How to get my door panel off

[Ofnarcr]

God.. After an hour trying to figure out how to get the armrest off and breaking two things inside of the housing i gave up for today. Too afraid i was going to break something big. How do i get it off? Also the door puller seems solid on there and i cant get it out. Another thing is the part where the seatbelt comes out on the top.
The car is an 1990 olds eighty eight.

[io88]

I have a '91 Delta 88, which should be similar.
I just pulled my panel successfully. The Haynes manual was some help, but I had to figure out a lot on my own. In general, once you pry a corner off, pull gently and look for where the next screw is still attaching it. Most screws were hidden behind something else (like the armrest). Immediately to the left and right of the door pull, there should be two rectangular pieces of plastic (~.5" wide by 1.5" high) - pry them off with a screwdriver to reveal two hidden screws. Also, there are holddown buttons, not screws, in the bottom left (that WAS in the manual.) Give them a yank/pry and they'll pop out.

If you're still stuck, let us know. I can do a first person look at the door to see where the screws are. (Once I find a FL manual window regulator, I can finally put my panel back on. Anyone know where to find one affordably?)

Good luck,
io88

[io88]

Also:
The door puller is solid because there are two screws holding it down (which are behind the panel, so don't worry about them.) The whole plastic around the door pull should come off, however. The seat belt guide at the top of the panel may pop off with a little pressure from behind once the panel is off, and the panel is split so the seat belt can slip through. (I may not have remembered this part right?)

In general, if it is plastic, it should come off (except for the main seat belt assembly.)

You'll also need a small allen wrench to take of the plastic around the mirror adjustor if you want to remove the panel completely.

[io88]

One more reply
I Just saw this thread while trying to solve my problem. More instruction on panel removal-
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=394529

They are right, you will need a torx for some of the screws.