Custom Door Panels

[cheades]

Well I am part way on my first attempt at recovering my own door panels and doing custom handles. One thing not shown on the pic is there will be a flat piece welded on each end of the handles for the screws into the door. Anyways just looking for thoughts and comments on them, a door pocket will be added later with like flexible netting or something like that. My interior is now black (except for door panels) with grey/smoke seats.

[natorious]

it looks like you screwed a dresser pull to you door... got ant pics of the panel without any covering on it... i am gonna be doing so fabrication on the doors for my audio system sometime soon

[Digitalwave]

Vinyl looks ok, the door pull looks like a joke though. No arm rest? That sucks.

[Rob]

that door pull kind of sucks. if you're going for lightweight race style, use a nylon strap.

Maybe you're going for the 50s scifi theme?

[cheades]

I don't really like our armrests anyways, just as easy to put my arm on my leg while driving.

For the door pulls, would it look better to have a vinyl strap that kinda bowed out instead of the stainless door pulls?

[trent]

I don't really like our armrests anyways, just as easy to put my arm on my leg while driving.

damn you scrape your knuckles on the ground when walking too?

[mph]

damn you scrape your knuckles on the ground when walking too?

LOL.

[M42Technik]

Shorten the door pull so it doesn't stick out as much. My only suggestion. Good work though on the leather covering and removing the armrest.

[cheades]

I don't really like our armrests anyways, just as easy to put my arm on my leg while driving.

damn you scrape your knuckles on the ground when walking too?

No, but that extra leverage would have helped me get over the 90mph hump pitching in college. I actually like to sit close to the wheel and with the recaro's and lower seating position I am even a bit closer.

Thanks m42Tecknik, I actually f***ed up on one as it got too stuck and I slightly shorted myself on one side.

[Bill 84 318i]

Is that door handle gonna be screwed into the door? If it's just connected to the particle-board type stuff that the door card is made out of, I can't imagine you can close the door without ripping the thing to pieces.

Your seats are nuts man...keep the door cards nice and cool looking too.

[sovann]

Instead of those metal handles, ever thought about using some of those grab handles that go above the door? Would look a lot neater imho and there would be no sharp bits of metal for you to impale yourself on.

[cheades]

Bill - The handle would have a small flat piece welded to it that would use the original bolts so it would be held on just like the original.

My only issues with grab handles is I would like something that sticks out a bit and also what would I make them out of as the vinyl isn't strong enough to do that. How about if I bent the tubing so it arced out a bit instead of doing the 90 deg corners?

[sovann]

Here you go, this is what I meant by using the grab handles:

http://e30m3performance.com/installs/installs-2/armrest/index.htm

took me a while to find, but i knew I had seen it somewhere before :)

[Dirtsquirt]

The whole thing ends up looking almost factory.

[cheades]

Here you go, this is what I meant by using the grab handles:

http://e30m3performance.com/installs/installs-2/armrest/index.htm

took me a while to find, but i knew I had seen it somewhere before :)

Thanks sovann, I will have to look into that. I remember seeing that now and couldn't remember where it was or what they used.