Interior Update: G-Wagon Doors

After getting all the materials for the interior, I decided to split the work. I removed the door panels, interior trim, floor matting and seats and installed the original seats in the car so I could continue to drive it. I decided take the Recaro Racing Seats, back bench seat and door panels to a local upholstery shop called Brent's Custom Upholstery while I focussed on the headliner, carpet and remainder of the interior panels.  

G-Wagon Door with Dynamat

With everything out of the car, it sounded like a tin can. One of my goals was to reduce noise so that meant treating the interior. With everything out of the car, now is the time. I ordered some Dynamat and Dynaliner to deaden the tin can sound and insulate from the weather. I know they Dyna products are expensive, but have used them in the past with excellent results. The Dynamat sticks great and the Dynaliner is a closed foam so it will not absorb or retain moister. 

For the doors I focused on sound deadening the metal and used Dynamat on the interior metal. I had the upholstery shop put 1/4" Dynaliner on the trim panel before covering them. I did this on all three doors. I also added some Dynamat on the interior of the outer skin. After adding the Dynaliner the doors closed with a solid thump. They now sound like, well... a Mercedes.

Vapor Barrier on G-Wagon Door

I had decided to upgrade the interior but keep the general feel of the original design. I did not like the checkered fabric so that was going. I did like the utilitarian look of the older G so there would be no dramitic upgrades toward a 462 look. My wife and I both agreed the Recaro seats looked strange but they felt great. The original front seats would be sold on eBay. So the interior trim panels would be covered entirely with MBTex with stitching to match the seats. 

I noticed that the interior of the trim panels showed some marks caused by water. Most new cars place a water barrier between the inside trim panel and the door. I cut thick plastic sheeting so size, taped off the edges and sprayed the interior of the door and the plastic sheet with 3M 80 Spray Adhesive. Once tacky, I applied the plastic to the door and allowed the plastic to hang on the inside so any water would just drain out the bottom of the door. 

Then I mounted the interior trim to the door, replaced all the hardware and mounted the pocket. the pockets were cracked and did not look so good, so I asked the upholstery shop fix the cracks, cover them with the MBTex Vinyl and add matching stitching along the top of the pockets. I could have done all of this myself minus the stitching, but I wanted them to match the seats. 

I could have left the locking door hardware off since the doors automatically lock when I start the car, unlock when the car is turned off and I even have an interior power lock switch. I decided that the hardware to manually lock and unlock the door should be installed but decided to ditch the red hardware and get black hardware to match the rest of the interior.

Covered G-Wagon Door Pocket

Now all three doors look great, keep the cold out and sound great when closed. There is a noticeable reduction in road noise. The biggest surprise was how the cold air was kept out of the cabin. I did not realize how much cold air was leaking through the doors. I love the classic and updated look and know water will not be a problem on the recovered panels.