Pics - Installation RS Lightweight Door Panels

katigbr · 04-10-2002, 06:19 PM

Another productive evening. I completed the RS Lightweight interior of "Gretchen" 1972 911T - going RS.

After finishing up the RS Lightweight interior install, I decided I might as well finish the interior by installing the door panels. I sourced my interior and panels from Original Fit Interiors. I purchased the black lightweight with pull strap door openers but went with the later RS style handles in place of the traditional plastic. They were out of the plastic ones and wasn't sure about the durability anyway. As usual no instructions were provided. Like many of you I wasn't sure how easy it was going to be. That strap door opening mechanism looked mysterious. Piece of cake!

Both door panels took about an hour and change.

Step 1: Remove door trim and old panel. Keep as much of the weatherstripping or sound proofing intact. If you're going lightweight ditch those excess pounds (maybe half a pound).

On the door of my 72 Porsche conveniently made an indentation for the location of the door opening strap exit hole. Using a 1 1/8" hole saw I cut the exit hole for the stap.

Step 2 : To make life easier I drilled a second hole higher and about 2 inches toward the rear. This is your access hole to allow the non-contortionists to connect the strap to the door latch mechanism. Be careful not to drill too far towards the edge as the panel may not cover the access hole.

Step 3 : Remove the metal rod connected to the door latch mechanism. There is also a plastic bushing that connects the rod to the latch. This will need to be removed.

This pic shows both the old rod and plastic bushing and the new strap and pin w/E-clip.

Step 4: Vacuum the bottom of the door. You will need this area to be very clean. Place the pin through the strap and then snake your way into the door. Locate the old bushing mounting location and place the pin through it. If you have drilled your access hole correctly, you should be able to see the pin and allow you to place the E-clip with either your hands or some needlenose pliers. When you drop the E-clip, you will be very glad you cleaned up as it will be very easy to find.

Step 5: Take the new panel, my kit included some panel mounting clips and clip the forward edge using the two mounting clips attached to the panel. This will allow you to thread the new strap through.

Step 6: Clip the trailing edge of the door and install the top armrest cover from the old door panel. Secure the door around the perimeter with 4 screws with washers. You can secure the strap to the door panel with some slack or not depending on your desires. I used the precise technical standard of using my cordless drill mandrel. It looked about right. The other end of the strap is screwed through the panel to the door panel frame with a screw and washer.

The bottom edges screws (4) are spaced about 12 inches apart.

Step 7 : This is the hairy part. Where do you put the grab handle? There are some voids in the door frame. You are free to put them wherever you desire. I'm sure that there is a factory spec somewhere. I put mine inline vertically with the pull strap screw and about 11-12 inches from the bottom of the panel.

Step 8 : You are done (Well one side anyway)!!! Step back and admire.

cegerer · cegerer's Garage

Thanks Rick! Great photos. Probably just saved me an hour or 2 of head-scratching when I install my panels in a few weeks. -- Curt

davis911s · davis911s's Garage

LOOKS GREAT especially on the older car, On my 77 I made a set of RS America style doors. Love the look!

Shawn

cegerer · cegerer's Garage

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pbs911 · pbs911's Garage

Looks great. I reluctantly did this on my 78SC and ended up loving the clean look. It actually feels as if I have a much bigger cabin.

I agree that instructions would have been nice, but I can't remember any time that I received instructions with the purchase of a OEM or OEM replacement part? After all, aren't Original Fits' RS panels just a replica of the Porsche OEM RS door panels?

bs911 · 09-23-2005, 12:59 AM

thanks rixck! great usefull site you have , as I also ordered the rs carpets...

wayner · 05-24-2013, 05:41 AM

Thanks for creating this thread

ruby911 · ruby911's Garage

One important point - not all doors are the same so installation will differ slighlty based on which door you have. I have installed these on my previous '68 and my current '71.

The latching mechanism in the pics above that use a pin and circlip were what I had on my '68. Please heed the warning and clean/vacuum out the bottom of your door. It is almost guaranteed you will drop that little clip in the door beetwen 8 and 12 times and having a clean door will go a long way in being able to retrieve it. Lesson #1 I learned the hard way.
On my '71 doors, you use the little clip that comes with the panels and it is far easier to install. However, any unknowing passengers that try to pull the door closed by the leather door latch strap can and will pull that little clip right out, so you will have to take the panel off to repair it. It has happened to me twice.

Also, my '68 doors did not have holes in the bottom to secure the bottom of the door panel nor did it have holes on the sides to accomodate the plastic clips. I did not want to drill any more holes in my doors than I had to, so I used a 2 inch wide strip of velcro to hold the panels. It made for a nice clean look. On teh '71 doors, the the holes for the plastic clips and for the screws on the bottom of the door were there, so installation was a snap.

Lastly, on my '68 doors, I used the hole saw method to cut the access hole for the leather door release strap. I found the round hole tended to rub the edges of the leather strap and created some resistence. For my '71 doors, I used a dremel tool with a cutting disc. The job was 100x easier and quicker and I was able to make a nice square hole with smooth edges that did not tear up the leather strap.

Good luck.

douglas bray · 05-24-2013, 03:02 PM

Love 'em on my '88 cab. Covered mine with suede. Matches the Appbiz Perlon carpet Bob made me 'one off' about the same time.

douglas bray · 05-24-2013, 03:29 PM

Hope I'm not stepping on toes....

I used 3M Super 77 type spray adhesive on the fronts and my wife's hot glue gun on the back of the cards. The glue gun came in handy in several places around the interior, especially on the doors and blower covers. I used heavy corduroy as a padding behind the suede to give just a tad bid of padding as, I believe, the foam side of the card goes against the door frame to cut down on noise.....