Adding fabric to door panels

[TheyKilledKenny]

Has anyone done this on here? Im looking to add some fabric to my doors to replace the original grey that was on them. About 3 years ago my stock fabric was peeling off and I put krazy glue to hold it on....big mistake. Took me 2 hours to get the crap off one panel with full strength acetone and sand it in preparation to glue it. When scratching with my fingernail I ripped some spots where the fabric would normally cover, so leaving it as bare vinyl is not an option anymore. Would using a spray adhesive be a good choice or should I use contact cement? Im rebuilding my rear speaker decking because mine is basically petrified. Im planning on using contact cement to secure the new charcoal carpet to new particle board. I even replaced the filter in the rear fan because mine was brittle and disgusting.

[archaeic_bloke]

wow, that IS petrified... I don't have a fan in the back of my car...lol... my last r32 had red vinyl replacing the grey, and they used a red silicone bead to hold it in ... not sure what glue though...

once mine started to fall off cause the car was parking in the sun for a long time... I used a fabric spray called "Feather 647" or something like that.. worked good

[Tony-R32]

def use a fabric adhesive spray, contact cement won't do anything in this situation.

[frankiman]

you can also buy a can of 3M industrial all-purpose spray on adhesive @ canadian tire, it works wonders

[cschepp]

I did it and it turned out half decent but I will redo it again this year with a different fabric. Very easy to do!

[Bossman]

you can also buy a can of 3M industrial all-purpose spray on adhesive @ canadian tire, it works wonders

Yes, use 3M 77 or even better 3M 90 high strength spray adhesive. Your local auto body supply places or industrial supply places should carry them if Crap Tire don't have the 90.

[TheyKilledKenny]

Ya I have a acklands grainger catalogue its about $30 a can. I use the 77 all the time during oil refinery shutdowns. Just wanted to see the consensus on what to use. Should be a breeze since I have the old fabric to use as a template. My car and block is blue, Im going to have red valve covers and timing cover. Black leather with red switching for the shift and hand brake boots, probably a red shift knob (if I can find one I like). Ill get some red fabric for the panels, it should look pretty sharp. I may also get a very fine paint brush and paint the engraved "sparco" label on my steering wheel to red...yellow sux.

[Bossman]

Ya I have a acklands grainger catalogue its about $30 a can. I use the 77 all the time during oil refinery shutdowns. Just wanted to see the consensus on what to use. Should be a breeze since I have the old fabric to use as a template. My car and block is blue, Im going to have red valve covers and timing cover. Black leather with red switching for the shift and hand brake boots, probably a red shift knob (if I can find one I like). Ill get some red fabric for the panels, it should look pretty sharp. I may also get a very fine paint brush and paint the engraved "sparco" label on my steering wheel to red...yellow sux.

For a simple panel recover job you don't need the old fabric as a template, all you really need is the backing board and cut your material 1 inch over size all round. What you might want to do is cut a new fiber board if the old one is cracked or damaged. The trick with gluing the fabric onto the board is to first lay the fabric and center it over the board, then you fold the fabric at center in half so that 1/2 the backing board is now exposed. Spray the adhesive on the board and the back side of the folded fabric (wait till it's tacky). Now here's the $300 tip I got from taking that auto upholstery night course, for beginners place a piece of wax paper between the board but allow 1/2 inch or so of the adhesive exposed at the center. This will allow you to stick just that 1/2 inch of fabric to the broad but allow you to put the rest of the fabric BACK without worrying of messing the job. Once the fabric is layout correctly you can slowly slide the wax paper away form the center while lightly pressing the fabric with the board together. I hope this make sense.

[TheyKilledKenny]

I cant remove the panel off the door its molded as one piece. I like the folding the material in half to line it up part.

[Bossman]

I cant remove the panel off the door its molded as one piece. I like the folding the material in half to line it up part.

If a door panel is covered in different types of material it is usually put together in pieces. Sometimes a sub panel may be glued in place but most of the ones I've seen are either screwed from the back or use plastic clips or pressed in clips. If you look at the edge of where the fabric meets the door you should see that fabric is tugged under the panel board/insert. There is a pretty good video on you-tube that will give you an idea how to recover a door panel. If you want more information it's best to check out some books at your local library.

[MarusGTR]

Yes, use 3M 77 or even better 3M 90 high strength spray adhesive. Your local auto body supply places or industrial supply places should carry them if Crap Tire don't have the 90.

you can also buy a can of 3M industrial all-purpose spray on adhesive @ canadian tire, it works wonders

What about pillar vinyls? I was at CT pondering with both the 3M and cement in my hands and finally put back the 3M on the shelf... cement didn't do crap.

[bobbo]

I used the $30 3M stuff and it worked very well on the pillar vinyl. You will want to heat the vinyl up to make it more plyable for better results.

[Bossman]

What about pillar vinyls? I was at CT pondering with both the 3M and cement in my hands and finally put back the 3M on the shelf... cement didn't do crap.

You mean contact cement? Contact cement works too but make sure you are working at room temperature. Mix the stuff well and you have to apply on both side of the contact surface. Be sure the glue is tacky, too early or too late (dry) and it won't work too well.

[MarusGTR]

You mean contact cement? Contact cement works too but make sure you are working at room temperature. Mix the stuff well and you have to apply on both side of the contact surface. Be sure the glue is tacky, too early or too late (dry) and it won't work too well.

The contact cement was fresh and I was doing it in hot summer sunlight, so the panels must of been warm. The vinyl is probably gone though, it seemed too small/taut to cover the panel, as if it shrivelled up.

Anyway, I'll try the glue next summer and if it doesn't work I'll run the pillars naked for a while. Thanks for the tips. I hope I can find a decent detailer in Moncton to clean the rest of the interior.

[Bossman]

The contact cement was fresh and I was doing it in hot summer sunlight, so the panels must of been warm. The vinyl is probably gone though, it seemed too small/taut to cover the panel, as if it shrivelled up.

Anyway, I'll try the glue next summer and if it doesn't work I'll run the pillars naked for a while. Thanks for the tips. I hope I can find a decent detailer in Moncton to clean the rest of the interior.

Are you trying to glue back the original vinyl? If the old vinyl is shriveled then you can try stretching it back by steaming it. Do not use a heat gun as this will shrink the vinyl. Another option is to carbon fiber you a-pillars....