Door panel installation ....

[Dogmeat]

I bought some power-extending tow mirrors for my truck and I was trying to put them on this evening.

It shouldn't be that big of deal, but I could not for the life of me get the damned interior door panel lined up right and back on ...

I wound up breaking a bunch of plastic tabs on the door lock latch and bent the metal wire for the latch and all this ****.

Does anyone have any advice on how you actually get this door panel back on once you get it off cuz I'm really screwed if I can't figure this out ... I'm already gonna have to go order a bunch of new plastic tabs and **** for it on monday but Ir eally dont wanna have to pay a dealer to have to install these mirrors for me.

I got it off and the mirror on the one side ok but getting the panel back on I've been screwing with it for 3 hours and only broke stuff ...

ANy advicE?> heh

[White_Stealth]

Not quite to sure what happened. But how exactly did you go about taking it off?
You should've removed the door lock slider, and there is a 7mm bolt in there, the take off the bezel around the door handle, and the bezel that goes where the mirror is, and there is also a 7mm bolt behind the door pull above the door handle. Might be one in the bottom also, so do some don't. But after that's all loose pull straight up on the panel since you were only replacing mirrors, I don't think you need to know how to disconnect the switches. But putting it back on all you're supposed to do is line up the molded in tabs on the back side of the door panel with the holes on the door, and slide it straight back down. The door panel will go back on the door, and then replace all the fasteners and trim stuff.

[Dogmeat]

The hardest part was getting the metal wire of the door lock latch lined up while being able to line all the tabs up, and that's how I broke the plastic "slider tab" that is on the inside of the panel on the door lock latch thing ... I slide the bottom two tabs in, but then the metal wire just pushed up against that tab and I cant get it to go into the "hole" without putting the bottom two tabs all the way, but doing this I can't get any of the top ones in ....

so I basically wound up busting the plastic tabs on the door lock latch thing ... I dont know I guess i"ll just take it to the dealer.

This is pretty rediculous I've been messing with this for like 3 hours and I still can't get it and now the damned lock latch wont even work :(

ah well :(

[White_Stealth]

Wow, I've never had that much trouble, probably had my panels off 10-12 times each, my lock rod has never got in the way, did you try putting it in the lock position to help keep it off the tab? Sorry I can't be of much more help.

[Eric Guidry]

Did you remove the lock handle before removing the pannel?

[Dogmeat]

welp, turns out I'm a complete idiot...

I guess the moral of the story is dont try a new project you havent done when you're sick and coughing so hard you're making yourself dizzy cuz you wont think straight.

turns out the key to all this was not being a moron :)

Anyways, instead of doing it with the window rolled down, I did it with it up, lined right no no problem. The other thing was that plastic slider thing was actually a fastener for the door panel and not part of the locking mechanism.

So after my stupid ass bent the lock latch wire all up trying to run it through this plastic peice thinking it was a slider, it turns out that;s where one of the 7mm bolts went through, not the metal wire.

duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrr

this really is a cake thing to do, you just cant be a complete idiot and pay attention to what you're doing hahah

[LOWZ71]

Its all good bro, no harm no foul. Next time you'll know how to get that panel off real fast. Thats how you learn.
I personally think those are some of the easiest panels to get off, maybe because I have taken them off and put them on so many times:D.