Interior Restoration

Removal

I started with the door panels. You must first remove the armrest, which is retained by two 10mm headed bolts located behind the round plugs (if your car still has them) and one phillips head screw. Carefully pull the armrest up to dislodge the metal clip which reaches behind the door panel. As you pull the armrest away, you will notice that there are two electrical harnesses still connected (if you have power windows and locks as our project car does). Carefully pull the plugs apart (there are retaining clips easily visible). You can then fully remove the armrest. Next you remove the interior door handle cup and mirror plate cover, both of which are held in by a screw.

The door panel is actually retained by one screw on the speaker grill, and the rest are black plastic push pins. Carefully pull the door panel out one small area at a time until they are all disengaged from the door itself. Once they are all out, pull the panel up to disengage from the top of the door lip.

Next I moved on to the center console.

The console armrest is secured by four 8mm bolts hidden behind oval trim plates. Carefully lift it out. The console top section is retained by four phillips head screws, two under the recently removed armrest, and two underneath the shifter plate trim, which is held in by retaining clips. Carefully pull up the console top, disconnect the cigarette lighter, light, and power window switch. The top can now be safely removed, remember to pull the parking brake lever up for sufficient clearance.

The console body is retained by two screws in the rear, two at each front corner and two nuts which hold the metal plate bolted to the tranny tunnel. Remove the radio from the car and carefully lift the body out of the way and out of the car.

The seats are held in by two nuts in front with studs coming through the floorboard, and two bolts in the rear. Once the seats are out, seat belts are held in by torx headed bolts, so make sure you have the correct socket on hand. The project vehicle already had the rear seats removed, so I won't tackle that issue this time.

Starting to look pretty spartan huh... Next up the rear hatch panels. They are held in by various phillips head screws located along the panel. Be careful removing the 'coat hanger hooks' on either side. They do thread into metal. Along the headliner where the hatch meets the roofline, there is a metal trim piece which is also held in by four phillips head screws. Remove these and pull the piece out of the way.

You can now remove the rear hatch panels out of the car. You have to finagle the seat belts through the access hole in them, but it should be no problem. These panels are quite large and somewhat awkward, but they are maneuverable, especially if you feed them out of the hatch. Also remove the rear trim pieces along the taillight panel. There are a total of 9 screws along the top and bottom, you might have to remove the spare tire to access the three lower ones.

Carpeting can be tricky, as it has surely sat idle for many many year. In my case, the removal of the aforementioned interior and sill plates was not enough. I chose to cut the carpet in the middle, in the area in front of the shifter. Even cut, the removal can be cumbersome. Work your way slowly and carefully. Don't forget the wiring for the seat lumbar and the fuel pump relay on the driver's side floorboard (if so equipped).

Carpet is gone and you are now left with an almost completely stripped interior, just a dashboard. In the case of my project, I will retaining the current dashboard and dyeing it to coincide with the new interior color.

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