Panel Removal - Pleae Help

[soul180]

I just bought some red vinyl to reupholster the door panels of my 1995 honda civic, but i forgot my Haynes manual at home and i don't know how to remove the panel...I know i have to remove the window crank, but i don't know how to do that...if anyone could let me know it would be much appreciated...

[Rice-Rocketeer]

It's hard as hell the first time. The handle is held on with a metal U-clip that slips around the crank. You have to pull the handle foward and push the door panel back and look in back and you'll see the U-clip. You have to push that off the crank by using a flathead screwdriver or something. Your fingers will get chewed up if you try with your bare hands. What I did was cut two C-notches in the plastic handle where the two ends of the U-clip come up so you can more easily slip the flathead under there and push.

BTW I suggest you have a shirt or your hand underneath when you're trying to pop this little clip off cause it'll fly 50 feet in any direction and it's very easy to lose.

Then there's screw holding the coin holder and the door handle backing and the plastic screw where the door panel comes in contact with the dash and then just yank it out and pull up. It's held on by lots of plastic clips. Don't worry if you break a few.

[soul180]

thanks a lot RR, saved me again!!

What have you done to your panels?? Post pics if you have any!

[Rice-Rocketeer]

Actually I didn't take pictures of the door panel cause I really don't think it's anything special. I used a razor to cut out the cloth center on the panel and took it off completely. Then I had the entire center area recovered in white vynil, and I used blue piping to surround it all. Then as for the non-clothed area, I cleaned it all off with Ajax and painted it white with Krylon paint. The interior guy told me to paint it cause vynil wouldn't stick to the curves around the dash contact area so well after a while. But it perfectly matches the rest of my interior (You can see the blue piping I used on the seats):

[soul180]

well i screwed up my door panel and had to take off all the cloth and now i'm just going to paint it..hopefully i have it done by sunday for the car show....