of).

Strip and re-fit, never done it and I have yet to see any pics of people who have. That's not to say it can't be done, lots of patience and some contact adhesive should get it done. (no staples are used).

When I do repro door trims, I glue 3mm foam to the door card, then glue the vinyl to the foam. If you can replicate that then it should get it all sitting flat.

Thanks for that. Here's that Trimboard on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/252559948388 ... EBIDX%3AIT

.... and some pics of the original trim as it is now.

I might post some progress pics when I get good at it...hopefully by the 4th door hahaha

Those trims on ebay are Masonite, I have found that they don't curve well which may be a problem on the front door if it has the same complex curve as the FE/FCs, if the trim sits perfectly flat then it isn't a problem. Other trouble I have had with Masonite is that it is brittle and if thump it too hard putting the trims in, or if a clip gets stuck when removing them it will break, so be gentle.

Hi Tim;
I'm with Stinky I purchased door cards from Ebay and without knocking them too much they look a great product and I didn't have an issue with the back doors but the front drivers side that I changed has not handled the curve (I'm talking my FC Sedan) and now the bottom looks like it has pulled the clip through the card.

I don't know the solution for the curve I may have to put a screw into the card down low until it forms it itself.

I did take the trim off the old cards and reglued it onto the new cards and this worked really well you just had to have patience.

Regards
Neil H

Looks like I'll be buying door cards from "stinky". I'm better off not making the job harder from the outset. Trimboard sounds the goods.

I rebacked one of my door trims. See pages 22 and 23 of this...http://www.fbekholden.com/forum/viewtop ... f=11&t=576...for some pics and commentary.

Stewart

Stewart = Legend

Thanks heaps....just what I was looking for.

When you said you'd "use more adhesive next time" ...was that to stick the vinyl to the 3mm headliner (foam???)? or did you just stick the folded over edges to the back of the board, somehow pulling it nice n tight?

(PS when I had found my Grandfather's car and was trying to find a way to purchase it, another forum member sent me the link to you're story.... you were inspiring!)

Thanks again

Tim

I had lots of good help and people on the Forum answering my questions too...

When you said you'd "use more adhesive next time" ...was that to stick the vinyl to the 3mm headliner (foam???)? or did you just stick the folded over edges to the back of the board, somehow pulling it nice n tight?

I'd never done tit before so it was a bit of hit and miss. Read all the instructions on the can of adhesive. Yes more adhesive to stick the vinyl to the foam. I sprayed adhesive right up to the edge of the vinyl so when I folded over the edge it had some stick. I used a variety of washing pegs and clamps around the edges to hold it into place while the glue dried. I couldn't really pull it tight as the vinyl was brittle and I didn't want to tear it.

Get all your materials and everything ready and do one or two boards per day because the vinyl might shrink a bit once off the board.

A couple of tips for parisian62 and others

- Heat = flexibility, but not too much as the vinyl will melt, if you can't touch it, it is too hot. Therefore summer is the best time of year for motor trimming. Original Door trim vinyl is sometimes unbacked, put it out in the sun rather than using a heat gun as it will stretch too easily and it's done.

- Contact Adhesive
This stuff is the best glue ever if you know how to use it :
- always apply to both surfaces to be stuck
- never bring them together whilst the glue is "wet".
- "Stickability" has a range from "gaffer tape" to "two day dried orange juice", i.e. very tacky to a little tacky. Knowing when to put stuff together is the trick, really tacky stuff goes together and that is it, one chance only. If left to dry a little longer with less tack, you can lightly touch surfaces together and if the alignment is out you pull it off and do it again, once in place a bit of extra pressure will make the bond stick properly.

HTH

Stinky.

From memory I laid mine out in the sun to soften up.

stinky wrote:I sell the cards in Trimboard for $25 a card plus freight,

I mis-quoted on that price, they are actually $30 a card.

I made a start on replacing the warped door trim cards with new ones (they arrived thanks Stinky)

First I had to whip up one of these tools to remove the window winder and inside door opener. This diagram is from the Holden shop Manual.

I tried to use a strip of cloth as someone else suggested but I couldn't manage to jag the end of the wire clip.

Removing the vinyl from the door cards was done slowly and carefully...easy done with a thin paint scraper. Most difficult where the door handle and winder was.

The old adhesive (looked like the old shoe sole glue dad used to use) came away easily by rubbing the vinyl with my fingers.

Now I'm ready to get some of that spray adhesive and thin foam and re apply both to the new door card.

- Heat = flexibility, but not too much as the vinyl will melt, if you can't touch it, it is too hot. Therefore summer is the best time of year for motor trimming. Original Door trim vinyl is sometimes unbacked, put it out in the sun rather than using a heat gun as it will stretch too easily and it's done.

- Contact Adhesive
This stuff is the best glue ever if you know how to use it :
- always apply to both surfaces to be stuck
- never bring them together whilst the glue is "wet".
- "Stickability" has a range from "gaffer tape" to "two day dried orange juice", i.e. very tacky to a little tacky. Knowing when to put stuff together is the trick, really tacky stuff goes together and that is it, one chance only. If left to dry a little longer with less tack, you can lightly touch surfaces together and if the alignment is out you pull it off and do it again, once in place a bit of extra pressure will make the bond stick properly.

Polyurethane is the glue you want to use for the vinyl, not Contact Adhesive which is generally a neoprene glue and is better for natural fibres.