Tartan!
I basically followed the various threads/videos I found in my research, but also applied some common sense using the factory door panels as a guide. You’ll note the multiple venues in the below picture. This project took me a long time, basically due to my own neurosis. Cutting into very expensive, very beautiful Scottish wool is nerve-wracking!
Step 1: The Panels
The first step was to carefully trace the factory door panels onto the hardboard with a pencil. Make sure to clamp everything to the work surface so it doesn’t shift, and you have a precise template to work from. At this stage, you should work out where all the hardware will go to mount the finished panels into your car, and mark the screw holes accordingly.
The new panels can then be cut out of the hardboard using multiple passes of a utility knife along a straight edge to make a clean cut, and a drill to make the various holes. I bought a 2 ¼ inch hole saw attachment for the drill to cut out the big hole for the door lock mechanism.
I repeatedly test fit everything as I went along to make sure it fit. To get the final fitment tweaked just right and smooth any rough edges on the hardboard, I used a die grinder followed by 80 grit sandpaper.
Step 2: Prep the Door
I didn’t take any photos of this step, so hopefully this description suffices. SD Swede vert helpfully sent me a set of countersunk machine screws to attach the door pull and opener strap to the door.
I purchased a cheap nutsert tool from Princess Auto that came with a variety of metric nutserts, in the same sizes as the machine screws I had (
| Princess Auto
A nutsert tool operates in a similar manner to a rivet gun. It is used to install a flush-mounting nut into a steel surface, so you can put a bolt into that surface, without having to hold a wrench on the backside to drill it down. In the most basic terms, you screw the nutsert onto the tool and push it through the hole. You then use the tool to crush down the nutsert and pinch it into the metal, so it won’t pop out or turn as you tighten the bolt. This image shows the before and after of a nutsert once you tighten it down:
I drilled appropriate size holes in my interior door skin where I wanted the door pulls and opener strap to attach. I then installed the appropriate nutserts. I drilled two holes at the backside of the door where the opener strap attaches to the door latch mechanism. I drilled one hole where the opener strap passes through the door skin. I drilled another hole above this so I could see what I was doing when I installed it. I used a step-drill bit for this task. Sure I butchered the door skin, but you should see the jagged twisted mess left over from an old speaker install. See the above YouTube video for a decent explanation on this step.
In order to mark the holes in the hardboard door card where these new bits of hardware go through, I screwed in the machine screws most of the way and put a small dab of grease on each head. I then test-fit the door cards, so that each machine screw left a small imprint on the backside, which marked where to make my drill hole.
With that, I was ready to move on with upholstery. I’m embarrassed to admit now, but I was pretty intimidated by the thought of doing the upholstery, so I drove the car around with the bare door skins and just the leather straps installed for about 4 months! I definitely got a lot of funny looks over that. “So, uh, are you going for weight savings here?”