Best aftermarket deluxe door panels..69 Camaro??

[g356gear]

My original panels had dried out and cracked long ago and were repaired by a vinyl repair shop. Needless to say the repairs from 20 years ago are starting to come apart as well. Who has the best deluxe door panels currently available for the 69 Camaro that look and fit correctly?

[dhutton]

My understanding is that the Al Knoch ones fit best.

[ProdigyCustoms]

I am pretty sure Al Knoch is the only manufacturer of deluxe panels and they suck the big one!

[Musclerodz]

OER make them as well, stay away from those

[Vegas69]

I put mine on and they do suck. Forget the clips and get ready to trim you but off. Mine ended up being to long and needing the front shortened .25 inch so the door would shut on the drivers side. Fit and finish is not great either. Are you sold yet? They turned alright.

[dhutton]

I bought a set of OER panels. They looked like they were going to be a PITA to make fit. Luckily I found a nice set of originals on ebay a couple of days later. I sold the OER's on ebay, took a beating on them. At least the guy who bought them saved a bunch of money to justify making them work.

Don

[Josh69]

I've got ones made by Al Knoch from Year One. I swear they came in a box that said OER, but I may be wrong. I had to call Year One and they put me in touch with Al Knoch to verify that I rec'd Parchment and not Ivory.

Great, can't wait to deal with these.....maybe by the time I get my headliner in they'll be a breeze.

[dhutton]

I've got ones made by Al Knoch from Year One. I swear they came in a box that said OER, but I may be wrong. I had to call Year One and they put me in touch with Al Knoch to verify that I rec'd Parchment and not Ivory.

Great, can't wait to deal with these.....maybe by the time I get my headliner in they'll be a breeze.

The ones I bought came in an OER box and the vendor that sold them to me said they were the same as Al Knoch. Someone told me the Al Knoch ones are supposed to have Al Knoch stamped into the back of them. I couldn't find it on mine.

Good luck,
Don

[JKnight]

I have a set that I bought from a guy on Ebay 2-3 years ago and they are horrific. They are at least twice as thick as the factory ones (I'm not exaggerating), and as a result, you can barely shut the door, the window cranks can't reach the stud, and some of the studs on the trim pieces can't make it through to the back of the panel.

They're also curved (warped). I paid $200, thought it was a great deal. Now I know why....

Edit: Ok, I went and measured and they're only twice as thick, but still, that's way too much to work.

[Josh69]

JKnight, were you able to make them work? Mine also appear warped. I was hoping they would bend into shape on the door...they do seem thick. I had the standard interior, so I don't have a plan B. I put the deluxe regulators in, I hope they work or I'll be installing power windows. Argh.

I may need to break out the heat gun and try to straighten them out if necessary.

[dhutton]

The ones I had were not warped and they were not thick on the edges so I think the newer ones are improved. They were going to need trimming where the door handle cup installs but it did not look like a big deal. It did look to me that the holes that the clips install in were in the wrong place.

Don

[Josh69]

I got mine last summer, and they were made just before they were shipped to me, so I'm hoping for the best. Maybe they aren't as warped as I think. I just finished getting my windows in yesterday and the old headliner out. So this week I'll be doing the headliner and the door panels....it's about damn time the thing starts looking like a car, it's been painted for a year and I drove it around with just the front seats in it! :unibrow:

I was doing some reading on Team Camaro, and some guys suggest that if necessary, the vinyl can be carefully peeled back, and the plastic can be trimmed underneath. Also, alot of guys fit the panel to the door, and then create new holes for the clips to line up...that allowed them to fit it between the kick panel and rear seat panel easier.

Sounds like alot of screwing about, but it'll work out in the end I'm sure.

[ZMAN1969]

I have a set that I bought from a guy on Ebay 2-3 years ago and they are horrific. They are at least twice as thick as the factory ones (I'm not exaggerating), and as a result, you can barely shut the door, the window cranks can't reach the stud, and some of the studs on the trim pieces can't make it through to the back of the panel.

They're also curved (warped). I paid $200, thought it was a great deal. Now I know why....

Edit: Ok, I went and measured and they're only twice as thick, but still, that's way too much to work.

I'm pretty sure I'm in the same boat as you mine are warped too -havent tried to fit them yet :willy: guess I'll know what to expect when I do. you know its a damn shame that they cant make something that is so visable as door panels that are worth a plug nickel!! I did buy some repop std panels for my 69 camaro and they dont fit(rear) worth a crap either- havent tried the fronts yet but I think im gonna patch up the originals on it.