opinions on repo 72 door panels

[52napco]

Ok I'm faced w a dilema........repaint or replace my door panels ???? The are in pretty good shape but faded. I've searched here only to find negative comments on the reproduction panels, and coupled with my prior experiences with re-painting plastic parts im torn on what to do.?? Thoughts and opinions please.I'm finishing up a frame off rotessirie restoration so it has to be pretty nice.

[vics stuff]

Here is what I would give a try , if you have access to a media blast cabinet. Use new ultra fine glass beads with the air turned down to around 35 - 40 psi. Have done this process on plastics in the past and have had great results in cleaning oxidation off plastic and rubber parts. Just will be a slow process but you could give it a try. That is what I would do. When done the clean ultra fine glass will give that plastic that new plastic sheen. Save the original panels and reuse them.
Vic

[vics stuff]

OH ! By the way. Real Nice truck.

Vic

[davepl]

My experience is limited to the '70 where you have two options, but I think you may only have one because it's a formed panel.

If yours are in good shape, I'd have (or better yet do it yourself like I did) them re-dyed or painted. Nothing mystical about painting interior parts, it's just some extra (and exepensive) prep steps.

In my case there was a Scotchbrite/Sponge combo soaked in some kind of evil cleaner that stripped it to bare plastic, then a static pass, then a pre-adhesion spray, then primer, then paint.

For a proper restoration I'd say unless the reproductions are better than the plastic '70 ABS units then restoring your originals - unless you find an NOS set in the right color! - is your best choice. They'll look mint.

I used reproduction vinyl skins on my original shells, which isn't an option for your year. But if you need mylar (chrome) strip highlights, I bought mylar foil tape for that and it looked right.

In the end I wound up doing my door panels and painting/dyeing my arm rests, console, dash pad, vents, mirror mount, and a bunch of small interior parts so it made sense to invest in the materials.

[kcsa75]

I refinished my parchment door panels with SEM products four years ago and they still look great. First, I washed them real good with soap and water, then used a special primer and then color.

If you go to their website -- www.semproducts.com -- they have videos that show the whole process. No big deal.

[Grumpy old man]

Don't sand blast /sand/grind or anything along those lines it will remove the grain texture , wipe them down good with lac thinner or acetone then use Bulldog adhesion promoter in very light coats ,a little goes a long way , then sem vinyl dye or plasticoat ,etc etc again using light coats so as not to fill the grain of the panel and when done they will look brand new .

[olrosa]

Paint your Originals. The aftermarket ones are JUNK JUNK JUNK all of em!

[52napco]

What sucks is I soaked the carp out of them with silicone in an attemp to make them shiny lol. I Have used the bully dog adhesion promoter and Sem products before but sold the car so was unsure of durabilit. I'll take them off next week and clean them with a strong degreaser and laq thinner and dye them. Thanks for the help

[special-K]

My opinion on reproduction '72 door panels is there aren't any made, only replacement simulations. Recycled glass is a great way to try to bring these back. Not nearly as harsh as other media and won't leave residue like shells does. Then you can decide whether they need refinished. If so, they are well prepped for the best possible job.

[Nitis]

One thing you might inquire about is having them dipped. Hydrographic printing

Its how they camouflage synthetic gunstocks and really all kinds of stuff. ITs very thin so you wouldn't lose the texture it would just be finding the right color!

I have never dyed anything but I would say that would be my second option I Would look into

[CG]

I have a set that were gently glass beaded and dyed. They look like new. I cant tell you how well they will wear, but they sure seem real tough.

I have a set from a 72 burb I would like to try fixing on my own someday.

[vics stuff]

Grumpy old man ! If you read my comment on media blasting you would note that I have said to use new ultra fine glass beads and 30 - 45 PSI . I have used as mentioned this process on plastics as well as rubber and does not damage the panel and have had excellent results. DO NOT use sand or any other type of aggressive media . Then you will damage the part. It is all about the type of media and air pressure. All you are doing is removing the oxidation from the plastic. I have even used this method on smooth refrigerator panels with success. Just have to pay attention to what you are doing and what is happening to the part.
Vic

[sprint_9]

Your panels look almost exactly like mine, faded the same amount. Whatever you do be sure to post up how it works. I planned on doing a color change to black on mine with paint or dye. I thought about just buying black re-pops but after seeing several comments over the years about how crappy they are its not worth it.

[jocko]

I have only heard of the bead blasting (as described by Vic) as working to remove the chalky color of old parchment panels. Can someone confirm it's worked well on other colors? Thanks. Great looking truck btw. Recommendation would be the gentle bead blast on a tiny area, perhaps on a SPARE panel if you can scrounge one and see what happens. As long as the grain is undisturbed, you should feel comfortable proceeding to give the real panel a shot. If you don't like it, and the grain is preserved, you can always go the paint route later. For that matter, I suppose you could try the paint first - but then it would probably take a bit more blasting to remove it all even if you tried to remove it chemically first - and I think that is what I'd want to avoid, because too much blasting is probably gonna do some damage. Despite adhesion promoters, etc, paint can always peel or crack. GM didn't paint them, and that's probably for a reason. Personally, I'd prefer not having to worry about the paint peeling or checking, even with the most careful prep.