Alright, I know this is a
really old thread, but 7 years later, I have the solution (with pictures!). Like many others, the suede on my door panel inserts was completely worn through and looked horrible. I had leftover fabric from my
headliner install, so I thought it would be cool to match the inserts to the headliner, and did not want to shell out for a new door panel when mine are perfectly fine (other than the inserts of course). Re-upholstering these inserts isn't actually all that hard, but does take some time and patience to take it apart and re-assemble it.
Obviously, the first thing to do is to take off your door panel(s). There are many other threads and YouTube videos demonstrating this, so I won't get into it here. But once you have the panel off, you will see on the back side by where the window trim would usually be covering is the obvious exposed edge of where these two pieces are joined together. The insert is not actually glued to the panel; rather, it is a tight interference fit all the way around wherein the insert is tightly pressed into a channel, with clips holding in the top of the insert by where the window seal would be.
So what you want to do first, after you remove the handle by removing the two T15 Torx screws on the back holding it in, is get a small flathead screwdriver and wedge it between the insert and the door panel. There are five clips that you will have to pop out with your screwdriver. Then, get a large flathead that you can use to get behind the insert and pop the rest of the insert out of the panel. Be careful not to crack the insert - it is just plastic (However, it should be noted that I cracked one of mine up quite badly and it didn't end up being a huge problem). Here is a photo of a door panel with the insert removed to give you an idea of where the clips are located and how it goes together:
After you get the insert off, you are going to want to rip off all of the old Alcantara. This is as simple as getting a knife or flathead screwdriver under the old stuff to start to get it up, then pulling it the rest of the way off until you have an insert that looks like the yellow one here:
Now comes the fun part. This yellow stuff is the old padding from the panel, and needs to get removed before the new fabric can be put on. To do this, I used a wire wheel on a cheap Harbor Freight drill I have (to avoid getting foam all over/in my nice drill). This goes nice and quick with the wire wheel, and takes off the foam nicely without harming the plastic backing you want to save. just make sure you do it somewhere where you don't care about having a giant mess:
![92093]()
Now comes the rewarding part: covering it in new fabric. When choosing a fabric (it can be whatever pattern/color you like), try to find something stretchy and easy to work with, as it will help tremendously when you fit it over the insert to avoid lifting and wrinkles in the fabric. I used a woven wool blend fabric, which was super stretchy and worked great. Also make sure to have some automotive headliner or carpet adhesive on hand to glue everything together. I use Permatex stuff in an orange can with a blue top which works pretty well, but strong holding power here isn't as mandatory as a headliner for example, so any headliner adhesive should work just fine. Most of it will be held on with the handle anyway.
To start, lay out your fabric. I was using a 62-inch wide roll of fabric, so I cut off 30 inches of it. This was enough to do all four door panels. Apply your spray adhesive to the insert, and be careful, as it may show through if you go too heavy and have a thin material.
Here is what my setup looked like before I started gluing:
After evenly applying the glue and waiting for it to tack up, slowly roll your fabric on, starting from the top. Make sure to do the lower sections first, then work your way up to the higher sections to avoid having the fabric lift up over the low sections. Make sure to wrap it around the edges, and be careful to avoid folding, creases, and high spots. Once it is on to your liking, you can then cut the fabric off of your large swath. It should look something like this now:
Now, flip it over carefully and inspect to make sure everything is how you want it, and the fabric is stuck all the way to the edges. Then, carefully set it aside and wait about 10-15 minutes for it to dry. Flip the edges over so gravity doesn't pull the edges off for you:
Then, after everything is dry, you can trim the edges of the fabric right up to the edge of your plastic backing.
Now for the really fun part: reassembly. This takes some practice, but is very doable, and I have acquired some good tips. First off, take your insert and clip those five top clips in first. Now you can start to try to press in the sides, working your way towards the bottom. This part takes some finessing. I have found that by sticking a screwdriver in the lip that the insert fits into and prying the screwdriver inwards (towards the insert), it helps seat it. Finish it off with a rubber mallet, and do the same process on the other side.
I found it nearly impossible to get the bottom in properly using this or any other method, so I did my best to get it to seat and then I used the handle to help me. First, cut out the four holes for the handle in the insert. Then, press the handle on with a decent amount of pressure while simultaneously trying to screw the handle on with the T15 Torx screws and a screwdriver this size. Tightening them up will suck the handle, as well as the bottom of the insert, in towards the door panel, seating it. Make sure the sides to not come out while you do this. Don't worry if there is some fabric that is poking out - this will be addressed in the next step.
Now, with everything close to how is should be, there are most likely some pieces of fabric sticking out of the edge. To rectify this, using a combination of a small flathead screwdriver and a putty knife will help push the wayward fabric where it should be. I used a woven pattern, which resulted in a lot of threads that I had to tuck back underneath.
Just work your way around and everything should look great in no time.
Now it was simply a case of installing the door panel back into the truck. Same as any stock door panel, but since mine had some threads that didn't end up under the rubber trim like it should have, I simply took my putty knife and pushed them under the rubber, which solved that problem.
I personally think it looks amazing, and came out better than I could have hoped for, considering I went in blind with no reference material whatsoever. It really spices up the interior, and looks far better than the factory garbage that was falling apart.
As for a time frame, doing this job, including taking off and re-installing every door panel, took me the better part of an entire Saturday. However, it is easily doable with some time and patience, and is super rewarding and allows you to put your own touch on the interior.
Before:
After:
I personally love it, and it ties the wacky headliner together with the rest of the truck.
I tried my hardest to make this easy for you guys to follow, so I hope it is helpful if you plan to do it yourself.
