BMW e36 front door restoration

Here's my 1995 M3 in the foreground and my 1978 320i.  

The BMW e36 is a great car.  But all cars after 30 years start to show issues.  One of the well known issues with this car is the interior, particularly the door panels. This is a quick overview on how I restored the ones on my car, a 1995 M3.

New skin on left old on right.

The door panels were delaminating, it is a common problem with few readily available solutions. Few new panels are available, they are quite expensive.  Used ones seem to all have the same delamination problems.  An internet search brought up a few options that looked possible.  The biggest issue seems to be finding the fabric needed and then fitting it to the door.  The original was vacuum molded to the door, not really an option for a shade tree mechanic as my self.  

Old and new in direct sun.

Fortunately I saw an ad for new coverings on an auction site, but they were only in black. They looked good being sewn of multiple pieces to fit the contours and pockets in the door.  The covering I wanted to replace in my car is light gray.  So I emailed to producer to see if he could match it.  He said he would try if I could send him a sample.  I did and he found material that isn't a perfect match but it's so close that it won't be noticeable unless your looking for it.  He had to search for it and it turns out a colleague had a source.  Nikolay put extra effort into finding the material, he was very communicative and in the end produced a good product.  Now e36 owners have at least two options in black and gray to restore their door panels.  Nikolay tells me that if someone wants another color he will be more than willing to try to find it.  I highly recommend him. 

Old and new under LED lights

His contact information is: mebelschik@inbox.lv

The material is automotive leatherette and you have the option of selecting the color thread used to sew it.  He also offers the panels in leather at an increased price.  He also offers seat coverings and other products.  You can see his other products on the auction site, his handle is g_r_e_a_t.

Under LED lights against dash

Once I had the new covers in hand the next step was to remove the door panels and begin the restoration.  I removed the speakers and everything else I could.  While the panels were off I replaced the window sliders and adjusted the windows.  I also had to replace the top door panel brackets and reattach the pockets and backing pieces.  For this I used liquid nails, it's what I had in my shop, but any construction type adhesive would work.

Gluing on the pockets

Once that was done it was time to strip the old covering off.  The gray covering peeled off pretty easy, but the insert gave me a bit of a fight.  I  ended up using plastic trim tools, putty knives, and in the end a small flat    bar. The gray covering went under the insert and I worked under it in   the   hope of proving some cushioning to the insert. My inserts are leather and are in reasonably good shape and I didn't want to damage them.  It was a fight but I got it off without and damage to the inserts or the door panel.  The panel is some kind of pressed cardboard, if I did damage it I would try putting fiberglass on the back to reinforce it and sand and putty the front.  The passenger door covering came off easy but the insert was a fight.  The driver's door was just the opposite as the insert popped right off but the covering gave me a fight.

 

Gluing on the new top bracket

A heat gun helps loosen the glue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bare panel

 Once that was done it was time to prepare the surface for the new covering.  I hand sanded it with 80 grit sand paper.  The important thing is to get a smooth surface.  Any imperfections that you can feel with your hand will show up through the new covering.  I then wiped it down with acetone to insure a clean surface for the adhesive to adhere to.  The old adage about painting being 90% preparation holds here too!

I used spray upholstery adhesive that I had left over from another job for the next step.  I began gluing, I just put adhesive on the door panel, not the new covering, by starting with the lower edge and pockets.  This is the trickiest part with the lower edge and pockets needing to be aligned.  Spray the adhesive on the work the panel into place.  just rubbing it with you hand to smooth out the panel and work it into place.  It can be lifted and re-positioned if need be. The advantage of the upholstery adhesive is that you have a window to adjust the covering once it is in place.  

 Some recommend contact cement, I strongly suggest that it not be used. The problem with it is if you touch the piece to the cement in the wrong place you're screwed, it's stuck.  

You'll need these! 9$ per hundred on eBay.

Starting the gluing at the lower edge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vacuum bagging worked well!

 

  

 The next step was gluing the insert on.  Before doing that I cleaned the leather, a soft brush and mild detergent did wonders for cleaning it.  Some of the overlapping seams needed to be glued back, contact cement worked here as there was no chance to miss-positioning the piece.   I sanded the back of it removing all the old glue and then wiped it down with acetone.  An issue fitting this flush into the panel arose as it wasn't a great fit and some how clamping it into place looked tricky.  This where the vacuum bag trick really proved its worth.  I dry fit everything and tried the vacuum bag to see how it would work.  It sucked it right into place without a problem.  I outlined the insert with painters tape to make sure I could get a good coverage with the adhesive without making too much of a mess.  I sprayed adhesive on both pieces this time since I wanted a good strong bond, the problem with doing this is it sticks aggressively, you have to be careful positioning it.  Once the insert was in place into the vacuum bag it went.  With a vacuum pulled everything went into place, I let it sit over night.  

 

Almost finished.

The last part is cleaning it up, a cloth with a little acetone on i removed all of the glue, a good cleaning with a vinyl cleaner/restorer on the new covering and a leather dressing on the insert, and to fold over the new covering around the edges.  Hot glue worked well for this.  Lastly I'll be replacing the speakers before reinstalling it back onto the door.

 

 

 

I hope this makes sense to those hoping to restore their door panels.  I'll check back here every now and the and try to answer your questions.  Good luck!

A hot glue gun worked to hold the overlap on.

Driver's door pockets needed a little help, plus a small dent needed putty, near corner