HOW-TO: Reupholster your door panels

[$100T2]

DISCLAIMER: I am not a professional. A lot of my stuff is trial and error. If you know a better way, sweet! ALL of my HOW-TO threads are based on how I did it.


It helps to have someone who can run a sewing machine, and luckily, I've got a beautiful woman who can.

This is what I'm started with... Ugly maroon:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v282/$100T2/P8270030.jpg

Start by removing all the staples at the bottom that hold the vinyl in place. I just popped 'em out with a flat head screwdriver. I thought it would be tougher, but the staples are actually really small. It only took a couple minutes to remove all of them.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v282/$100T2/P8270031.jpg

After you're done with that, remove the five screws that hold the armrest in place. Put them in a ziplock bag so you don't lose them, because you aren't putting it back together anytime soon. Pull off the armrest. The nasty carpet at the bottom of the door peels right off. Trash it. It's disgusting, and we're not putting carpet there.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v282/$100T2/P8270033.jpg

Now that you have the armrest off, you need to remove the rubber/vinyl/whatever this thing is made out of cover off the plastic piece of the armrest. You'll notice it's held on by an ass load of these tabs:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v282/$100T2/P8270034.jpg

Easiest way to remove them? Pull the cover away from the plastic armrest, and take that same flathead screwdriver and give them a little push. They will pop right out. You're now left with this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v282/$100T2/P8270035.jpg

Removing the remaining fabric on the door panel is simple. Just pull up and away. There is some rubber padding and some foam padding that I'm going to replace, because it's A) old, and B) smells like shit. You can re-use yours if you want to, but just be very, very careful separating it from the fabric because it's going to tear.

This is what's left now:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v282/$100T2/P8270036.jpg

I'm taking some adhesive remover to mine to completely clean it up, then I'm going to prime and paint it. Yes, I'm going to prime and paint it even though I'm re-covering it. Why? Because I can. And, I need something to do while the door panels are being remade. Plus, it covers the stink of 25 year old door panel. :cuss:

Later tonight: Measuring out the new door panels. Here's the material I'm using on mine. I bought black leather looking material (which Lynn calls "Pleather") and some grey fabric. It's all upholstery quality, and ran about $8 a yard. BUY MORE THAN ENOUGH, and make sure you buy UPHOLSTERY QUALITY. Remember, these are your door panels, they are going to take a beating. You want something that's going to last, so don't be cheap. I bought 2 yards of the black leather stuff, which is going to do the tops and bottoms of my door panels (to replace the current vinyl and the shitty carpet), the little wheelwell covers, the tiny section of paneling in the hatch, and to cover my new custom kickpanels I'm building. I bought 3 yards of the gray material, which is doing the center of the door panels, as well as covering some of the other plastic stuff.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v282/$100T2/P8280003.jpg

[$100T2]

Since we are making two identical door panels, the first thing you do is, lay the fabric surface to surface. This is the artificial leather:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/100T2x2/P9030070.jpg

Next, Lynn took a pattern she made on plain brown paper and laid it down on the fabric. Once she was happy with it's position, she pinned it in place:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/100T2x2/P9030073.jpg

Then, she traced the pattern onto the fabric:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/100T2x2/P9030074.jpg

Cutting out the pattern. I told her to take pics step-by-step:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/100T2x2/P9030075.jpg

Here she is, working on the gray suede part:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/100T2x2/P9030077.jpg

Feel free to make your patterns bigger than the exact Mazda patterns, you can always trim down later.

Now that she got all the pieces cut out, it's time to pin them together. Since we're hiding the seams, you will notice that the back of the artificial leather is what's showing. We just matched 'em up the way Mazda did theirs.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/100T2x2/P9030078.jpg

Here it is all pinned together... Is that just hot sex on a platter, or what?

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/100T2x2/P9030081.jpg

Here's the other side being pinned:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/100T2x2/P9030083.jpg

She's sewing them up right now after a couple practice runs. Now, remember, she has a hardcore sewing machine... It's a Bernina... It's no fuckin' Singer that your Grandma has in her closet, these are a couple grand a pop.

[$100T2]

Here's the killer machine:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/100T2x2/P9030090.jpg

Here's a practice piece:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/100T2x2/P9030091.jpg

She did a plain, simple stitch just to make sure it's sized up right:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/100T2x2/P9030092.jpg

Now, she's doing a little adjustment to the piece to make sure it lines up just like the OEM part:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/100T2x2/P9030093.jpg

Her words: "Holy shit, this machine is going through this fabric like buttah!!!"

Well, Lynn finished sewing the door panels last night. I have to cut out the foam pieces for the door panels, then we are going to attach the new fabric to the doors. Hopefully that will be done tonight.

In the meantime, here's the finished panels. She still has to do the lower piece:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/100T2x2/P9040001.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a226/100T2x2/P9040002.jpg

[$100T2]

Now, go to Home Depot. Get some of these:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/100T2x3/PA050040.jpg

The hot glue is HOT!!! It will burn you, trust me on this. You are going to get burned. The clip is to help avoid it, especially when you are doing tight areas like this:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/100T2x3/PA050041.jpg

Now we have our main panels attached, it's time to do the REALLY difficult part.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/100T2x3/PA050043.jpg

You should have removed the rubber from the armrests. Be careful, because it's glued on there and can/will rip. The only way to avoid the rips is patience, maybe try heating it gently with a heat gun. Now, we're going to cut our leather a good bit bigger than we need it, because A) it makes our lives easier, and B) we can trim later.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/100T2x3/PA050029.jpg

Why did we cut it bigger? Well, simple. So that we can cut slits in it and thread it through the grooves on the armrest where the rubber cover goes!

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/100T2x3/PA050028.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/100T2x3/PA050044.jpg

Glue all those tabs down with the hot glue gun.

[$100T2]

The next couple steps have no pics, basically because they are pretty simple. Put the rubber back on the armrest. Use a flatheaded screwdriver to push them back through the slots. Then, put the armrest back on the door. Your big piece on the bottom will be loose on the sides and bottom. Insert the desired amount of batting underneath it to pad it up a bit. I used more than I had planned, because getting the fake leather to follow the contours the way the shag carpeting did was a real bitch. Once you have it padded the way you like it, glue the back down the same way you attached the other piece.

You're almost finished! Carefully cut out the openings for the window crank, door handle and door lock. DO NOT CUT ALL THE MATERIAL AWAY. Simply cut an "X" across, fold the pieces back on the inside of the door, and hot glue 'em into place.

Your end result will probably look a little something like this:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/100T2x3/PA050047.jpg

Ignore the diagonal hash lines on the passenger side door. That's from where we had considered doing some decorative stitching. It's tailors chalk, and I'm just going to wipe it off.


That's it guys, the door panels are done. The finishing panels behind the doors that extend into the hatch are covered the same way to match the doors, and look pretty fucking nice if I do say so myself.

[P71]

WOW! That's a GREAT write-up! Thanks for sharing the information!

[rx7carl]

Nice job!

[PercentSevenC]

Many thanks for the writeup. Looks excellent!

[old_skool]

way better than mine (getting drunk, and finding some black and red felt = not the best. still better than the turd brown though).

you never cease to impress with your general skillsets...

[My5ABaby]

Looks great and I like where this whole Lynn thing is going... ;)

[$100T2]

Looks great and I like where this whole Lynn thing is going... ;)

*ahem*

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v282/$100T2/Lynn.jpg

[My5ABaby]

*ahem*

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v282/$100T2/Lynn.jpg

I'm confused with this picture.

1: Why is it not resizable?
2: Why is there not an accompanying shot of the goodies?
3: Why are there so many clothes involved?

;)

For real though, she looks like a nice lady and if she's willing to help you with the 7, I'm not sure why she's still only your g/f. I give her a :icon_tup:

[$100T2]

I'm confused with this picture.

1: Why is it not resizable?
2: Why is there not an accompanying shot of the goodies?
3: Why are there so many clothes involved?

;)

For real though, she looks like a nice lady and if she's willing to help you with the 7, I'm not sure why she's still only your g/f. I give her a :icon_tup:

Oh, we're getting married soon.

[My5ABaby]

Oh, we're getting married soon.
I approve (because you can't get married without that... :leaving:).

[$100T2]

I approve (because you can't get married without that... :leaving:).

Trust me, she's awesome. You all meet her at the next DGRR.

[JShiz]

Didn't you do a wright up on dying carpet too?

[$100T2]

Yep, that was over at the 7 club. Didn't move that one here, but I can if you guys would like.

[HellBent]

Good write up, gives me ideas when i got a night of nothing to do...

[dcrasta]

Man make that woman a wife soon, she is old school with the sewing machine (and thats a good thing!). Congrats on a great build and a great 'partner in crime'...

[Max777]

Yep, that was over at the 7 club. Didn't move that one here, but I can if you guys would like.

Please do!

I was thinking of just shelling out $200 for some nice new black replacement, but because of my engine troubles, taking the old one out, cleaning it up real good, and dying it black is looking more and more appealing by the minute!