Door Panel Fix

tjm73

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Do the '10 and newer cars do this too or did Ford fix it with the redesign?
 

06 T-RED S/C GT

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It's a bogus video. You would know I'm right if you have ever attempted this job.
After looking over my door panel, I see exactly where your coming from now. The video posted is definitely bogus, as there appears to be no backing underneath the vinyl insert that is neither removable nor can be pulled off as the person in the video claims, but rather nothing but just foam/adhesive attached to the door panel. As mentioned in a previous post, I'll just either take a wire brush or use sand paper to remove any left over adhesive/foam on the door panel before re-gluing the vinyl insert or consider going with the Coverlay replacement option instead. Meanwhile, thanks for clarifying, as I now stand corrected.
 

06 T-RED S/C GT

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Why? Because the panels with factory inserts have sort of a gloss black plastic surface under the inserts. The panels in that video had no inserts from the factory. The backing does not just "simply remove...altogether by using a pair of pliers lol".
Fixed!
 

MrBhp

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It's best by far to remove the door panel.

Also, the best fix IMO is to find a set of door panels that had no insert from the factory.
Nah. Not for me anyway. Even if you pull the panel you still gotta mask it.
 

BarricadeGT

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It appears that the foam was originally part of the vinyl. On my car, about 95% of the foam is remaining on the door panel. How do you remove the foam and adhesive from the door panel, in preparation for whatever is to be reinstalled?

Used a wire brush and it all sloughed right off.

If any of you guys are going to do it yourself, I suggest you mask off the entire door that does not need adhesive. Just run some masking tape down into. and along, the depression in the door where the fabric should be tucked into. Then tape newspaper to that tape and cover all the door, and the outside mirror, assuming you're rolling the window down. This stuff is really resilient. If yours is still attached at the bottom, don't pull it off.

Agreed. Prep work is a pain in the ass but so worth it. I used plastic sheeting and painters tape (switch didn’t stick that well to the door paneling) but managed not to get any of the spray on the car. It paid off.
 

Rick Simons

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The Coverlay panels match perfectly not only in color but the grain (texture) as well. I couldn't be happier.
Apparently it's not the factory adhesive that is the problem; it's the fact that the foam between the outer material and inner material degrades, and then the adhesive doesn't have anything to stick to. Mine had been glued at least twice that I could see.
 

tjm73

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I can't find a close up of what these look like compared to stock. Anyone have a good close up photo?

One of the few issues I had with my '05 GT back when I still had it was the interior insert sag. I hated it. If I ever buy another S197 this is high on my list of firsts mods to do.
 

BMK1

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I ended up going with Coverlay also, I am really happy with them, and hopefully, I will never have to fix them again. The texture is an exact match but the color was a bit off but I would say that is because my door panels have faded somewhat over the years.20200614_103533_resized_1.jpg 20200614_124027_resized_1.jpg
 

MrAwesome987

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I ended up going with Coverlay also, I am really happy with them, and hopefully, I will never have to fix them again. The texture is an exact match but the color was a bit off but I would say that is because my door panels have faded somewhat over the years.
Can you provide a close up picture of the new inlays?
 

tjm73

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I'm curious if it has much grain or some sort of pattern. Hard to tell from any pic I've seen online.
 

BMK1

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Not bad. Has an OEM look to it.

Yep, I'm happy with it. The worst part was getting the old gray backing material off of the door. I did have to sand a couple of areas of the new panel so they would fit exactly how I wanted them to, but it was minor.
 

Gab

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Any updates from those that have installed the Coverlay inserts? I'm curious if the colder weather has caused the panel to pop loose or maybe warp. I just purchased a set and am hoping this will be a permanent fix.
 

ShelbySteve

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Any updates from those that have installed the Coverlay inserts? I'm curious if the colder weather has caused the panel to pop loose or maybe warp. I just purchased a set and am hoping this will be a permanent fix.
My driver side was warped a little when I installed them but it’s just me being picky as I don’t think anyone could tell where...I used the silicone it came with and mine are holding fine.
 

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