[meenaggie]

I am in the process of installing the same TMI door panels in my 1968 C10 (not identical from aesthetics). Here are a couple tips to hopefully save you a headache or two.

1. Dry fit the panels with the backing still on the adhesive that attaches the top of the door panel to the metal door skin. The 3M VHB adhesive is very strong and makes removing the door panel very hard if you have any issues. Again, make sure everything is working and fits 100% before you pull off the adhesive backing.

2. The hole in the door panel for the door lock pull knob may or may not line up perfectly. If the misalignment is severe as was my case, the rubbing between the door lock knob and the hole in the door panel may prevent your door lock mechanism from working properly (i.e. puts the mechanism in a bind). You don't have a lot of choices to fix this issue and I will likely enlarge the hole in the metal door skin to accommodate the misalignment as any modification to the door panel will require it to be recovered. See picture below prior to modification and reason for item 1 above.

3. If you have a foam spacer between the door skin and the existing door panel for the door mechanism pull then you will likely need to remove it. It will push the door panel out from the door too far and make installing the door opener lever very difficult.

4. The plastic template for the door pull works great to locate the holes that need to be drilled in the door skin. I recommend securing the metal angle bracket to the door skin with bolts and nylocks rather than screws that may loosen over time. I test fit the door panel dry to locate the "cup" for the door pull and then installed it with button head cap screws (low profile) and nylocks before installing the door panel for the final time. Again, the screws did not provide a "secure" feel to me. Trying to jam the cup through the opening in the door panel after the door panel is attached to the door skin may damage the vinyl if you are not very careful. Only downside of doing it this way is you can't remove the pull with the door panel on but I don't see that as something you would ever want to do if you fit it first and use nylocks to secure it.

5. Throw the template for the lower holes that locate the snap pins in the trash. Mine was not to scale and far enough off I decided not to even try to use it. During the dry fit process have someone hold the door panel on and the mark the locations for the holes using the door panel as a guide. This makes sure they are in the right place. You can pull the panel at the bottom back a bit and mark them or use a transfer material (e.g. lipstick) on the tip of the snap pins to mark the door panel. The 19/64" drill bit recommended was the perfect size.

6. Make sure you do any maintenance to the door lock mechanism before you install these door panels as removing them multiple time is not recommended. I made sure I lubricated my new door latches very well. If you are installing electrical windows which I think you are . . . make sure those work and are fully adjusted before installing the door panels.

Hope that helps and I would be interested to see if you have the same issue on the door lock pull knobs.