Thanks for the advice Mark. But I must have missed these last messages you posted last night. It's all good my door panels came out great.
I'd like to thank Grego once again for the idea of restoring these panels. Without your thread i wouldn't have even thought this would be possible.

With that said I'd like to share last nights project of rebuilding the panels. First of al if you plan on doing this don't wait till 7pm to get started like I did lol I ended up finishing both panels at 1am lol
Yes it took me about 5&1/2 hours to do. Anyway here are some pix guys:
To get started here is everything I used for the job(BTW I didn't need to buy any tools from the store after all. Turns out my dad had everything I needed so that saved me a couple of bux)


1) A jigsaw - for cutting straight lines. Mainly used for wood but it worked great on this project.
2) Different size drill tips for making holes where the little circles are gonna go.
3) A drill for removing and re drilling in the door light back onto the new board. Also for drilling new holes with the drill bits.
4) Sand paper. I used 120grit because thats all i had. But I used this to sand down the roughed out edges from the newly cut board and from my jigsaw cuts.
5) Car Carpet cleaner so you can clean out the panels.
6) I used 3M 90 adhesive spray to glue the pa.el material onto the new boards. I'm sure there is better stuff out there. This is just what I chose.
7) permanent marker with a fine or chisel tip to outline your door panels.
8) A wood board. I used this for when I was drilling because I was working on a granite table top. And I didnt wanna scratch it lol. I know i know. But that's the only area i had to work on.
9) Clamps to hold down the panel material on to the new board as the glue dries.
10) One thing I didn't include in this picture was a blow drier. I used my dads tile hot airblower that is used for drying the strong glue like material for granite and marble. But I'm sure a regular hair dryer would work if it has a hot setting.
11) A Stapler. You're gonna need to staple around the edges of the panel material on the back side of your panel when you stretch it over to the back.
12) Flathead screwdriver. I used this to remove the existing staples holding the panel to the board.
13) Also gonna need a damp rag to clean up and also wipe down your panels before you glue, because that dust gets everywhere when you start cutting.

This is the board that I worked with from Home Depot.


Passenger side door panel already outlined


Nicely cut and drilled out already.


Finished passenger side



Driver side before pix.



Driver side outline already cut out. With a repair. The original board was so jacked up that when I finally went to put on the light to see its fitment I seen the door panel was so worn that the screws had made it seem like the whole was much wider. And so I outlined it like that too and didn't notice it till after I made my cut. So you can see the repair job I did in this picture and on one of the following pix


Driver side panel good to go.

Back of the driver side. Here you get a closer look at the unfortunate repair I had to do. I'm just happy it didn't affect the way my panel looks on the side that matters.

 

likeing the door pockets the panels look great Reddeth!

 

Thanks Cyberhorn. They better have came out good lol I spent a long time on them. And my back and arms are so sore now from being hunched over and holding the 2 drills and jigsaw. Lol
Your panels don't have pockets?

 

nope mines a dlx i was thinking of looking at the lady of the houses dead escort out behind the barn it has door pockets see if they might work

 

Grego is gonna get everyone to redo their door panels. mine are still in decent shape but after seeing others start doing it. i might have to do mine lol good job looks great

 

Lol well I was planning on selling mine. I won't have any use for them once i put the new door panels on. If you wanna grab those I can just send you the maplight/door pockets together in the same box.

Thanks man. I'm happy with them too. Now i need to get the wiring for the power windows all figured out. The screwmatics look so confusing to me.
I accepted defeat for today after a few hours of trying to figure out these wires. So the only thing i got accomplished today was my front chrome windshield trim. And I separated the wires in that wireing harness for the windows. Too many extra wires and loops and one wire splits into 2 sometimes 3 wires and the jump onto another cable. It was like trying to separate spaghetti that is all attached. So I separated everything and labeled the sets of wires and put where they lead to. Like the door control box, breaker, passenger window side etc. I'm just happy its all prepped up and ready for when I do connect it everything will at least make more sense now.

I know it kind of looks messy but meh.... It won't look so bad once all the tape comes off.

 

awesome! sounds excellent

youve got more huzpah than i do taking on power windows an mirrors
i gather from the vid that you grabbed the factory harness for those id plug the switches in an motors then lay them out us a meeter to check ok that wire feeds the down via that relay ect ect but lay it out

 

WOOT!!!!!!! GREAT job, Richard... love it! Can't tell you how many times I've read, "Yeah, .... electric shmelectric... Stupid, I don't like having more to go wrong"<<< the latter part of that being the usual reason. NO WAY I would trade for manual. BUT, .... not dogging on them either.

Just to remind you, Irab88 did a great write up on what he did for installing electric in his manual doors.. His is that red extra cab pick up.. .but still... I'm sure some of the wiring layout is the same. Especially since you're 89(they'd changed to those different connectors by then). Anyway, RBX is the other one I was saying regarding the doors and the differences, etc. But meh, you've chose these, and they're NICE looking now. So cool, man... can't wait for it to come together. I KNOW RAD will be of use on this one... but can't volunteer him, ya know? (ooops, did I just do so? lol)... No, really, he's a busy guy... but he may have a couple quick pointers that will save you TONS of time, etc.

HOLY SMASHED IN PANELS Redeth-man~! lol. Those were BAAAAAAAAAAD! ....


TOTALLY understand now why you had to. My back gate wasn't that bad... but was pretty darn bad. About an in cave in on the center, lol. I LOVE having that sturdy... i've been on it MANY times since doing it, to work in the back. It's SOLID!

PS> I was gonna say, today.... IF you don't need to wire everything new(IOW< if the wiring is there already for the power windows).... then I don't see why you have to tear apart the dash. BUT, I'll be looking into it when I can/as you go/probably just end up figuring that out as you're doing it, lol... BUT NONETHELESS... There might be a way to just run the wiring/the fresh stuff you got/ up in there without tearing out the dash. Just run it behind the stereo, up as high as you can, and hang it from hoop anchors all the way until it has to go out the panel and into the passenger fender(if that's what you meant)...

Anxious to see what you do/how it comes out... Cuz it's looking GREAT already, man.... congratz!

PSS> SORRY it's been a bit... I'm just really overwhelmed and constantly distracted lately! (just like today, hahah)....

L8r T8r TTYSOON

 

Totally off subjet but looks like I'm gonna be driving around my truck for a while again. This past Saturday i got into a car accident at about 12:25am.

I was driving on a main street. My light was green so I didn't bother slowing down. And this idiot traveling toward me on the opposite side went ahead and attempted to take off from his stop and pass in front of me before I got to the intersection. He probably would have been able to make his turn if he floored it but he decided to take off at a slow 3-5mph or so. So of course he didn't clear the turn. I was already reaching the crosswalk when he decided to turn. So I slammed on my breaks and slid past the intersection till hit him hard as heck and sent his car off.

I jacked up my whole front bumper, hood is bent on the front, my passenger side fender is bent on the front part, both head lights and both turn signals are broken, and my hood latch is also broken, the windshield wiper fluid resivoir is broken and cracked.

On his car: I broke his passenger side axle which explains why his tire looks like its broken and leaning. His passenger side fender, front bumper head light. The whiplash cracked his rear window, I think his radiator broke because his car was smoking a lot and was giving off a strong chemical smell, I don't know what is broken under the hood because his stubborn arse refused to open it. But I'm sure he had a lot if damage too. In the end this was all his fault because my light was green. And he was making a left hand turn and cut in front of me so I hit him directly head on.

He was older maybe in 30's or 40's man. Too many stupid drivers in the world that don't pay attention. He wasn't insured and to top it off his license was suspended. I did get a police report At first this guy kept trying to drive off( not like he could have cuz his axle was broken lol) but he kept trying to say everything was good that he'd pay for everything and was giving me a business card that didn't even match his name lol. And then kept trying to say it was my fault because I'm the one that hit him. And I should pay. Then he tried driving off 2x and when I found out he didn't have a license or insurance I was like "screw this guy" and I called 911 said we had been in a really really hard hat crash and I'm ok I'm not sure of the condition of the other guy but that he keeps trying to drive off and get away and I recommend they send me a cop immediately. So they did and we got everything handled.
And surprisingly this cop let the guy go even though he didn't have insurance and had a suspended license, messed up front axle, steaming engine and leaking fluids all over. Who knows how he was gonna steer the car but I was actually mad he let him go because the other guy was such an ass. I dunno I'm just glad I got everything handled and didn't let the guy get away. So long as my car gets fixed ill be fine.I was just bummed out because I had just had my car for a week after the clutch job. Oh well. I'm okay. That's what matters right. I'm just glad I have uninsured motorists coverage So I know ill be covered.
My car's damage.



Damage to his car

 

bad cop no donut

sucks, I hope he pays up

 

Oh yea lol any ogre cop would have had the car impounded and given him a ticket for driving with no insurance, and driving with a suspended license. And possibly arrested. This guy didnt do any of that.
-----------------------
On the positive side at least I have another vehicle to drive. And the truck is always fun lol.
Just dreading those gas bills lol

 

Geeze you got bad luck with that Corolla! Good thing you're ok though, that's what matters most.

Great job with the door panels also!, it's really satisfying when you stand back and admire your own work isn't it?

Let's do another junkyard run again!

 

Grego have no idea how tight you are. I'e had this Corolla for about 4 years now and I've been in like 6 accidents. 3 of which I was rear ended, 2 where they changed lanes right in to my car, and now this head on hit. And none of these have been my fault. This is just one BAAAAD story of having rotten luck with this car. Like I said though I'm so happy I wasn't in my truck. My truck is my baby. I dont care a whole lot about the car lol. I have spent so much money and work into the truck that the sentimemtal value on it is uncomparable.
---------------------------------------------------
Grego ill take you up on that Pick your part run. I need interior Plastic trim on both sides. And we forgot to grab the wire connector that plugs into the back of the mirror adjustor. I've looked everywhere and I don't have it so that means we probably forgot to grab it off the truck. Other then that I have everything.

I need to check out those threads Mark recommended for me to look at because figureing out these wires are really confusing. And I'm itching to get these Damn panels on my truck already.

 

good thing its a toyota its fixable till theyre flat an being melted down

glad your not hurt reddeth thats the important thing

 

Thanks William. I'm happy I'm ok too. It could be worse look at Mark's accident. I'm happy mine wasn't as bad as that. No where near comparable. And you are right it is a toyota they just dont die lol
Have you ever watched a video on YouTube called How to kill a Hilux(something like that) that video is crazy! Lol Damn truck never dies no matter what they throw at it!

And I'm happy my motor is fine. All the damage was all on the body.
Gonna need a new body kit bumper, the hood and passenger fender will probably be repaired if not replaced. I need 2 new headlights, 2 new turn signals, one hood latch and one new windshield wiper fluid reesivoir. But I still need to take a closer look and see if anything else was damaged. Or if there was damage to the radiator or anything else under the hood or steering related.

 

the body kit is fiberglass an thats not terrible to fix if its hard to replace i fixed the fiberglass tailgate on a broncoII PITA that was had to grind the crack open to get it to flatten out then rebuild the surface flat an repaint

as for the other parts you were wanting a trip to pick a part WELL there ya GO! :-D

 

Yea I cam buy a new one. The bumper costs like $180 online at ILoveBodyKits.com
If I go back to having that front bumper stock then that means I am just gonna go ahead and remove the whole body kit because the original bumper doesn't match the kit at all. amd its much higher then where the bodyb kit one sits at.

I just got off the phone with my insurance and they said if its confirmed that the car was uninsured then my insurance will only cover up to $3500 damage. I'm taking my car for an estimate today. Let's hope it cost less them that. If it is over. I'm just gonna ask them to write me a check and ill buy stock front and rear bumpers, hood and fender at a junk yard. And ill take it to a body shop for them to paint. Then just pocket the rest for my truck. If it all comes down to that. What a pain.... I hate dealing with everything after accidents happen. Wish me luck guys. Hopefully they cam repair my car for under $3500. If not I'm gonna be car-less for a few months.

 

Sorry bout the wreck, VERY MUCH HAPPY that you're ok!

I thought you were considering ditching the body kit, Richard? Maybe now's the time? Get the estimate... then have them smooth out where the kit was and patch paint it? (Not saying YOU SHOULD get rid of it, lol... Just thought that's what you said. And,...isn't that stuff a PITA? hehehehe. Thought you said that too.)

Wow, Grego is right... bad JuJu with this thing, man! lol.. Maybe time to trade it in for a 7MGE Cressida? .........TOTALLY kidding, man... it's a great car. Just razzin ya, Again, REALLY glad you're ok

 

Wow, I think my ears were burning, after reading what I was typing at the same time, hahaha... GO BACK TO STOCK! It's simpler.... And you'll always be able to morph into a 'GREGO' PRO, like he is with getting the coolest stuff for his Camry, ya know? lol....

Body work is expensive.... I'd get a rough estimate using some pics of your Corolla... All that core support work, and frame work if necessary? IT GET'S PRICEY, fast! And again,.... IT'S NOW BEEN IN A WRECK, Richard.... If it's worth it, maybe you should find out what you could get/with lower miles/ for another car? Just take all your sounds, etc... and let them take it...IF you can feel you'll easily replace it with a decent car for the money they'll give you. (also, PUSH THEM FOR MORE MONEY! tell them, "I CAN'T REPLACE THIS FOR THAT!"... Do some research, check KBB, etc. ).... Just a thought. If I could find another car that's never wrecked for that money? Dude, think about it.

 

Lol thanks for dropping by Mark. And to answer your question, yes I have been considering going back to stock for a while. But then again it takes off all character to my car. The car looked awesome as hell when I had first put it on but like you said that Damn fiberglass material is such a PITA. But they have this new material that isn't fiberglass now for body kits and its supposrd to be WAY more durable and flexible rather then cracking and breaking like fiberglass. I forget the name of the material but it is on the website

It's just really hard to let it go because I've been through so much. I mean A LOT with this car. First with he shady dealership, then fixing everything that was wrong with it.
You're right though man. Who knows maybe I should sell it. That money could always go on a down payment on another car with better mileage, nicer looks, and lower miles on the engine. Or a bike, that'll really save me tons on gas! Lol. But as of right now I'm really thinking about repairing. I have that car really clean. And its really pristine under the hood. Very well kept. I'll see later on. i don't wanna my hopes up on anything yet. First I need to see what they say about his insurance and see how much the estimate comes out to. If it really comes down to it, ill just sell it and buy myself a nice Scion TC or newer year Corolla S class.