I "think" I replaced my kick panels
back in 1997 when I got the car. In any case it's 17 years later
and time for new custom panels complete with LED lighting.
My old panel is nothing more than
.070" cardboard while the new ones are a .120 thick board made
of some composite material. I choose to go with the same 1/8"
hardboard that I
use for the Interior Panel Kits that I make and sell. It's
quite sturdy yet very flexible. This is about a $25 project with
the LED bulbs being the most expensive part.
Quick
Tip...... don't believe the pre-drilled hole
locations!
Old
one is all warped
Passenger
Side panel with the correct hole locations. The
large hole is for the LED and the duct tape is
holding the cut out piece in place. For some reason
new panels are cut the same for both sides and that
cut out is for the hood release.
My driver
side is modified to account for the fat AAW wire
harness bundle that runs down that side of the car.
So how
do you find blind holes? Easy with this tool....
I have
a set of 6 of these with different sized nubs that
fit various sized holes.
Your
panel goes between the tool, the nub goes in the
blind hole and you smack an awl in the hole on this
side of the tool which aligns perfectly with the nub
in the blind hole on the other side.
Head down
to Wal-Mart or your favorite auto parts store and
pick up a roll of this cheapo carpet. I've also got
my trunk lined in this stuff and it holds up just
fine for this type of use.
Contact Spray Adhesive
Trace the
panel outline on the back of the carpet and spray
with adhesive. Do the same for the hardboard and
wait for it to dry to a tacky feel.
Lay the
panel on the carpet and press into place. I only
folded over the edges that could be seen and didn't
bother with the "invisible" ones. Punch out your
holes so they're easy to find.
Here's my
LED bulb in a nice aluminum housing... I also used
one of these for the key illumination bulb & the
glovebox..... casts way more light than a stock bulb
and never gets hot. The bulbs are from
www.superbrightleds.com and are called Bolt Beam
12mm LED Light part # 12B-x
And
the back side.... just make sure you use connectors
that can fit through the nut!
