Interior plastic door panel repair, my technique worked well

Album link. 1994 Wagon.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/VUG9YcXvT8zFd8b58

Found a good way to reattach the busted plastic strips. I drill holes and use twisted copper wires to pull them back in to the panel.
Drill holes to make space for wires to also pass. Then tie them to each other behind the panel. The copper wire is small and coated, so its smooth and easy to work, I have a huge roll of it. It was originally for winding small electric motors.

And the arm rest, one had the vinyl pulling away. Carpet thread and a large needle, sowed it back together. Every time I went back across, put the thread crossed under and used a drop of instant glue to hold it. That keeps the vinyl pulled tight while you keep sowing.

Honestly working with this plastic fells like cheap models you would build as a kid, not impressed at all with this GM design.

Thanks for this. I’ve been annoyed with all the broken clips and plastic trim falling off. I was planing on using Silicone and basically gluing it on there, but this may be a more solid fix.

HendersonRacing514 wrote:

Thanks for this. I’ve been annoyed with all the broken clips and plastic trim falling off. I was planing on using Silicone and basically gluing it on there, but this may be a more solid fix.

I used my dremel to drill the holes. This works well as long as you have a tab remnant. I suppose if you dont, you could bend one out of sheet metal and glue it to the inside of the plastic trim.

I also found your supposed to take that center plastic off the door panel before you mount it, otherwise about impossible to get the door handle thru the hole and clip top of the door panel it over the top of the door frame all a once.

But there is another way.
Use snips and trim off about 3/16 inch of the curved over lip of the door panel, it also makes it an easier job of hooking the door panel back on to the top of the door.

GM made it so deep does not need to be so excessively deep.