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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Mk3 Door cards

Good evening. Has anyone tried rebuilding their door cards. My Navy vinyl is in good condition but the cards are all over the place due to damp, so I thought I'd use the old hardboard as a pattern and cut some new ones. I see the vinyl is stapled at intervals with very shallow staples. But before I try to take it off I wondered if they are also stuck on. Any one had a go at this? Any tips appreciated. Thanks Simon
Simon Ricketts

no, but, yeah, but no, wouldn't there be a thin layer of foam between vinyl and cardboard(?)
Nigel Atkins

I renewed mine by cutting out new hardboard and covering the resulting pieces with vinyl

I added padding from my local upholstery supplier which was a white man-made fibrous "stuff" (that when it catches in a whizzing drill melts and turns rock hard and stops the drill coming out--end of cautionary tale)

You need to cut fractionally smaller than the pattern piece as your vinyl is likely to be thicker than Abingdon's. It needs small "depth" staples so you don't get sticky outy points on the side panels...


Mine still look OK after twellve or so years
Bill1

How about you get yourself another scrap door card & take that to pieces & practice your re furb before starting yours ?

Alan.
Alan cotterill

I've just seen this thread while I was browsing the BBS. I'm going to remake my Mk3 Sprite's door cards this winter, but I thought you may like to see the footwell ones that I did two years ago.
I bought some vinyl from a houshold store called Dunelm Mill, (I think they are all over the country). I bought the hardboard from B&Q, it is metric and just slightly thicker than original, but not enough to notice. I also got from B&Q some laminate floor underlay on a roll, which is a dense foam and is great for the padding. On the footwell trim pads I used it double for a bit of extra luxury, but I'll just use it single for the door cards. I cut out the hardboard to the pattern of the originals and stuck the foam (slightly smaller) to the boards, then stuck and stapled the vinyl, using some short length staples also from B&Q. If they are too long they will come through from the back, so you have to be a bit careful.
Anyway this is what they turned out like.

Bernie.

b higginson

Hi Bernie,

They look superb... when you going to do mine???
Rob Flint

Hi Rob. It's really not that difficult, you just have to take your time and try to replicate the cutting of the vinyl especially on the back where it goes round corners, and the length of the staples as Bill points out is important. I was lucky to get my vinyl from a high street suplier, but any decent trim shop will have it in stock.
On door cards, use a piece of plastic between the cards and the door to prevent water getting at the back of the cards. Some people have used bin liners but this will eventually degrade, as it is designed to do in land fill sites.

Bernie.
b higginson

>>> On door cards, use a piece of plastic between the cards and the door to prevent water getting at the back of the cards. <<<

I know that at least the later cars had a sheet of plastic glued to the inside of the door as a moisture barrier before the card was fitted. Mine's missing the plastic, and my old cards had gone ripply like Simon's. And although I replaced all the trim a couple of years ago, I have yet to refit the plastic sheet. Guess I ought to do that someday...

-:G:-
Gryf Ketcherside

you can buy the adhesive for door trim protective membranes from bodyshop suppliers. It's about half an inch wide on a roll and is a bit like play dough, you just peel off the backing and stick it to the door where you want it, then press the plastic membrane onto it. It's better than glueing because with care you can take it off again to gain access to the door internals. Having sais that, some modern French cars have some stuff on them that is an absolute pig to get off. They even use it to stick the door cards on!
My cards are like yours Gryf, thats why I'm going to re-do them this winter. Mine will be easier to do than the later ones which have heat shaped profiles on them.

Bernie.
b higginson

This thread was discussed between 20/11/2011 and 03/12/2011

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