Door cards - why is it so hard?

btc-er Commited Dubber

72 posts · joined Jul 2009 · 16 Apr 2011, 6:24 pm

#836039

I spent a frustrating and ultimately unsuccessful 90 minutes this afternoon trying to fit the door cards in the rear of my Beetle (the small ones in the back seat area). What a PITA. 😬 😬 😬

The metal clips seem like they're designed specifically to rip out of the card and fall down the cavity space whilst at the same time inflicting the maximum amount of pain possible to your thumbs. It seems almost impossible to get all the clips in the card and lined up with the holes, much less doing so without damaging the card.

Is there something I'm doing wrong here? I'm usually a pretty handy sort of person, but this has me beaten. I seriously think I'm going to have to take it somewhere and pay someone to install the stupid things.

vw54 Administrator Always Waiting 4 Friday

16,723 posts · joined Aug 2002 · 16 Apr 2011, 8:49 pm

#836075

do u havethe plastic rubber grommets installed in the holes and spray a little lub in them

also use some long pointy nose plies to align the clips

itsa painfull job but it will takea bit to do

I read it on FACEBOOK so it must be true

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=91278&page=1#pid848630

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=63561&page=1#pid624099

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=4832&page=1#pid452603

http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=60650&page=1#pid574409

btc-er Commited Dubber

72 posts · joined Jul 2009 · 17 Apr 2011, 8:56 pm

#836238

Ok, I think I've worked out a plan of attack. The essence of my problem is successfully lining up the clips with holes. So I think I'll make a template out of cardboard or clear plastic, tape it to the panel and then mark the location of the holes. I should then be able to use that to position the clips.

I did have an issue getting the grommets into the holes at the top as there's enough space and the end of the grommets were hitting the outside panel. It meant that I couldn't get the grommets in far enough and so the clips wouldn't go in properly either. I fixed that part this arvo by slicing the end off the grommets with a Stanley knife.

In a quiet moment yesterday evening I contemplated a creative solution. I think if would be possible to use magnets to attach the cards to the body work. You can buy packs of rare earth magnets online quite cheaply, They would hold the cards quite nicely I would think. I suspect that half a dozen magnets in each door card might interfere with your sound system (?) and possibly be dangerous to any watches, computer equipment or pacemakers that get too close.

OldTimer Seriously Crusin Dubber

199 posts · joined May 2009 · 18 Apr 2011, 11:16 pm

#836395

Don't know about magnets - should work.

Why not give Brad at BusNBug a yell for some advice? I've found him more than happy to give advice - after all this is what he does for a living, and he seems to genuinely love the Dub scene and likes to be involved.
There are tricks to this stuff, and he'd be the guy to know them all. He's even written articles on this sort of stuff for AVWM.

Brad can be contacted here:

email@busnbug.com
03 9555 5440

I'm not affiliated with Brad or BusNBug in any way, I've talked to him in the past and found him to be more than helpful.

Old Timer

air is cool, but air-cooled is cooler!
1967 Aussie Built Type 1 1915 Deluxe

Joel Now containing 100\% E-Wang

9,368 posts · joined Feb 2006 · 19 Apr 2011, 10:44 am

#836429

OldTimer wrote:Don't know about magnets - should work.

😂😂😂😂😂😂

Sorry, you have to know your internet memes for that to be funny.