Door Panel Repair - Parts 1 & 2

Roughly three years ago I began a major project to completely redo all 8 door panels on my 1973 Checker Aerobus. I am sorry to report that so far I have managed to do exactly ONE door; the subject of this blog post.

The following is meant as a visual guide for the repair, replacement and/or reupholstering of just about any Checker door panel on model A-11 and A-12 cars. Most of it will probably also work for earlier models going back to the A-8. Please note that door sizes vary, even on the same car, so be sure to check the dimensions BEFORE you cut out the door panels. Also, the left and right panels are mirror-images of each other. In other words, a left side door panel will not fit a right side door!

First, here are two BEFORE and AFTER photos:

"Before" photo of fourth-row driver side Aerobus door

"After" photo of Aerobus door (without arm rest)

To show how I got from the "Before" to the "After," this blog post is divided into 4 parts:

Part 1: Removing the Door Panel

Part 2: Disassembling the Door Panel

Part 3: Reupholstering Options

Part 4: Reupholstering

Part 1 - Removing the Door Panel