Best deluxe Replacement Door Panels

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My Car
1971 Mustang Mach 1, M code, 4 speed.
Okay guys, I need your help on this. I have a friend with a 71 Mach1. He bought the car new and it is pretty much as original as it gets other than a repaint, tires and hoses.

Recently it is starting to show its age on the inside. He is in need of replacing the driver's side deluxe door panel, the arm rest area has cracked badly. So, the question is ; Who makes the BEST replacement deluxe door panels that will match the WHITE interior?

Any and all help is very much appreciated.

Thanks,

Geoff.

 
Hi,

Keep us informed on what he goes with. I have two verts with white deluxe interiors. From what I have seen in the past none of the Ginger panels look right. They look like someone tried to fake in the pattern with a paint gun and never look original.

I would hope that white would be the easiest to match up only need the right pattern in the material. You do have to use all you old trim to put on the new panels.

You might put ads up wanting an original. I sold a pair of black ones on Ebay for $550 plus shipping if I remember right and they had the speaker grills and were perfect originals.

David

 
Hi,

Keep us informed on what he goes with. I have two verts with white deluxe interiors. From what I have seen in the past none of the Ginger panels look right. They look like someone tried to fake in the pattern with a paint gun and never look original.

I would hope that white would be the easiest to match up only need the right pattern in the material. You do have to use all you old trim to put on the new panels.

You might put ads up wanting an original. I sold a pair of black ones on Ebay for $550 plus shipping if I remember right and they had the speaker grills and were perfect originals.

David
 David, I have no idea what is available, that's why I'm putting this out there. I'm pretty sure the wood grain insert will be transferable. Looking for a really good original might be an option. I don't know if he has speakers in the door panels or not, but I'll check on that.

More to come..... hopefully,

Geoff.

 
Hi,

Keep us informed on what he goes with. I have two verts with white deluxe interiors. From what I have seen in the past none of the Ginger panels look right. They look like someone tried to fake in the pattern with a paint gun and never look original.

I would hope that white would be the easiest to match up only need the right pattern in the material. You do have to use all you old trim to put on the new panels.

You might put ads up wanting an original. I sold a pair of black ones on Ebay for $550 plus shipping if I remember right and they had the speaker grills and were perfect originals.

David
 David, I have no idea what is available, that's why I'm putting this out there. I'm pretty sure the wood grain insert will be transferable. Looking for a really good original might be an option. I don't know if he has speakers in the door panels or not, but I'll check on that.

More to come..... hopefully,

Geoff.
From what I have seen on other cars with White Interior, is it is not a pure white, but actually slightly off white. Maybe more accurately described as a light cream color needed to match the rear interior qtrs and roof liner. Same is true with some of the vinyl dye/paint, some are too white.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi,

Keep us informed on what he goes with. I have two verts with white deluxe interiors. From what I have seen in the past none of the Ginger panels look right. They look like someone tried to fake in the pattern with a paint gun and never look original.

I would hope that white would be the easiest to match up only need the right pattern in the material. You do have to use all you old trim to put on the new panels.

You might put ads up wanting an original. I sold a pair of black ones on Ebay for $550 plus shipping if I remember right and they had the speaker grills and were perfect originals.

David
 David, I have no idea what is available, that's why I'm putting this out there. I'm pretty sure the wood grain insert will be transferable. Looking for a really good original might be an option. I don't know if he has speakers in the door panels or not, but I'll check on that.

More to come..... hopefully,

Geoff.
From what I have seen on other cars with White Interior, is it is not a pure white, but actually slightly off white. Maybe more accurately described as a light cream color needed to match the rear interior qtrs and roof liner. Same is true with some of the vinyl dye/paint, some are too white.
 You're correct it is an off-white. He's looking for a supplier of these door panels, as in the BEST supplier if they exist. That's what we need to know.

Thanks,

Geoff.

 
I just replaced my white deluxe door panels a few weeks ago. There seem to a lot of vendors selling them but it came down to TMI or MM.

I went with the ones from Mustang Market:

http://mustangmarket.net/Mustang/1964-1973%20Mustang/1971%20Mustang/1971%20Mustang%20Door%20Panels/1971%20Mustang%20Deluxe%20Door%20Panels.htm

As mentioned, the ford white is really a cream color and these seem to match my seat covers as well as SEM paint I used to touchup the quarter panels so it cant be that far off.

TMI also sells door panels but are a few $$$ more. Whether that buys better quality, is anyones guess.

The wood grain needs to be moved over to the new panels ( fairly easy ), door handle cups need to be cut out of the new panels ( a little tougher, but MM will do it for you for a little charge ), the pull handle also needs to be moved over. This is fairly straightforward but I wanted a better fit so I trimmed the handles a little with a dremel. Door lock hole needs to be drilled ( somewhat easy ).

The MM panels have foam and vinyl applied to a hard plastic backing which I would guess is easier to shape / cut than a wood backing would be. They also have a metal strip at the top, where it attaches to the door. The door clips seem to line up with clips from the original doors on my car.

MM also has fast shipping. They  also have a good return policy if you want to compare a couple of brands and I believe no restocking fee if the panel was not modified i.e. handle cups pre cut for you.

i believe, that all of the items moved to the new panel would still need to be done to the TMI panel. Not many have the handle cups cut out for you or the door lock holes cut.

To say that one is BEST over another is a personal opinion. Some people maybe really picky of the color or grain or have the opinion that the more expensive, the better.

I dunno.. just my observations from having done it for what its worth.

Take your time when doing it with whichever you go with. Feel free to post questions as many have been thru the process.

 
I just replaced my white deluxe door panels a few weeks ago. There seem to a lot of vendors selling them but it came down to TMI or MM.

I went with the ones from Mustang Market:

http://mustangmarket.net/Mustang/1964-1973%20Mustang/1971%20Mustang/1971%20Mustang%20Door%20Panels/1971%20Mustang%20Deluxe%20Door%20Panels.htm

As mentioned, the ford white is really a cream color and these seem to match my seat covers as well as SEM paint I used to touchup the quarter panels so it cant be that far off.

TMI also sells door panels but are a few $$$ more. Whether that buys better quality, is anyones guess.

The wood grain needs to be moved over to the new panels ( fairly easy ), door handle cups need to be cut out of the new panels ( a little tougher, but MM will do it for you for a little charge ), the pull handle also needs to be moved over. This is fairly straightforward but I wanted a better fit so I trimmed the handles a little with a dremel. Door lock hole needs to be drilled ( somewhat easy ).

The MM panels have foam and vinyl applied to a hard plastic backing which I would guess is easier to shape / cut than a wood backing would be. They also have a metal strip at the top, where it attaches to the door. The door clips seem to line up with clips from the original doors on my car.

MM also has fast shipping. They  also have a good return policy if you want to compare a couple of brands and I believe no restocking fee if the panel was not modified i.e. handle cups pre cut for you.

i believe, that all of the items moved to the new panel would still need to be done to the TMI panel. Not many have the handle cups cut out for you or the door lock holes cut.

To say that one is BEST over another is a personal opinion. Some people maybe really picky of the color or grain or have the opinion that the more expensive, the better.

I dunno.. just my observations from having done it for what its worth.

Take your time when doing it with whichever you go with. Feel free to post questions as many have been thru the process.
 Thanks Steve, good info. Scratching my head as to why the cut outs wouldn't be done already before selling them!! I'll pass this on.

Thanks,

Geoff.

 
Those MM panels look pretty good for the price.

They leave the cut outs to save them mfg. costs of course, SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED.

On the color of the white. They are for sure not snow white. When I got my 73 the car had sat for 25 years so was very dirty. I started with mild dish washing detergent and hot water, not clean. Tried the Mr. Clean scrubbing pads, not clean. Got the Blue Coral upholstery cleaner, not clean. I ended up with lacquer thinner and brush and micro fiber towels. It was amazing the difference in the appearance and the vinyl is still soft near 3 years after cleaning. The pictures show the rear seat with the side panels painted with a true white satin paint, brand slips my feeble mind.

I also cleaned the door panels with lacquer thinner. Sounds drastic but you could see the dirty film melt away and nothing else had helped.

David







 
I had the ultimate bad. The previous owner painted my white interior black and did a very lousy job at that. I also used lacquer thinner and scotch bright to remove the paint, followed by a steam cleaner and Wesley's Bleche-Wite. The Bleche-Wite works on white seats as good as it does on white walls and RWL tires.

I also went through a box of nitrile gloves in the process.

 
Cleaning: the above advice might be good to keep in mind. Lacquer thinner didn't eat the vinyl! I'm surprised it did not damage it.

In my friends case, it's more than cleaning, he needs new panels. Cleaning won't fix a total break up of material!!

I/we appreciate all the responses, so thanks everyone.

Geoff.

 
Cleaning: the above advice might be good to keep in mind. Lacquer thinner didn't eat the vinyl! I'm surprised it did not damage it.

In my friends case, it's more than cleaning, he needs new panels. Cleaning won't fix a total break up of material!!

I/we appreciate all the responses, so thanks everyone.

Geoff.

Passenger side deluxe panels are not too difficult to find in good shape. The challenge is the drivers side, as they take a lot more abuse. I decided to stick with OEM stuff vs. going with the re-pops, if for no other reason than I don't like spending the cash for a semi finished part. Each to his/her own.

in regards to solvents, lacquer thinner will not melt the vinyl. I used about a half gallon stripping the black paint from my white upholstery. I fear anything stronger, like Acetone, would.
 
Cleaning: the above advice might be good to keep in mind. Lacquer thinner didn't eat the vinyl! I'm surprised it did not damage it.

In my friends case, it's more than cleaning, he needs new panels. Cleaning won't fix a total break up of material!!

I/we appreciate all the responses, so thanks everyone.

Geoff.

Passenger side deluxe panels are not too difficult to find in good shape. The challenge is the drivers side, as they take a lot more abuse. I decided to stick with OEM stuff vs. going with the re-pops, if for no other reason than I don't like spending the cash for a semi finished part. Each to his/her own.

in regards to solvents, lacquer thinner will not melt the vinyl. I used about a half gallon stripping the black paint from my white upholstery. I fear anything stronger, like Acetone, would.
 Reassuring on the lacquer thinner for cleaning vinyl. I have worked with plastics for most of my working life, but I can't say I've used lacquer thinner on vinyl, so something new learned today!

As for what my friend buys is up to him in the end, but I think it will be repops as it's the drivers door panel that's toast.

Again thanks to all for your replies,

Geoff.

 
I got a new set from Dashesdirect ( sold through California Mustang )in the Ginger for my 1972 Grande just a month ago and it was no where near Ginger I’d call it a cappuccino colour in no way Ginger , the quality of the mould is fine so I guess if you got the black from them you would be happy or maybe the white but give the Ginger a miss they should not be advertising as a Ginger it’s false advertising , I’m also interested in a good supplier of the Ginger colour if anyone knows 100% of the colour match ? .

I got my money back and also got to keep the trims but this colour is so dam ugly lol

 
I got a new set from Dashesdirect ( sold through California Mustang )in the Ginger for my 1972 Grandé just a month ago and it was no where near Ginger I’d call it a cappuccino colour in no way Ginger , the quality of the mould is fine so I guess if you got the black from them you would be happy or maybe the white but give the Ginger a miss they should not be advertising as a Ginger it’s false advertising , I’m also interested in a good supplier of the Ginger colour if anyone knows 100% of the colour match ? .

I got my money back and also got to keep the trims but this colour is so dam ugly lol
 That's really too bad on your colour match, bad ginger left a bad taste in your mouth!! Thanks for another supplier's name. I'll check them out. Hope you get a better set for your car soon my friend,

Geoff.

 
 We're looking for "White". Lets face it some people are dreamers when it come to realistic prices for NOS parts. Unless one has a 69-70 Boss 302 or 429 worth 6 figures, why bother. Most people would never know the difference between NOS and repops, as long as they are good repops!!

 
In today's market, that appears to be a pretty good price for NOS.   Of course, the more commonly worn driver's side is the really rare find for a reasonable cost.

 
I got a new set from Dashesdirect ( sold through California Mustang )in the Ginger for my 1972 Grandé just a month ago and it was no where near Ginger I’d call it a cappuccino colour in no way Ginger , the quality of the mould is fine so I guess if you got the black from them you would be happy or maybe the white but give the Ginger a miss they should not be advertising as a Ginger it’s false advertising , I’m also interested in a good supplier of the Ginger colour if anyone knows 100% of the colour match ? .

I got my money back and also got to keep the trims but this colour is so dam ugly lol
I think good luck on finding a Ginger one made by anyone that looks right. Even when they get the color nearly right it looks like they sprayed the darker color on and it is always blotchy. I was lucky to find a one owner 72 vert that had a perfect Ginger interior dash and all that I got cheap. The drivers seat had some wear but found another complete set of Ford covers on eBay and got for 120 bucks for front and rear for vert. Keep looking you will find. You are a long way from the source for sure.









 
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