The woodgraining on the 67 and 68 door exterior door handles don’t age well and are hard to come by NOS. So, I thought I would try to recreate the woodgraining after re-chroming the handles.
First, I stripped the metal plate with acetone to bare metal.
Then, I used a self-adhesive (sticky backing) woodgrain laminate from Custom Auto Trim in San Diego (5663 Balboa Ave, #407, SD, CA 92111. ) It is manufactured by 3M.
The cost was about $65 with tax and shipping.
I cut a piece a little larger than the metal plate. I pressed the metal plate on the vinyl, wrapped the vinyl around the other side, and then trimmed with a razor blade. I used a little super glue on the edges, although you can order a surface primer pen instead, which is probably good idea.
Next I sprayed on a clear acrylic coating from Krylon, front and back. It would be easy enough to simply replace the vinyl wrapping every few years if it does not weather well.
I think the result is pretty good. See the picture of the originals with the vinyl replacement. My original pieces seem to have more red coloring than some others.
First, I stripped the metal plate with acetone to bare metal.
Then, I used a self-adhesive (sticky backing) woodgrain laminate from Custom Auto Trim in San Diego (5663 Balboa Ave, #407, SD, CA 92111. ) It is manufactured by 3M.
| Part No : | DN-WGMAHG -LP17 |
| 3M DiNoc Wood Grain Vinyl Wrap - Mahogany. | |
| Size : | Large Laptop Size Sheet 17.5 in. X 12 in. |
I cut a piece a little larger than the metal plate. I pressed the metal plate on the vinyl, wrapped the vinyl around the other side, and then trimmed with a razor blade. I used a little super glue on the edges, although you can order a surface primer pen instead, which is probably good idea.
Next I sprayed on a clear acrylic coating from Krylon, front and back. It would be easy enough to simply replace the vinyl wrapping every few years if it does not weather well.
I think the result is pretty good. See the picture of the originals with the vinyl replacement. My original pieces seem to have more red coloring than some others.
