Nicole

I've been laboring all afternoon, replacing window guides on the passenger side and doing some minor WYAIT stuff

One thing I did was to replace a noisy old door stop (it used to "click" when accelerating or decelerating quickly, and no amount of grease helped to calm it). I had one in my garage for years and thought I might as well use it... and learn what a pain it is to replace these things. Gosh, I have never been more convinced of what a great time saver the Jager Engineering door stops are...

Before I put the panel back on, I'd like to reattach the plastic door pocked that is a bit lose in some areas. Basically, the staples have either slipped or broken out of the pressed wood in those areas.

Now before going further, let's see what "layers" there are for those staples to hold on to. From the inside of the door pocket, we have:

- Plastic of door pocket
- Vinyl liner on the inside of the door panel
- Pressed wood door panel
- Carpet

Needless to say, those staples can't penetrate the carpet, but should go through anything else.

How would you approach this? Try to losen the carpet and then use staple gun? Any other options?

Thanks!!!

borland

I once removed the driver side plastic pocket on my 90' to fill a hole. The PO had cut the square hole, but must have realized what ever he intended to put there wouldn't fit. I remember finding felt at a hobby store.

I reinstalled the restored plastic pocket with aluminum pop-rivets and pop rivet backup washers (on the inside). It doesn't need much strength, so other methods could be used as well. For the rivets, the carpet needs to be removed and reglued with 3M adhesive spray, but that's pretty easy.

ColinB

Hi Nicole
I discovered my door pockets had loose bottom edges some months after having the carpet panels replaced. Rather than try to fight with the carpet fitter whom I by then knew to be unreliable I reattached them myself. I used very small black finished trim screws (don't know their proper name but a bigger version is used to secure the carpet panels on the centre consol) with flat 'plate nuts', sometimes known as speed nuts, on the back of the panel. I cut off the excess length of thread beyond the plate nut. The screw heads bury themselves into the pile of the carpet and are almost invisible.

Colin. 89GT

dr bob

Just had my door panels off, and looked at the way the staples are used. Nicole's option of lifting the edgeof the carpet and using the staple gun is a good one. The staples penetrate all the layers except the carpet, so with the carpet pulled back, you can staple through, then bend the exposed ends of the staples over against the panel before re-gluing the carpet.

You can buy Monel (functionally stainless steel) staples at better home stores and certainly at marine supply stores. Monel doesn't corrode even in salt water, so the staples will last longer than the wood and will never rust-stain your carpets when you clean them with water or (gasp....) carpet cleaner.

Incidentally, the original adhesive used to hold the vinyl and the carpet to the pressed panel is resin glue. You can buy this stuff at better home stores I'm sure. It comes as a powder. Mix it with water per the directions, and apply it with a brush. It will need to be clamped overnight, just like any of the contact cements should be. It's not a contact cement, so you can move things around a bit before it sets. It cleans up with water, no offensive fumes, no overspray issues. Once cured, it is relatively waterproof. It also matches the original brown color, so you don't end up with yellow spray globs of stuff as evidence of your repair. It holds better than the latex contact cements you brush on, and better than most amateur applications of spray 77. The powder has pretty infinite shelf life too.

If you do decide that the capet pad is dirty and you want it clean like new, pull it off carefully and put it in one of those mesh bags you wash your delicates in. Roll it loosely with the fuzzy side out, inside the bag. Into the washer at a delicate setting and warm water. Before it spins dry, pull the carpet pieces out and place them by hand around the drum, flat. Let them rinse and spin twice before you remove them. They will be almost dry by then, so you can take a soft brush and comb the fibers a little before they dry completely. Stretch them out flat for final drying.

If you are using that resin glue to put them back, go for it without worry that they are completely dry. If you are using 3M sprays 77 or 90, they will need to be completely dried. Using the spray adhesives, be sure to follow the directions, and spray both pieces with a good film. Let them dry, then spray a light film on one piece before joining the parts. You can use wax paper as a slip sheet between the prepared parts as you do your final placement. Slip the wax paper out gradually and press the parts together as the glue surfaces are exposed to each other. This helps avoid those annoying unintentional folds, stretches and bubbles that happen when you try to drop the whole piece in one shot. With all the curves to fit, there's no good way to get it together and look right unless you use a slip sheet.

Nicole

Oookay... I tried to find stainless steel staples today with no success. Resin glue? That's gluel to bond resin... NOT. They didn't have the stuff prescribed by the Dr., either.

So I got some regular heavy duty staples and started stapling along. Problem: The gun was not strong enough to make them penetrate the plastic of the door pocket. I ended up drilling two little holes for each staple to go through...

Now everything is back together and working well.

Next steps:
- Figuring out why the hatch rattles and squeaks so much, all of a sudden.
- Replacing a few rubber vacuum pieces in the center console
- New windshiel wipers

dr bob

Nicole-

Sorry I wasn't a little more clear. The staples are made of Monel, not really stainless. Monel has the advantage of surviving in salt water environments, while lower-grades of stainless suffer pitting and cracking under longer-term exposure. I've seen the monel stapes at better home stores, and also at places like Boat US and West Marine stores. Both of those have outlets in your area.

The "resin glue" is used for wood and crafts, and is in the glue section of better home stores. It comes in a can, but is a powder that you mix with water to the consistency you desire. Let it slake for a few minutes, then it goes on with a brush. I think that Home Depost stores have it in the paint section, while the local Lowes stocks specialty and other wood glues separately.

I know you have the doors back together, but maybe this info will help someone else who is prepapring for this work.