67 Door Panel Dilemma

[Justin N.]

Dear Members,

Just got home from Just Dashes out in Van Nuys, CA. The retail to recover my original panels is $1000. I said I could get repros for about $300 from Virginia Vettes, Wilcox, etc. He said he'd do just that.

1) Are there more than one manufacturer for repro door panels?

2) Is the labor to make them fit extensive?

3)Should I try to salvage with what I have and re-color and fix bubbles?

Thanks!

Justin #41362

[Dennis A.]

Re: 67 Door Panel Dilemma

Justin...

Al Knoch is one of the best...Suppliers (e.g Eckler's) have them as well. Panels come with or without the trim (in case you would like to transfer your existing trim)and are very easy to install. Colors will match very good. No special tools are required.

[Jean C.]

Door panel manufacturers

The door panels I purchased from Ecklers (I wasn't aware of Al at the time or I would have purchased from him) had a label from "Corvette America" affixed to the back. I wonder how many companies actually manufacture the panels. Ecklers obviously just passes CA's stuff through the Ecklers warehouse.

Best regards,
Charlie

[Wayne P.]

Re: Door panel manufacturers

Just installed Knoch panels. The vent window crank hole isn't centered and I had to relocate the lock knob to fit the hole. Otherwise they look and fit pretty good. I would say if these are the best, I would not want to try anybody else's.

[Grant M.]

Re: Door panel manufacturers

I bought from Eckler's a year ago and received the Corvette America panels for my 65 convertible. I had similar problems with the door lock hole and vent window crank hole as well as problems getting the vent window crank pressed onto the shaft far enough to lock it. The foam in the panels is very firm compared to originals, and while it will undoubtably last longer, it's a big problem getting the cranks/lock knob onto their shafts. I notice one other problem: the upper (rear) corner is not shaped properly on the repro panel, so it doesn't extend as far rearward to cover the underlying door fibreglas as the original.

I had read on this board and elsewhere that Al Knoch's panels were the best, and was contemplating buying a new set from him in the near future. Given the comments in the preceding e-mails I'm not so sure now. What is difficult to understand is how the panels can be manufactured (and tested for fit using actual doors/hardware as is depicted in Al Knoch's promotional material) and still have problems with shaft hole placement. To my knowledge, the lock knob is not adjustable for location, although the vent window crank location might vary somewhat according to adjustment and securing of the whole assembly at installation into the door. The foam density/thickness issue is probably worth living with for longevity's sake (I cut away foam from the rear of the panel to get the lock knob/vent crank to fit), but overall, I think these panels could be made more accurately. Another issue I've seen reported was the manner in which the metal upper support fits into the top of the door. Mine definitely do not fit as well as the originals. Indeed a posting some months ago mentioned having this problem and getting Al Knoch to agree to install panels on the original metal uppers. Perhaps a good approach...

Grant