Has anyone had experience changing the fabric on the door panels that is above the arm rest? i will try and get some pics of what i'm talking about.

i'm looking to wrap it in black leather...

 

I just got my Ranger and was wondering the same thing. The fabric on mine is torn slightly in one spot and was wondering if anybody had done something like that. Can't wait to see how it turns out if you decide to do it!

 

Yeah i should have it done by by the end of next week if all goes to plan!

 

Do a write up. Mine is white from all the oils in my skin or dirt.

 

Yeah mine too thats why i decided to change it to something wouldn't turn color os show dirt so bad but i should do a write up! good idea!

 

i think you can take it apart on the 98 plus door panels but im not sure

 

FRXLT did his, you have to melt the little plastic weld things and reattach it with bolts or plastic weld it together.

 

that part is plastic welded on you can take it apart but will have to do something about re-atching it

 

Yes this is what my interior use to look like.

The panels are held on by melted plastic tabs. To get them off i heated them up with a lighter till the plastic was soft. I used 3m spray adhiesive and a staple gun to hold the new fabric on.
Also black leather doesnt stretch like clothe does so it is going to be hard to do the corners. Ecspecially where the lock pin is, it was a pain even with the thin stretchy fabric i had.

 

That interior is sweet.

 

thanks brett thats some good info i can't wait to do this mod! i'll use a heat gun to heat the leather and stretch it over the panel, hopefully that'll work ok.

 

Like what Trent and Brett said need to melt down those little plastic welds/rivets and to mount it back up I used 1/2" sheet metal screws and washers. I left the stock fabric on and just put the new fabric over the old. I may or may not keep it like this since it leaves a small gap at the top right corner. Here are some comparison shots between one that I finished and the other that I need to finish.

 

this may sound like a dumb question but if you hit your elbow on that ^^^panel are the screws gonna push through the fabric and stab you in the arm I want to do this with black leather or vinyl to match my seats

 

No they won't. The sheet metal screws are only a 1/2" and I screwed them into the plastic rivets or welds that I popped out. If you need more pictures I will get some.

 

yeah if you don't mind, i am planning on doing this next week and i just want to have a good heads up on whats going to happen lol

 

I will get some more pics tomorrow when I recover the last armrest trim. It will be like a little how to and post up the items I used to make it happen.

 

Thanks so much Jordan!

 

Ok so here is a quick overview of how I redid my door panel material.

Items used:

Arrow Brand Staple Gun uses JT21 Staples
1/4" JT21 Staples
1/2" Sheet metal screw or self taping screws and washers.
3M Adhesive Spray Glue or Headliner Glue
A thin foam material (picked up at fabric store)
Material of choice (I used Black Suede)

I removed my old material on this one and it looks a lot nicer and fits the door panel then my other one in which I didn't remove the old material.







1. Start by taking off the old material and remove as many staples as possible.





2. Then get the Foam material and cut to roughly the size of the abs board.



3. Spray on the glue on both the board and the material. Wait for about 60 seconds before applying the material. You want the gasses to remove from the glue right after you spray it. If you don't it won't set right.




4. Apply the material and press firmly. I used the glue can and rolled it all over the surface to get good contact.





5. I added two layers of this material so repeat step 3.





6. As you can see I didn't want the material to fold over the edges so I trimmed to fit the material to the abs base.



7. Get your material ready and sized the way you want it. Cut and get ready to start forming it around the ABS Base. It's a little tricky but just stretch the material and staple only certain sections of it and just rework the corners. You may have to remove and add staples as you go. Just take your time and stretch the corners out to not get any wrinkles. I started out with the Door Lock indent and worked the material around the rest of the way.

8. Once the material is all set and the way you like it then staple or trim any access material and admire your work!





9. Once done push the abs board back onto the door panel. Get your drill and your 1/2" Sheet metal screw with washer's and drill them down into the holes of the plastic rivets/welds. And when the fitment is right your done.











Notes: I didn't use any 3m Glue on the material that will be showing since it's a pain to work with and the glue will bleed through even on my suede material. Staples will be just fine to hold the material.

 

i think that needs to be a sticky

good walk-through FRXLT

 

Looks awesome man!

 

These interiors look sick... who wants to come do mine?? haha

 

That suede is the bomb man!

 

Excellent job and great write up!