Remove the frame piece and place aside.
How to fix old door panels.
While it is possible to reuse the original punched holes it is much easier to drill new holes and use pop rivets to secure the new door panel backing board.
Most of the time years of paint or caulking the seams around the panels will cause the wood to stick and not allow the panel to expand and contract with the weather.
For doors that are still reasonably tight or just beginning to loosen try the following.
Then pop loose the door panel clips by using a broad blade screwdriver or u shaped clip lifter tool.
Square up the door if necessary and clamp the stiles against the rails with bar clamps under light pressure then gently tap in the tenon wedges to tighten the tenons in their mortises being careful not to crush the fibers in the tenons.
These few extra steps really improved the appearance of the door.
The cleaner you can get the panel and door the easier it will be to reattach the upholstery.
The upper section of the upholstery.
This will remove all of the gunk and dried out adhesive on the panel and the seam.
After this was all dry i primed the entire door again and was very pleased.
If a crack has gunk in it clean out the space with a strip of sandpaper.
Some people might say you can t apply patching plaster to a wooden door.
With a scrap of wood tap against the frame of the panel to separate it from the joint.
With the door panel removed now is a good time to lubricate and make any necessary repairs to the window and door mechanisms.
To remove the door panels you need to remove the armrest window crank door handle and any other hardware first.
Use a rubber mallet to carefully bang out the corner.
You can also lightly sand with a wet sander made for sanding dry wall.
Run the damp cloth over the seam where the upholstery slides into the panel and give the area around the seam a quick wipe.
Remove any fasteners in the corner of the panel with a small pry par.
In this video im showing you the process i use to do small rust repairs where a complete panel.
How to fix cracks in door panels without taking the door apart wooden doors will develop cracks over time especially if the panels aren t free to expand and contract.