From the desk of
promising to show mistakes and well as successes, sorrows as well as joys (for my Quaker friends), here's something I did this week which didn't work.
As SecondChris noted, this car could soon be registered (one hopes) and driven. That said, I still don't have all the interior back in (I have special plans), not even the door cards. They include the power window switches, and a couple of weekends ago when I moved the car outside - under its own steam - the inability to lower the windows bothered me.
The door cards are made of ... like the dash ... something akin to cardboard. At 35 years of age, they are fragile, so I didn't want to pull the switches and use them loose until I'd recolored the cards' vinyl. No, I'd need to get the door cards completed, and installed, the right way, the first time.
But ... there was some age-related damaged to repair first. On the driver's panel, the area where the door handle is attached was damaged and required a repair, as did a screw hole on the upper rear edge.
And ... the passenger door card was in worse shape, with its lower two inches of pressed-board thoroughly compromised due to it obvioulsy having suffered from wet/dampness over the years, an issue created by a former repairman obvioulsy having been inside the door (window regulator? door handle linkage?) and NOT REPLACING the membrane seal, aka shower curtain.
This is where I executed a repair which didn't work: I figured I could add strength back into those limp areas with some resin and fiberglass cloth, without removing the door card's vinyl and foam of from pressed-board. The vinyl is incredibly fragile. A good plan? No.
Why? The resin soaked right through the pressed-board and onto the vinyl; the ensuing chemical reaction left the vinyl warped and unsightly. My repairs to the driver's door, repairing pressed-board that was cracked but not water damaged, seem to not have allowed the resin to soak through, and were a success.
I've ordered a replacement passenger door card from Plyhammer. And BTW, the membrane seals/shower curtains appear to be available from Porsche AG; I think the number is 944 555 178 05, at approximately $35 each. I likely make my own and retain them with 3M strip caulk.
Kind wishes to all,
John