Hanging Cards

Today, I'll cover getting the door cards hung.  They still need vinyl or carpet, but they are now hanging on the doors.

Clarity, maybe
I re-read some of the posts about the door cards.  While my detail was accurate, I don't think the high-level explanations were very helpful.  So, first, I want to fix that.  I bought a bag of 100 rubber door clip-seals and clips from BusDepot so I can hang the door cards properly.  Like it says on their website, the bus-specific seals and clips aren't available any more, so the common-use ones for all the other same-era VW's are all they sell.  These are a little larger, so the holes in the door need to be opened up a little bit with a drill.

vapor sealed

I used kitchen garbage bags as a vapor barrier between the door card and the steel door.  To attach the vapor barrier, I used 3M's version of BlueTak (available at Office Depot) spread in 1/4" wide strip around the edge.  A circle of sticky stuff was run around every door-clip mounting hole as well as the pull handle mount holes, the window winder and the latch pull.  After the vapor barrier was in place, I pressed the door seals (cone-shaped rubber bits) through the vapor barrier into the holes.  The barrier, because it was a kitchen trash bag, stretched, but didn't break.

The door cards were cut with a Dremel from 1/8" MDF I bought at Home Depot.  I drew the shape of the door card using the old worn-out and beat up card I had lying around.  I traced the holes for the window winder, door pull and latch.  Last, I drilled out the holes for the door card clips by driving a 3/8" drill bit through the original card and into the MDF.

Clipping Cards

MDF card clipped in

Once the cards were cut, the vapor barrier set and the seals inserted, it was time to get the card installed with the clips, starting with the passenger door.  Based on orientations I'd seen on the internet, the clips should have slid into the MDF so the clip was on the point closest to the edge.  This was mostly true, but each clip setting required some tweaking to get it perfect.  I mirrored the clip placement from the passenger door onto the driver door card, and it required tweaking anyway.  Once on the door, I attempted to get the door pulls, etc installed, but the holes didn't align perfectly anymore.  They are close, and with a little shifting, they fit.  I recognize, however, that the pulls and such won't fit so perfectly once a material is on top of the MDF, so the holes will need to be increased a little bit.  More fun for later.

Anyway, the cards are now in, and I found and installed the old foot-kicks against the front of the cab.  The front area looks a lot better.  The old kicks are in pretty horrible shape, though, so I'll probably get a new set of all-plastic from BusDepot.  I may cut new ones by tracing the old ones, but I'll need to figure out how to keep them from getting wet.

9th & Salmon, Portland

Its been an interesting few weeks.  NHL playoffs, the Premier League is winding down and T worked through getting his driver's license.  Last, T had prom this past Saturday.  Through a fluke of events, I met his group of friends between the limo and the restaurant.  The blurry picture on the right, here, is of him and his date as they enter the restaurant... as viewed through my rain-drenched windscreen.  They are the blurry black spots in the center of the picture.  I posted it in the spirit of the name of the blog, its a view from a bus-driver sitting in a VW Jetta :)

Thanks for following along.