Door Panel

[Peter Douglas Winn]

Although I have done it many times, I wonder if anybody has a tip on how to put on the door panel. I have lots of new green clips. When I measure the holes in the door I get in some places 20cm. When I measure the holes on the back side of the panel I get different values. The door is original so the values must be correct. The boarding comes from John Skinner and also matches up exactly with the old one. Which matched up with the one before that. (I always check)

I always seem to be twisting the clips in all directions and finish up opening the clips and tearing the cardboard. So any tips.

[Alfrom]

You're not alone in having problems with these clips.  If you're not worried about losing originality, you could consider self-tappers through the card into the door frame.  Screw heads could be silver or black and when used with the appropriately coloured cups, would still look smart.  This is the route I plan to use when I next have to remove the card.

[Tom Fremont]

Dunno about Skinner's supply but I had zero issues with TRF's door panels and clips. They do have different angular orientations, but provision is made to allow for that in the design / holes in the cards. They have the coloured covers too.

 

Cheers,

Tom

 

 

 

 

[RogerH]

Hi Peter

       here is a daft idea - make a template.

Using 3mm hardboard -  TRansfer all the holes in the door to the template.

Then lay the template on the inner face of the door card. 

Mark through the holes with a felt tip onto whatever surface is below (hopefully it will coincide with thehole in the door card.)

This mark is where the sticky out part of the clip needs to be.

Should be usable for both left & right.

 

Roger

 

[Waldi]

There was a recent post/topic where Stuart explained it in detail.

Waldi

[John Bracher]

1 hour ago, RogerH said:

Hi Peter

       here is a daft idea - make a template.

Using 3mm hardboard -  TRansfer all the holes in the door to the template.

Then lay the template on the inner face of the door card. 

Mark through the holes with a felt tip onto whatever surface is below (hopefully it will coincide with thehole in the door card.)

This mark is where the sticky out part of the clip needs to be.

Should be usable for both left & right.

 

Roger

 

This works!

When I made some templates for an interior 're-trim' a few years ago, I 'found' a piece of @3mm thick clear acrylic sheet to use as a template, so allowing accurate marking of holes where they needed to be from the door metalwork onto the panel.

Worked a treat!

My boss at the time was furious when we said the acrylic sheet must have been accidentally "lost or thrown away".........

[AarhusTr6]

Recommended a few times. . some nice self tappers from Woolies, just  a couple across the top.    As for the clips, as you think you have them on they ping off. . .

Never looked back.

[Peter Douglas Winn]

One of the big problems is where the green clip goes over two layers of cloth plus a seam. I have to bend the clip quite a way. I can't believe Triumph did such a time consuming and supid thing. Lining up the clips is not too bad. When looking at the holes the one clip is at 2 O'clock, the next at 10 the next at 11 etc. A bit stupid but it works.

A second problem is:- if the green clip is not far enough onto the cardbaord then the cardboard tears the next time I take the panel off, inspite of having a panel removal tool.

I don't like the idea of screws. I try to keep it orignal.

[SeanF]

Peter,

I asked the same question a few months ago and one of the responses is from Stuart who explained the best method.

See below

 

 

[stuart]

1 hour ago, Peter Douglas Winn said:

 

A second problem is:- if the green clip is not far enough onto the cardbaord then the cardboard tears the next time I take the panel off, inspite of having a panel removal tool.

 

The problem there is the new backing boards that the trim manufacturers use which isnt anywhere near as strong as the original board and its a bit thicker too.

Stuart.

[TR 2100]

The original clips are designed to suit the original thickness of backing
and trim material.  This is critical and the clips are prone to flying off
when they are manoevred into position.
I don't know anything about the clips currently available.

I recall discussing this with John Skinner some 12 years ago when
I was organising the trim for my TR4.
John explained that he could not get the exact original thinkness
backing board in the UK so he sourced a special order in (I think)
Finland.

Plus - the original soft trim material was very thin. Some plastic
trimming materials may be similar in thickness but I was using
leather which is thicker.

AlanR

Edited March 8, 2019 by TR 2100
Typo

[Peter Douglas Winn]

Thanks. I did not risk cutting the cloth as I did not know what the long term effect could be. The handles are no problem as I have a tool for doing such things.  Does anybody know if this primative system was on the production line. I can not believe it. I think something has been changed over the years. The only check I could have had was when the car still had the factory panels. Unfortunately in my ignorance I threw them away.

[Peter Douglas Winn]

Aha. Now that makes sense. Thicker and weaker boarding. I know the problem when trying to get material for the butterflies on my PI. The original spec. was imperial which does not exist any more only metric which is somewhat thicker.

[Peter Douglas Winn]

Have just come back from the garage after 3 1/2 hours of frustration. I took the advice and cut back a small amount of the trim. No sucess the green clips are not wide enough to cope with the thickness of three pieces of leather or whatever and the foam backing. The clip beneath the door lock. So I opened up the clip considerably, still no sucess. So I tried to use one of the original clips ( I do no throw those types of things away, just in case) The original clips had a split down the middle. They did not fit either. So out with the pliers and bend it open a bit. Surprise it broke in half, the original material is spring steel. OK, then try and find out why I could not push the clip in far enough to do it's job. I tried a 20 thou feeler guage under the cardboard it would not go in. Well if the feeler guage does not go in far enough, how the hell can a thick clip go in? I suddenly realised that the feeler guage was butting up against the staples used to fasten the cloth. So it meant that all the way round no clip would fit properly. With that I gave up. The green clips are totally wrong for the job.

[Peter Douglas Winn]

Update the panel is on. Now the panic the springs for the handels are different, one with the small end pointing outwards and one with the big end pointing outwards. I taped them to the old panel to be sure which way round is correct and the dammed tape came loose. Therefore I have no reference and I cannot remember which is correct. On top of that I didn't notice that I had put them on differently.  HELP.

[Peter Douglas Winn]

And another question The black plastic Escutcheon - Handle to Door Panel which way round flat side towards the panel or flatside towards the handle? I am having a problem putting the pin in place. I think I need 4 hands.

Edited March 13, 2019 by Peter Douglas Winn