Door panel fabric

[StereoInstaller1]

Luke is "spot on" in detailing the dynamics of redoing the e30 door panel. BMW vinyl is as good as it gets but it will rip just like anything else. I do think that you can stitch fabric to the new vinyl as long as you now what you are doing with the sewing machine. I plan on sewing into the fake seams once I find some nice fabric. Wish I could find some nice Mtech fabric but that shit is like liquid gold. I've been looking everywhere, England, Germany,Denmark,..Next stop is China. They seem to copy everything ever made in the world for 1/4 the price.
dlm ny country
••••••••••••hit me up if you have some fabric so I can cover my door panels•••••••••••••

Actually, I know a guy in NY that has some, oddly enough.

[dlmrun2002]

Luke is "spot on" in detailing the dynamics of redoing the e30 door panel. BMW vinyl is as good as it gets but it will rip just like anything else. I do think that you can stitch fabric to the new vinyl as long as you now what you are doing with the sewing machine. I plan on sewing into the fake seams once I find some nice fabric. Wish I could find some nice Mtech fabric but that shit is like liquid gold. I've been looking everywhere, England, Germany,Denmark,..Next stop is China. They seem to copy everything ever made in the world for 1/4 the price.
dlm ny country
••••••••••••hit me up if you have some fabric so I can cover my door panels•••••••••••••

[StereoInstaller1]

Why not just reinforce the thin spot with either fiberglass or a thin pieces of metal epoxied into place. Seems like a lot less work than moving things around.

There is only about 1/8" between the outside of the trim ring and the bulge. If you spaced the hadle out, that would regain the thickness of the trim ring, but thats only like 1/4" max. Unless it were made of metal and somehow bonded to the skin, it would just be too weak there.

However, 30 seconds per door and I could tin-snip that hole 1/2" lower and spacing the handle out would not be that tough, might be as easy as putting the handle itself outside the door skin instead of inside it, dunno for sure, but I am going to look soon. Justins car is coming along, but before it goes full race I will poke around some. I want to have a plan in pace before my next E30 comes along, the inserts I did for that E34 look much nicer than stock in my eyes and I have always wanted them on my E30. Both of the other E34s I have will get inserts, they look incredible.

Its a good time to put an LED in the door handle too, just a little background glow really helps.

Seems like you guys are reinventing the wheel. Why not just sew the insert into the vinyl like they did originally?

Are you referring to the standard cloth inserts? As far as I know, none of them are sewn at all, that is stitching molded into the vinyl. The upholstery process is not in any way similar to normal, they bond a sheet of vinyl in a hot press, padding, cloth and all. To attempt to make a panel that would cover the entire door with a perfectly shaped cloth insert sewn in place and then installed on the door perfectly flat and straight and proper would be just about impossible...and I have built hundreds of door panels in my life, it certainly would not be lack of skill or experience...but I wouldn't even try it.

Besides, that does not address the idea of a generally nice-condition door panel that is delaminating, as every single E30 I have seen in the last 5 years has lost adhesion where the outer part transitions to the recessed area. It is just about impossible to buy vinyl of the caliber used by BMW. I spend roughly 10 hours a month buying materials in upholstery supply stores that say "WHOLESALE ONLY" on their doors and I have done so for 30 years. When I say that the quality of vinyl used by BMW is simply not available to us mortals, I am not kidding. The BMW stuff is triple the thickness of aftermarket. If the rest of the panel looks great, these make them into show-stoppers.

Making those panels is not tough, re-gluing the panel is fairly easy once you cut it up and the insert looks just awesome to me. All in all, I think it is a great idea for anyone who wants to make a really stunning interior. The insert clamps the re-glued area too, so it should stay perfect for a very long time.

Moving the handle is a great idea, I am gonna check this out!

Luke

[StereoInstaller1]

Seems like you guys are reinventing the wheel. Why not just sew the insert into the vinyl like they did originally?

LOL...OK, good luck on yours!

[Cletonius]

Because not everyone, including me, has access to a sewing machine or the know how on how to do it properly without it looking like hammered dog shit, lol.

I get that but there have been some solutions mentioned that would be more difficult to execute IMHO. Fabricating custom panels, relocating the handle, crazy shit with metal and fiberglass...

You can make vinyl/fabric panels on a $20 sewing machine. The vinyl skin is glued to the panel with contact cement.

When you're sewing up panels (or anything really) and you can't hold it the way you'd like, you can use a stapler to hold everything in position while you sew. Just be careful not to sew a staple or you could break a needle. Remove the staples after you're done sewing the first pass.

If you guys are set on making panels, use panel board instead of plywood. It's a thick (maybe 1/8" max) sturdy cardboard. It's very stiff and if screwed in like Luke suggested it should be more than strong and thin enough.

[OnMy2ndE30]

Seems like you guys are reinventing the wheel. Why not just sew the insert into the vinyl like they did originally?

Because not everyone, including me, has access to a sewing machine or the know how on how to do it properly without it looking like hammered dog shit, lol.

[Cletonius]

Seems like you guys are reinventing the wheel. Why not just sew the insert into the vinyl like they did originally?

[AndrewBird]

Why not just reinforce the thin spot with either fiberglass or a thin pieces of metal epoxied into place. Seems like a lot less work than moving things around.

[StereoInstaller1]

Yeah it would bring it inboard. I may be confused by what your getting at, as isnt the problem when you stack the backing board on the door panel its too thick, and recesses the handle?

Yes, thats part of the issue for E30 panels, and spacing it out is a great solution for that issue...but I am glad to see that I got the point across that I was talking about something different...its tough when these things really don't have a name!

You may have to cut out part of the original door panel so the latch can come out further, but it would be covered by the overlay.

Yes, exactly...the issue is lack of strength in the little strip right above the sliding trim, because the "bolster" (WTF would that thing be called? "Bulgy Part" maybe?) is too close, so the panel would be too thin and weak, directly above the handle...but damn, I think we may be onto something here! It would be basically drill 2 holes for the tinnermann clips and cut out an area to fit the handle, then make the panel cover the resulting hole after relocating it 1/2" down, just enough to regain strength.

[Bglad]

You may have to cut out part of the original door panel so the latch can come out further, but it would be covered by the overlay.

[Bglad]

Yeah it would bring it inboard. I may be confused by what your getting at, as isnt the problem when you stack the backing board on the door panel its too thick, and recesses the handle?

[StereoInstaller1]

You could just add a spacer to the latch to offset it enough.

That would be bringing it "inboard" more, correct? That isn't the issue, but it may make it a lot easier to do the sliding trim ring.

[Bglad]

Actually, on the E30, its worse than that, the pocket is the least of your worries.

Take a look between the door latch handle trim ring and the upper door bolster. there is only about 1/4" before the panel violently changes shape on a sharp edge...it would be an absolute bitch to get right.

EDIT: remember too that the trim ring needs to move laterally, so you could not have the panel all that close and still be able to tuck the upholstery under it.

If I were doing a set for an E30, I would move the latch down an inch or so, meaning the hole in the metal panel behind it would have to move as well.

The pocket is no big deal, you would just trace the inside and make it fit. thats all about templating, and templating is just cardboard, tin snips and a sharpie.

The E34 panel lends itself to this job really well, the E30 not so much.

Luke

You could just add a spacer to the latch to offset it enough.

[StereoInstaller1]

Yeah that way is a choice that I thought of but not leaning towards. The e30 door is a bit more involved since it has a pocket which the board would interfere with unless the board was built to skirt around the edges of the door pocket. Thanks for the input.
dlm

Actually, on the E30, its worse than that, the pocket is the least of your worries.

Take a look between the door latch handle trim ring and the upper door bolster. there is only about 1/4" before the panel violently changes shape on a sharp edge...it would be an absolute bitch to get right.

EDIT: remember too that the trim ring needs to move laterally, so you could not have the panel all that close and still be able to tuck the upholstery under it.

If I were doing a set for an E30, I would move the latch down an inch or so, meaning the hole in the metal panel behind it would have to move as well.

The pocket is no big deal, you would just trace the inside and make it fit. thats all about templating, and templating is just cardboard, tin snips and a sharpie.

The E34 panel lends itself to this job really well, the E30 not so much.

Luke

[Cletonius]

Just what I have been practicing with on a Singer Machine. I am thinking three rows of stitch in M Tech colors. I'm better at welding then sewing !!

keep at it, it took me a while before I was able to keep a long seam really straight.

Just be sure your materials are all rated for automotive use or you'll be doing the job again in a couple years.