Re: KPack

Posted by HH56 On 2021/9/6 9:11:33

I can't see much detail on the back of the panels but at a glance it appears you have actual chrome strips which are held to the backing board by bent over prongs rather than the pressed on thin ribbon strips which were purely ornamental. If so that is a huge advantage.

If the panels were mine I would very carefully remove the strips and then the vinyl. The vinyl may be extremely brittle so that might take a bit of care and even might be a good idea to lay them in the sun to warm up a bit before attempting. The padding may also be glued to the panelboard which makes the process even harder. Be as gentle as possible so the panels or vinyl are not farther damaged.

Once the vinyl is off lay it flat and try to clean as much of the grime and water stain off as possible. I can't offer much there as some products work well and some won't. At any rate be careful so the vinyl is not damaged by the cleaner. On the bottom corners where it appears to be torn it might take some thin vinyl support material cemented underneath the original to provide some additional support. Important thing is make sure the vinyl is warm and as flexible as possible before trying any pulling or stretching -- either in repair spots or when placing over the new backing. I have found that old stuff is sometimes so brittle it will split or tear if you just give it a slight tug..

Some have used thin 1/8" hard fiber board or masonite like material as was the original which can usually be found at the home centers. Downside to the home center material is, as a rule, it is not water resistant so you might want to give it a good coat of sealer or some kind of water proofing treatment after it is cut and before you fasten the vinyl on. You can also buy water resistant panelboard or cowlboard at several places online such as this onehttps://www.automotiveinteriors.com/waterproof-cardboard-door-panel-board-cowlboard-p/cowl-dp.htm but be careful to check the size offered. Packard panels are quite large compared to some of the more popular cars most of the online places cater to. If you have a friendly upholsterer in your town he might order you a couple of sheets from his wholesale supplier when he places his regular order. That might give a small break on freight charges. His material can be the water resistant heavy cardboard like sheets or, even a thinner PVC sheet material like the upholsterer who did interiors on a couple of my cars preferred. The thickness is important because much thicker than the original and you will have issues closing the door against the thick round windlace.

Padding is a bit of a different story. The original thin layered paper or cotton mixture seems a bit elusive but there are modern sheet foams which work. What I don't know is how successful you will be in adhering the new padding to the vinyl as per the orignal so the pattern is prominent and vinyl won't sag away from the panel. Amazon has 1/8" foam but you might search several of the online upholstery supply houses to see what you find. The chrome strips will go a long way toward keeping the vinyl in place but there is still a lot of wide unsupported sections on those panels.

Once you have the replacement panelboard, it is a fairly simple but tedious process to lay the old panel over the new and mark and cut to shape and large holes. After that start on the small holes for the prongs with a drill or whatever means you have. Test fit the chrome strips because it is important to get every hole duplicated so you don't wind up needing to cut one or two more while in the process of fitting the vinul back on -- been there, done that.. Also be aware the vinyl may have shrunk a bit and the old holes in the vinyl may not line up with the holes in the panel. Do the absolute best you can to match and maybe even some very gentle heat to stretch will be needed. Try and get the chrome strips to lay back very close to where there were originally. If they are re-fastened differently any of the old position marks may be very noticeable.