NCRS resto-try & save orig. door panels or repros?

[Frank P.]

trying to do best NCRS level resto I can--passanger side panel is in great shape, but drivers side armrest has a couple of tears..probably repairable.
OR just buy the repros from Paragon and be done? On the corvette forum they are selling the panels from Corvette America for $506.00 a pair trimmed out.
I've been very satisfied with Paragons products.Any opinions? thanks in advance! Frank

[Roy B.]

Re: NCRS resto-try & save orig. door panels or rep

Real is Real repro's are repro's I like knowing "IF "possible I'm driving a real Corvette.
My 2 cents

[Bernard S.]

Re: NCRS resto-try & save orig. door panels or rep

Frank: Faced the same ? a while back. Decided on repair. No regets. Perfect color match.

[Chuck S.]

Re: NCRS resto-try & save orig. door panels or rep

Frank, only you know how bad the door panels look, and only you can make the call. The door panels I found on my 70 could not be used even for a driver. They were original, all right...with nearly thirty years of original abuse on them...they were ratty and totally unacceptable for a restored car. Soft interior parts do not hold up well over the years; generally original door panels and seat covers are not an option unless the car was pampered. All the judges know that, and if they can tell the repros are good, there is not usually a heavy deduct.

The original appearance of repro door panels varys according to the manufacturer. I suspect some manufacturers provide more accurate repro door panels for one year class than others; for example, for a C1 or C2, Al Knoch door panels might to be superior to other manufacturers (I have no idea, just an example). You can not assume that just because one vendor has excellent C2 door panels, his C3 or C1 door panels will be also be the best.

In my opinion, there is only one, maybe two ways, to determine which door panels are accurate reproductions, and it is NOT cost or the vendor's reputation on other products. (Vendors will really hate seeing this post! ) Order a set and compare them feature by feature with the originals.

Look at the vinyl; is it as heavy as the originals, is the embossed grain accurate? Do the repros have the proper form, size, shape? Do they have the right amount of padding in the right places. Examine the felt wipes for fit and appearance. Go over them with a microscope, and after you're done, decide if you think they are good enough for your car. Unfortunately, you will not be able to check the fit until you are actually installing. If you decide the door panels don't measure up, send'em back and order another set from someone else.

The only other way to make the determination on door panels?...Listen to the recommendation of someone that you trust for their expertise, and has done the above evaluation process RECENTLY.

[Peter L.]

Re: NCRS resto-try & save orig. door panels or rep

Frank - I had good luck getting the door panels in general and specifically the rear of the arm rest on my '67 driver's door panel repaired. Some of the folks that do that vinyl repair are real artists and others leave something to be desired. Check out their work if possible.

One limiting factor is if pieces of the material are missing it's probably more difficult but if everything is there and you're just dealing with tears, I'd say go for it. Pete

[Bill Stephenson]

Re: NCRS resto-try & save orig. door panels or rep

Frank,

------Be aware that Paragon is not a door-panel manufacturer. This doesnt make buying them from Paragon bad, but you may want to know where your door-panels were born. Buy from Al Knoch. Just one guys opinion...........Bill S

[Terry F.]

Re: NCRS resto-try & save orig. door panels or rep

I would take a clean door panel with a tear in it any day if it is original. Just my tastes. I always use original when possible and as long as the part is safe to use. Terry

[Jon H.]

Re: NCRS resto-try & save orig. door panels or rep

As far as reproduction door panels go Al knoch is a closer match to the originals than corvette america. (Although they are not exactly as original.) I ordered my door panels through paragon and specified that I wanted al knoch door panels. They were actually less than what al Knoch quoted me.

[Joe C.]

Re: NCRS resto-try & save orig. door panels or rep

I have seen many problems on C2 door panels and the fit is usually pretty bad.. I'll need to replace mine, and even sent Al Knoch an email about some questions I had.. He never bothered to answer.. So the dilema continues on what to do.. Sad..

/jc