Panel Removal

[Tommie-C]

Hey all, just some more questions until i get my system flowin. Door panels? what is the easiest way to get them off without losing or breaking those cheap plastic clips. Do the books like chilton and car manual types from auto stores help at all? i have never really taken down any door panels, but everyone tells me beware of the little clips?
Thanks mucho

[exalted512]

on my truck at least, the front door panel clips dont break...unless you completely murder the door
its pretty much a ribbed nail on the panel that goes into a hole into the metal part of the door
they have special clip removing tools for this...theyre nice, but nothing a screw driver couldnt do
the rear panels are an entirely different type of clip
the clips are mounted to the panel by plastic pieces that stick out of the panel
theyre crap
i break em a lot, its almost a part of life...lol
i know when i bought my speakers from crutchfield they gave me a bunch of papers of my exact truck with the locations of every clip, which helps, but i still break em
just be careful, dont get mad, and make sure all the screws are out before you try pulling the panel off
-Cody

[neomagus00]

on my car at least, many panels are held in by torx bolts. same as a screwdriver but with a different tip. anyways, for my door, i had to undo about twelve bolts and then there were several clips. mine are the kind of clips where it goes in but doesn't come back out, so i have no choice but to break some if i want the panel off. others simply pull off and can be put back on.

for some trim panels, there's a row of clips on the mounting surface and a row of holes on the panel; for these, i have to line everything up, then slide the panel in to place - the clips don't push straight in, they slide in, like a lid on a calculator.

but yeah, make sure you get all of the bolts and clips accounted for before you start yanking on the thing - check around the entire perimeter. some bolts/clips may be hidden under other panels or share a common connection. so you may end up taking apart half your car to get at one spot - this happens a lot in mine.

on putting it back together, make sure you get the clips lined up right before you start pushing (duh). have fun.

[exalted512]

on my door panel, i have to pop out the trim around the handle, take out the window crank, unscrew two screws in the armrest and start pulling
the only thing in my truck with torx bits is the seatbelts
-Cody

[LittleCar_w/12s]

Originally posted by exalted512
on my door panel, i have to pop out the trim around the handle, take out the window crank, unscrew two screws in the armrest and start pulling
the only thing in my truck with torx bits is the seatbelts
-Cody

Ahh.. a real vehichle....
Mine is a Daewoo underneath the pontiac emblem:
All the interior of mine is plastic clips... it's all part of the Korean Snap-together asembly technique....
in fact a 10mm, 13mm, and a phillips screwdriver will take apart 90% of the car if you don't include the drivetrain.

-Jerry

[neomagus00]

Originally posted by LittleCar_w/12s
in fact a 10mm, 13mm, and a phillips screwdriver will take apart 90% of the car if you don't include the drivetrain.

lol... those three tools will take apart... um... well, they'll dismount my amp and xovers, and that's about it! :p i practically need a freakin full belt to do work on my car... three different sizes of flathead (for various prying duties), three different phillips sizes, three torx wrenches (for everything), and a hammer (for when it just won't go!)...

[LittleCar_w/12s]

Ford Woes??

[kyle_252]

Hey, i got manual windows and need help taking the door covers off, any info? I got it off untill the crank and i cant figure out any more from there. Talk to you

Kyle

[exalted512]

my window cranks have a c-pin b/t the crank and the door
you need to get really small needlenose, or something skinny that has a hook type end, you can get a ice pick and ben the end into a hook
ive also seen people get shop rags and put it under the pin and pull up
the little pin FLIES though...be very careful, i launched mine 20 ft. one day and found it the next day totally by chance...
-Cody

[LittleCar_w/12s]

There's a flat metal tool that takes those clips off. I am not sure how much they cost, but they look like this: