what is the best way to remove the door panels? i got a tool but it still doesnt want to come off without tearing. any suggestions on how to remove them without ruining them? i need to get the passenger side off my neices comet, the window keeps jumping the track.well not the track seems like one of the rails may have broke the rivet and it goes down at a severe angel and locks up. anyways any help or be very helpful as i dont want to ruin the panel as it is in very very good condition.
I use a 2 foot long flat blade screwdriver and get it beside the keepers and twist the handle and they usually pop right out of the hole, I have the correct tool for doing it but like screwdriver method more. Sometimes they just dont want to come out because the backing board has gotten wet. Good luck
It helps to avoid damage if you figure out which way the clips are facing and get the tool under that part of the clip that extends over the paper board. If you're not under the clip it'll rip the paper board for sure.
. thanks yellow75,jsarnold and mavaholic. i have the tool but it still wanted to tear the backboard. it must have gotten wet as you said . anyways , illl keep trying , just take it real slow to minimize any damage. btw does anyone reproduce the panels for comets and mavericks?
Also, there is some kind of extra sealer on the bottom clips that may make them a bit more stubborn. If the backer looks at all salvageable when done, you may be able to save it. Otherwise, it could still be used for a pattern. I think that luan plywood could be a good substitute. It is about 1/8th inch thick and available at Lowes. I just spent a fair amount of time on a passenger side panel that looked to be in very good shape. A few clip holes in the backer were stressed, and I glued them with wood glue. Titebond is a good brand and is very water-resistant. Then I reinforced the repairs with Gorilla Tape. The vinyl had shrunk about 1/8th inch on all sides over all these years, and that had popped the adhesive. I applied more contact adhesive, just working one side at a time. I salvaged the staples that I could, because they are very short, so that they would not poke through the panel. I ended up making more staples, by taking regular paper staples and clipping the legs roughly in half. Held them with a pliers and tapped them in by hand with a tack hammer. I ended up using a lot more staples than how my panel came, because of the shrinkage. It was getting pretty close to the edges and I was not confident that the spray adhesive would be enough to keep it in place over time. Good luck with it!
. thanks for all the replys and help. got distracted today... had a brand new grand son born today my second grand child
