New door panels

One of the things that really caught the eye inside the T3 Syncro were the door panels. These were in such a poor state of repair that they were practically beyond repair. Over the years, they had suffered knocks, damp – I’d even go so far as to say kicks.

So the decision was to remove them all and start making templates using 3 mm MDF. The method is simple: we strip off the upholstery and, with the bare panel resting on the MDF board, trace the outline with a pencil.
Once the template is ready, I use a jigsaw to cut out the shape of the new panel. All that’s left is to drill the necessary holes, for example, to fit glove boxes or handles.

I’ve also taken the opportunity to reposition the speakers, as I really don’t like their placement at the top of the front doors – they clash with the dashboard and almost half the speaker is covered by it.
The problem has arisen because there aren’t actually that many recesses in the door to fit the speakers. My idea is to fit them at the bottom of the panel, but between the electric window regulator and a box concealing the lower hinge, there’s barely any space left.

I still need to sort out the rear ones and decide what to do about the upholstery.

We’ll keep you posted.