Bringing old and faded door panels back to life

[rodent]

Here's a neat tip to restore the door panels. Clear paint. I used gloss since thats all I had laying around but I'd suggest a semi gloss.

Before:


After

 

[DREDnot]

That clear coat is a good idea.

Mine was missing the door panels altogether. I found a set of blue ones and painted them with Rustoleum Satin Dark Brown. Seemed like a perfect match.



Did the dash as well.

 

[rodent]

That clear coat is a good idea.

Mine was missing the door panels altogether. I found a set of blue ones and painted them with Rustoleum Satin Dark Brown. Seemed like a perfect match.
Did the dash as well.

Looks great!
I'll be selling my maroon panels since I'm going all black on the interior.

 

[GREENMV]

Years ago I cleaned my door panel's with a scotch bright pad, then wiped down with acetone. I sprayed them with Rustoleum primer then sprayed with Rustoleum satin black and they have held up very well. Surprised.

 

[n8roro]

In the fall I wiped down the exterior and door panels that were looking tired with wd40 and it made a huge difference. We'll see how long it lasts. Even if I do it twice a year it doesn't take long to do.

 

[dougco1]

I did the heat gun method to bring back the color. left a nice low luster dark color and smoothed out the scratches. No coating required afterwards but may help keep the color for the long haul