Moving to the doors, here...
Moving to the doors, here you can see the old actuator brackets. These need to come out because you can't really hook the new actuator and pop it into the bracket at the same time.
That being said, Latemodel hooked us up with a new set of actuators (PN LRS-21842), which come with an assortment of rods, a new mounting bracket and a new rivet to install the bracket. The rivet is an industrial-sized piece that requires a larger-than-average rivet gun. They are rather hard to find unless you go to a tool store (the local Sears didn't have one). If you or your friends don't have one, fear not, as Latemodel sells these as well. Installation is simple: It will take you longer to remove the door panel than it will to install the new actuator.
That pretty much completed the mechanical modifications, so all we had to do was finish the sound-deadening installation and start painting the interior components. Thermo-Tec supplied us with its Suppressor and Sonic Mat insulation materials for our project, and we finished this part of the installation by covering the back-seat floor area. We also added some pieces to the upper C-pillar area, as well as the package tray. You could continue into the trunk, but there is already a factory material similar to the Super Sonic mat on the floor, so we called it good.
We spent a good 45-60 minutes per door as that took a lot of trimming and detail work, and we probably have two hours at the most into the floor and roof. We thought we'd be adding a ton of weight to the car with this, but the five rolls that we used equated to just 34 pounds. We can live with that, especially considering our notchback model is the lightest to begin with.
As with any paint job, the prep work is what determines the end result. Painting plastic and vinyl requires an extra measure of cleaning prior to painting if you hope to have your new finish stick well and last a while. Just think of all those years that you've been applying Armor All or some other protectant to the interior panels, and it's easy to understand why many color changes fail.
Fish out the old bracket and...
Fish out the old bracket and whatever else you find in the bottom of the door. Doing this will reduce/remove rattles and clear the way for the water drainholes.
There are several different ways to clean the components, including rubbing alcohol, lacquer thinner, and a prep solvent of some sort. After we removed and disassembled all of the pieces to be painted, we gave each piece a liberal coat of purple cleaning fluid, and then scrubbed them with a stiff-bristled brush. We then hosed them off and proceeded to scrub them down again with laundry detergent and a bug scrubber that is commonly available at your local auto parts store. After the parts dried, we wiped them down with a bit of lacquer thinner, and then sprayed them with Latemodel Restoration Supply's interior lacquer paint (PN MET-FL33). If you're painting your armrest pads and the padded part of the dashboard, use LRS's Vinyl Prep/Cleaner (PN MET-VP383).
Here's the new LRS actuator....
Here's the new LRS actuator. You'll need to use the smallest metal rod that is pictured next to the actuator.
Insert the hook and tap in...
Insert the hook and tap in the roll pin.
Plug in the actuator and hold...
Plug in the actuator and hold it in place while a buddy installs the rivet from the other side.
Over time, the door-lever...
Over time, the door-lever springs wear out and don't always return to the resting location properly. We replaced our levers with brand-new units from LRS. To remove the old ones, remove the bottom screw and slide the lever assembly towards the front of the car, then pull out the handle.
Rotate the assembly counterclockwise...
Rotate the assembly counterclockwise and then remove the rod from the back of the assembly. Reverse these steps for the installation of the new levers (PN LRS-21818A/LRS21819A).
For the door insulation, George...
For the door insulation, George Xenos, our contractor for this interior renovation, set the door panel on the Thermo-Tec Super Sonic mat and cut out the rough shape.
Xenos then peeled back the...
Xenos then peeled back the top edge and carefully stuck it to the top of the door. It should go without saying that the doorframe should be clean before you do this.
We cut the door mat into three...
We cut the door mat into three more manageable pieces. Don't forget to cut out all of the holes for the door-panel and armrest fasteners.
This is the framework of the...
This is the framework of the dashboard, and given everything we're doing to the inside of the car, we just couldn't see reinstalling it with the rust still on it. After giving it a good wire brushing and hosing it down with brake cleaner, we touched it up with some black semigloss paint that we had in the garage.