[jburning17]

I have been trying to fit a set of door cards from Centerline, but am having some trouble. I hope that I can get some advice from the board on this one.

Here is the set of door cards. It is just killing me to look at them on my table rather than on the car!

The do look good, though, huh?

 

[jburning17]

"original" door cards

The car came with a set of door cards that were home made. However, they had fairly nice leather on them.

The longer I looked at them, the more out of place they felt. So, that meant another call to Boulder, CO!

The original card did seem to have their mounting clips harvested from something much older. I am assuming that was the cards that the PO inherited with the car (and prior to restoration).

Take a look. Here I have the cards that I inherited with the ones that I bought.

 

[jburning17]

clips

I looks like I got a bit ahead of myself...

Initially, the cards were shipped to me without the mounting clips. After a call or two, they were shipped to me separately.

Here they are, and then a close up of the clips incomparison to the clips on the old set of cards.

 

[jburning17]

trouble...

When I went to fit the new cards to the door, I ran into trouble.

I am supposing that the clips were intended to fit into the holes along the edge of the opening on the inside of the door. See the picture below; you can see on of the holes.

Well, the clips do not line up with the holes. I know that in one of the previous pictures, that the clip should be rotated in its mounting hole in order to be closer to the edge. What I mean is that the clips do not line up circumferentially, or side-to-side. They are off by 2-3 inches in most case.

So what am I up against?

Wrong clips, wrong cards, wrong door (I hope not that one)?

Need some help with this one!

Cheers,

Jon

 

[AlfaDuc]

Jon,
Well, the clips supplied to you are identical to clips used in mid-60's Mustangs, and are still available from aftermarket suppliers (like NPD). They are installed just the way you fitted them, with the crossed prongs inserting into holes in the doors. The problem is that on the '63 thru '65 Spiders, this type of clip was not used, and clips were not passed through holes in the doors to secure the cards. Alfa used a flat, spring steel clip which inserted into the hole in the card, then just slipped over the lip of the panel on the door. The clips on your original panels were probably not OEM, since the OEM slips often rusted and broke off. I don't have any photos of the clips, but surely someone must have them here. You might ask World Upholstery if they have replacement clips, since they supply the cards (and quite a few other odds and ends for old Alfas).
Jim

 

[jburning17]

Update on clips

I have found that Re-Originals does in fact offer the correct clips for my panels but is currently out of stock. Even after my persistance, they only promise to try to remember to look for some the next time that they are in Italy.

I was also able to find the the Re-Originals part number is NDP309. These parts do not come up on their website, but the sales rep sees them in her catalog/listing.

Perhaps with repeated inquires from a few people, they will make a more concerted effort to get some more for the Giulietta community...

I was able to get a picture of the Re-Originals clips when I went over to a friends place. He bought these clips from Re-Originals about 2 months ago. (I believe that I mentioned these earlier in the thread)

Check'em out...

Jon

 

[jburning17]

World Upholstry

I called World Upholstry to find out whether they had the clips that I need. They do indeed have them, but absolutely refuse to sell them separately, no matter the price. You can only get them if you buy a set of door cards from them. I have put in a call or two to the manager there, with no reponses to my messages...

So, that puts me in a pickle, I guess.

The sales rep from World Upholstry mentioned that they have a supplier that manufactures the clips for them. To me, it would make sense that they just order a load of them and sell them for a fat profit. After all, they would be the only source for them anywhere in the world, as near as I can tell.

Centerline has pretty much thrown up their hands on being able to help with this...

Stay tuned...

 

[AllthingsZagato]

If you take those clips down to a hardware store then they should have something similar you can use. Am I looking at the panels right in that the centreline ones do not have the pleating of the originals?

 

[AlfaDuc]

I have found that Re-Originals does in fact offer the correct clips for my panels but is currently out of stock. Even after my persistance, they only promise to try to remember to look for some the next time that they are in Italy.

I was also able to find the the Re-Originals part number is NDP309. These parts do not come up on their website, but the sales rep sees them in her catalog/listing.

Perhaps with repeated inquires from a few people, they will make a more concerted effort to get some more for the Giulietta community...

I was able to get a picture of the Re-Originals clips when I went over to a friends place. He bought these clips from Re-Originals about 2 months ago. (I believe that I mentioned these earlier in the thread)

Check'em out...

Jon

Jon,
If it helps at all, the Re-Original clips are indeed indentical to the OEM clips. So the trick will be to get someone to make them available to all us commoners. I would think that Centerline would have a bit of leverage with World Upholstery and could get a batch of them. Must be wrong, though. I'm interested in how this turns out.
Jim

 

[AlfaDuc]

If you take those clips down to a hardware store then they should have something similar you can use. Am I looking at the panels right in that the centreline ones do not have the pleating of the originals?

For what it's worth, the originals (for Giulia Spiders) did not have any pleats, just like the Centerline repros.
Jim

 

[jburning17]

pleats

If you take those clips down to a hardware store then they should have something similar you can use. Am I looking at the panels right in that the centreline ones do not have the pleating of the originals?

I am not totally sure that I understand your question, but I will take a stab at what I think that you are asking...

The door cards that came with my car are not original. The diagonal stitching is not how the OEM cards were; they are just how the PO decided to make them. Actually, the more I looked at the diagonal stitching the more I felt that it was out of place. So, that is my reasoning for replacing them with the original design.

The cards from Centerline match the OEM design for Giuliettas, I believe.

Jon

 

[AlfistiSA]

Hi Guys

For what it's worth, seeing as those clips are totally hidden from view, you can make up a pretty convincing set from the stainless trim which can be found on old windscreen wiper blades.

Jon, seeing as you can "borrow" a sample..... Try making a dozen - cheaper & faster than Re-Originals. Stainless wiper trim is useful for lots of odd trim applications.

Ciao
Greig
Sunny South Africa

 

[concept 101]

Door card clips

Jon,

I think eather AFRA or Elvezio in Italy stock the original clips. Clips for the rear panels should be a bit shorter than the front once though.

I´m also a bit hesitant about whether, and that is if your car is a Giulia, the new door panels you got should actually have a red piping, I always thought they should be all black (or what ever color).

Dennis

 

[pathung]

All black or all red for Giulias, that I've seen, and according to the Anselmi book.

 

[jburning17]

Thanks everbody.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I will check to see whether those two sources in Italy carry the clips.

Both examples of original door cards that I have seen have clips that are riveted onto the cards. Meanwhile the cards that I purchased need the clips that slide on, which I showed in the picture above. So, it remains to be determined which style the Italian sources have.

My car is a Giulietta, which I believe the black/red door cards would be appropriate for. Even if they are not correct, I like'em! So, on they go.

Thanks again!

Jon

 

[concept 101]

Door card clips

Jon,

If your car is a Giulietta, then the piping is correct. The reveted clips are all fake, what you need are the sliding on once, provided of course, you want to stick to the original outfit. I don´t remember any more how much I payed for them, but on the other hand, the shipping cost will not kill you as they can be sent in a letter.

Dennis

 

[jburning17]

new cards in from World Upholstry

Just got the new door cards in from World Upholstry yesterday.

The clips are closer to the original, harvested clips that are riveted to my homemade door cards. They are not like the clips that were ordered from Re-Originals at all. Even so, the clip style from World Upholstry should work just fine, and so I am all sorts of excited to get them installed.

BTW, I also got a set of correct (black with red piping) seat covers and new foam padding at the same time. I just got tired of doing this piecemeal...
That should look good, too. I chose leather over the original vinyl as a matter of personal choice and to avoid burning my leg on that hot, black vinyl stuff. Either way will look *****in!

Check out the documentation of the clips from World Upholstry.

Jon

 

[AlfaDuc]

Jon,
Yep, those clips should work fine. They're pretty simple, which makes you wonder how hard it would be to duplicate them. The hardest part is that they should be made from spring metal rather than just plain steel (so they will stand up to the flexing during installation). Congrats on being able to get the interior back together. And let us know how you like the new seat foam pads, since I'll be ready for a set in a year or two.
Jim

 

[jburning17]

Jon,
Yep, those clips should work fine. They're pretty simple, which makes you wonder how hard it would be to duplicate them. The hardest part is that they should be made from spring metal rather than just plain steel (so they will stand up to the flexing during installation). Congrats on being able to get the interior back together. And let us know how you like the new seat foam pads, since I'll be ready for a set in a year or two.
Jim

I got all but one piece installed last night. It looks like the driver side piece behind the door will need a little fussing, and I was too tired to continue last night. I will post a few pictures in a little while.

Last night I also dropped off my seats, the new leather covers, and the foam pads to an upholsterer (spelling?). They should be ready to go next week. I will post about the results of that, too.

Jon

 

[jburning17]

Some more stuff

A couple pictures of the door card installation.

I held the card in place the best that I could and then used a piece of chaulk to rub a mark where the window winder post and the door release lever would come through. I figure that a ball point pen would be invisible....

The first picture shows me holding the card in place and just after the door release post had been marked. The window winder hole was already made at this point.

Anyway, I then took a box cutter and made an 'X' incision at the marked spot. I made it as small as I thought would work. Then I mounted the door, expanding the hole as little as I could to get the post to go through.

I used a scratch awl to put holes where the door pull should go.

I had to tug and pull a bit on the card to get all clips, holes, posts, screws and the door to line up all at the same time. But, it happens eventually.

Second picture is of the panel in place with all hardware installed. The other side works the same, and doesn't need a different proceedure.

Jon