Member
So here's the deal. I have been a Z guy specifically early VIN 1970 240zs for a long time and recently decided that before I went to the next veil I would get the car I always wanted 1972 2002 Tii. Since the early 70s when a friend of mine bought a new one I was always enamored with the car. So I bought one a few months ago. An original rust free 44,000 mile car. I'm presently restoring/refreshing it. The car is in great condition. I think it was this site where a post on how to fix a clock from this car was posted. I did it and it worked perfectly. So my wife tells me that I should post briefly here what we did to restore the door panels because the shiny mylar on the door strips were peeling off. So let me tell you how we did it and if you have already heard of this method then just ignore what I have to say.
I went to an Arts and Crafts store and bought chrome colored mylar sheets, cut them and attempted to glue the material on after I stripped the old mylar off. Fat chance, that did not work and it looked horrible. That took about 3 wasted hours.
BTW that's what they used back then, mylar coated plasted strips heat pressed on to the panels.
Anyway then I decided to paint the strips with a chrome color paint. That was even worse. It looked awful.
Then I went to Pep Boys and bought these chrome finished paper rolls and tried applying it to the strips. Strike three. That didn't work and the material wouldn't stay on. So I'm sitting there after a completely wasted day thinking about buying new door panels for a tune of 850 bucks and just the principle alone angered me to no end. Then I had an epiphany.
I went back to Pep Boys and bought rolls of that stuff people use to stick on their bumpers and around their wheel openings with a chrome finish. You know you usually see the stuff on 1998 wrecked cars driving down the road on the Long Island Expressway.
So I got a roll that was the same width as the three strips and a roll the same width as the piece just under the vent window opener that meets up with the top strip on the panel.
I cut out the strips on the door panels carefully. I then cut the new stuff to length rounded the edges and with the 3M sticky back side I heated the stcky side up with a hairdryer, applied the strips to the panels and also to the larger piece under the vent window and it looks absolutely like it did out of the factory.
Just thought I would add my two cents if it this hasn't been suggested before.
Burt
Member
post some pics up when you get enough posts...i'm sure alot of us would like to see the final product...
OldSkoolBMW
1970 2002, 1986 GTI VR6, 2011 135i
Member
that's what i used on mine....cheap, strong adhesion and looks good tooOriginally Posted by gelf74
they also sell a profile that very close to the belt line trim
Member
Very nice. I will get some pics of the whole car when it gets close. It should be going to paint next week. I have restored cars before and promised myself I would never do it again and here I am doing it again. Couldn't have done it at a worse time. Oh well, figue I would fuel the economy. It's a lot of fun but to do it even barely right it's a lot of money.
Burt
Member
sick ride man!
Saving for a new car! 5000$ to go!
Member
ma'am!...that would be ma'am!
I'm Lurnding!
BMW CCA Member
Great idea
Esty
Just like all your other work, that is just awesome. Thats the cleanest door panel I have ever seen on a working 2002. You dont want to see mine, PO has overspray and my crome is gone just clear plastic.
Did the old stuff come off real easy or how did you do itmagic!
Dave
If you are interested in Putting in A/C or modernized your A/C in your 2002. I have the perfect bracket modeled after the original Clardy Rotary bracket. It fits all models even tii. I have made some improvements on the original design by deleted the rubber bushings that needed replacing every other year also made it smaller and lighter. No pulley needed because the compressor acts as the tensioner for the v-belt. These are all new brackets and adjusting arms and spacers included along with all the bolt sizes you will need.
Member
dave...i just applied the new on top of the old....cleaned the old of all loose material and stuck the new in place...if you apply it in cool weather and find it's not flexing enough...shooting it with a hair dryer makes it more flexibleEsty
Just like all your other work, that is just awesome. Thats the cleanest door panel I have ever seen on a working 2002. You dont want to see mine, PO has overspray and my crome is gone just clear plastic.
Did the old stuff come off real easy or how did you do it
Dave
Member
Esty - you should make door panels to match your carpet sets. Sign me up!
Burtonbmw - everyone should own at least 1 240-Z
Later...Robert
Member
Ypu I agree. I sold the 70 240z recently to my friend in FLA who has 17 of the earliest VIN 240z's in the world in his 6,000 sq ft garage behind his house. You would be shocked to see what he has including the 1st 240z sold to the public VIN 16. He has more parts for 240s then any one in the world including Nissan. The car I sold him I spent two years restoring and it was really some specimen. But you know it was time to move on and the 2002 tii is a car I always wanted.
Burt
Member
Hi Esty,
After seeing your immaculate tape work I've bought some and having a crack at applying it. I wish I was able to do it as well as you! Can you please tell me how you got it to go around corners?
Cheers,
Last edited by wilfredski; 02-21-2016 at 06:58 AM. Reason: typo
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