DIY Door Panel Pockets

[Griff]

DISCLAIMER
I am by no means a re-upholsterer. There are many different ways and tutorials out there on how to wrap material around objects; this is just how I did it. Remember, measure once, cut twice, always cut towards yourself for increased accuracy, and disregard respirators so you can get a cheap buzz and have something to blame any mistakes you might make on... Or do whatever boats your float. After all the internet has never lied.

Now that we've got that out of the way, here's a before and after of what we'll be making today

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Making new door pockets wasn't in my original plan. I actually removed the door panels to assess the window and aftermarket power-lock mechanisms. But, after a few days of looking at the unsightly burgundy panels in the garage I decided they could use some new paint before reinstalling them. Which eventually led to the making of this DIY. This is the best before picture I have of the panels before paint

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There are already great write ups on painting and fabricating here and here so I won't go over my process.

Here is my passenger panel after painting and reinstalling

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And finally, with the new pocket installed

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[Griff]

First step is to remove the outer material from the cardboard backer

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Use the old backer as a template to make a new one out of premium 7 ply 3/8" birch plywood scrap plywood. Trace out the perimeter, cut it out with a jigsaw, and give it a quick sand to remove any sharp edges. Optional, paint the board on the back side to seal the wood and protect it from moisture/spilled beer. The front side will be sealed with the material and spray adhesive which is also beerwaterproof. Mark the screw/clip holes and drill them out with the appropriate bit. I used a 3/16" bit for the top screws and a 1/2" bit for the bottom clips.

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[Griff]

Next up is to wrap the outer face of the backer in the new material. I decided to use marine vinyl for the pockets because this is the same material I plan to reupholster the seat with. It is typically used on boat seats and is UV resistant and waterproof. I think it came out to about $20 for a yard at the fabric store but you can use whatever you like. In the end I found out that a stiffer, less stretchy material would've been more ideal, but more on that later.

Trace the board onto the back of the material and add an extra inch all around.

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Cut the material and then mark a 3/8" perimeter from the inside line, and determine where relief cuts would go around the corners. Something like this

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then notch them

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After a test fit, give the backer and material a quick psht-psht from the air hose and apply the adhesive. I used 3M Super Classic Spray Adhesive but you can use contact cement or whatever you have kickin' around.

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Have a few sips while you wait for the adhesive to get tackier than Walmart plastic spinners on a Civic.

Then carefully align and press the two pieces together firmly. Try to avoid creases or wrinkles, unless you're going for a more 'character' look.

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[Griff]

Spray the exposed material and the outer edge of the board with more adhesive.
Have another few sips. When the adhesive sticks to you like the memory of walking in on your parents doing the horizontal monster mash when you were 12, you know you are ready.

Definitely have another drink.

Begin pressing the material onto the straight edges of the board working your way from the middle out.

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I started with the top corners and folded the edge material onto the back, followed by stretching and pressing the corner tab/ear down to where I was happy with the result.

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[idahovette]

I think this as a great write-up and I don't even have pockets on my rig!!!

 

[Griff]

For the bottom corners I started with the middle tabs, and then stretched and pressed the outside ones. I put a few 1/4-3/8" staples in the corners. Refer to the disclaimer for more detailed instructions. Here is the finished back panel

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For some reason these all turned out sideways and I'm too lazy to change them. At least your neck gets a decent stretch

 

[Griff]

Using the original pocket for reference, cut out an over sized piece of material. I had my girlfriend sew a fold 1" down from the top to hold the bungee cord, but any spouse/mother(in-law)/grandma/sister/neighbour/sweatshop should be able to do this for you for favourscheap.
I can't remember exactly what the spacing was but I marked the center of my material and then used the original pocket to mark the pleat-making-relief-cut things; a common term used by reupholster professionals, probably. I think it was 7/8" between the pleats and 2 1/8" between the flats.

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Also, remember to make as many permanent, conflicting, and confusing marks on your piece of material as possible, you know, for fun.

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[Griff]

Next insert a long drill bit or rod/dowel into the channel and use a knife or scissors to make H-shaped cuts like shown.

Knife

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Scissors

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[Griff]

Now place the backer onto the front pocket and determine the placement that you like. I went ~1" down from the top

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Mark the bottom of the backer

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(After forgetting on the first pocket that I made, this was when I realized I should) Make the holes for the screws/clips in the backer. Use an awl, knife, or some sort of sharp pokey thing. Then make a parallel line approximately 1.5" past the 'bottom of the backer' line and cut the pocket here

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Fold up the bottom, and transfer the pleat marks onto the front of the pocket

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[bucket]

I like this write-up

 

[Griff]

The original pocket used a sort of elastic strap. I already had some 1/4" bungee so I used that instead. I found the best way to feed this through the sleeve was to first insert the long drill bit/dowel/rod through the channel and then follow the bungee back through from the other end.

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We're now onto the part where we potentially f*** everyth- get to do the critical finishing touches.

Center the pocket horizontally onto the backer, and line up the bottom reference line we made earlier. Wrap the pocket around the bottom and make a line onto the back of the backer. Mark the center of the backer on this line

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Starting with the center pleat, pinch the pocket material until the 2 outside marks of the pleat meet at the center of the backer line. Make sure the pocket is still on the horizontal mark. Put a staple through the pocket and into the backer on both sides

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[Griff]

Repeat the process working from the middle to the outside

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Flatten the pinched material into a pleat and put a staple in the middle

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Repeat on the other folds and add extra staples where seemingly necessary

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Tie a knot; bigger than the one in your mid back from when you decided to pull your transfer case by hand; at the end of the bungee and tension it, followed by another knot on the other end.

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Fold the sides of the pocket onto the back of the backer and put a staple the in middle. This was when I realized my piece was a little bit too short (at least the girlfriend still loves me) as the stretching around the sides caused the pleats to warp a bit diagonally.

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[Griff]

Work your way to the bottom corners. Fold and staple them similar to how we made the pleats

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Untie the knots in the bungee and staple the pocket up to the top. Put a couple of staples into one end of the bungee and cut off the excess.

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Do the same on the other side but add a desired amount of tension onto the bungee before stapling it down. Staple the f*** out of everything as necessary

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One Pocket done! Admire your finished product, and grab another beer. There's still one more to make...

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For installation I used 2 stainless screws to attach the top to the door panel. The original clips for the bottom will probably be too short depending on how thick your plywood is. I happened to have some Christmas tree clips left over from another vehicle, but they also ended up being too short. The plywood is easily rigid enough to hold the pockets against the door panel anyway, so do whatever makes you feel content.

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I learned that I should have left a little extra width on the pockets. I wouldn't have had to stretch it around the sides as much and caused as much distortion on the pleats. The original material was hardly stretchy, but perhaps that is just from its age. I do think that a stiffer material and a more appropriately sized pocket would have made for more uniform pleats. Ultimately, I'm happy. This is by no means a show truck and my original goal was to drink beer and screw around in the garage improve the look of the door panels. Thanks for the read, and if you take on this project, good luck!

Cheers


Griff

 

[73c20jim]

Excellent use of beer.

 

[Snoots]

Excellent use of beer.

Hic!
I agree.
I'm thirsty(er).