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armadillon
Well-Known Member
Hey guys, just thought I'd throw this up here and maybe help some peeps out. On my 93 Ranger the door panel has 3 different sections. The black door handle panel, the actual big door panel itself, and that cloth covered panel.
I normally drive with my right hand on the steering wheel and my left elbow on the door with the window down. I got really sick of how uncomfortable the lip of the door was so I decided to add some padding!
First you need to get the door panel off. As in other threads, theres 3 screws holding the door panel on. One by the mirror, one on the outer corner of the door and if I remember correctly, one by the armrest.
Lift straight up on the door panel. It WILL come off. Get a better grip.
On the back of the door panel there will be a number of black screws and some black clips. I think there are three for the door handle black panel. Remove that and paint at your leisure. I think it looks awful when it's painted, so I left mine black.
Now on to the cloth panel. It's plastic riveted on. You need to devise a way to reattach this panel later. I chose to use epoxy. There are 10 rivets IIRC. These are delicate! Be careful you don't drill through the cloth panel. I put a fatter 3/8 drill bit and i just placed it over the rivet and bumped the drill once. Drilled right through. After all are done the panel will either fall or can easily be pulled right off.
There are a few staples on the corners of panel holding the cloth on. I used a flathead and pried underneath the cloth. They came right out.
Peel up the edges of the cloth because it's got a slight amount of adhesive. Once the edges are up the whole cloth will come up.
I chose to wash the cloth in the sink using laundry detergent and I scrubbed it lightly. The PO of my truck had 5 dogs and it got any dirt/slobber/hair/smell out of it.
Ok, now dry it. I recommend air drying it or putting your dryer on delicates (low heat).
You have it removed. Do what you want. Recover it with leopard print, spray paint the plastic panel pink, whatever. I am keeping the original cloth and I'm adding cushioning to make my arm more comfortable.
Here's a couple of pics. I'll show how to add the rest of the padding later once it's dry
I normally drive with my right hand on the steering wheel and my left elbow on the door with the window down. I got really sick of how uncomfortable the lip of the door was so I decided to add some padding!
First you need to get the door panel off. As in other threads, theres 3 screws holding the door panel on. One by the mirror, one on the outer corner of the door and if I remember correctly, one by the armrest.
Lift straight up on the door panel. It WILL come off. Get a better grip.
On the back of the door panel there will be a number of black screws and some black clips. I think there are three for the door handle black panel. Remove that and paint at your leisure. I think it looks awful when it's painted, so I left mine black.
Now on to the cloth panel. It's plastic riveted on. You need to devise a way to reattach this panel later. I chose to use epoxy. There are 10 rivets IIRC. These are delicate! Be careful you don't drill through the cloth panel. I put a fatter 3/8 drill bit and i just placed it over the rivet and bumped the drill once. Drilled right through. After all are done the panel will either fall or can easily be pulled right off.
There are a few staples on the corners of panel holding the cloth on. I used a flathead and pried underneath the cloth. They came right out.
Peel up the edges of the cloth because it's got a slight amount of adhesive. Once the edges are up the whole cloth will come up.
I chose to wash the cloth in the sink using laundry detergent and I scrubbed it lightly. The PO of my truck had 5 dogs and it got any dirt/slobber/hair/smell out of it.
Ok, now dry it. I recommend air drying it or putting your dryer on delicates (low heat).
You have it removed. Do what you want. Recover it with leopard print, spray paint the plastic panel pink, whatever. I am keeping the original cloth and I'm adding cushioning to make my arm more comfortable.
Here's a couple of pics. I'll show how to add the rest of the padding later once it's dry
