how is the door panel trim attached?

On a standard '68, non decor. I’m talking about the mylar strip that runs in a rectangle around the panel, and of course the walking cougar emblem.
Are they flat on the back and just glued?
Do they have tabs that bend over just the vinyl (it’s clear they dont go through the actual backing board)?
I will be spraying my door panel vinyl soon and just want to figure out the best plan of attack.

P.S. car is coming back from paint today- cannot wait!

Thanks,
John

None of what you are talking about will come off, it is structurally bonded to the panel itself, just tape over it.
Show us pictures of new paint.

I feel your pain on this, as a fellow '68 Standard owner with door panels needing restoration. I experimented with some junk panels and found that it is 100% impossible to remove the plastic border trim and the walking cat, without destroying the vinyl. They are fused together. It’s a bummer because it will be hard to redo the chrome “plating”. I have a couple ideas I might try - one is to get a big enough piece of “chrome” vinyl (like Avery Conform Chrome) and lay it over the entire panel, then trim it around the “border”. My other theory, for the walking cat, is to use some Molotow Liquid Chrome (comes in paint pens, different sizes) and do that by hand.

Painting the vinyl should be relatively easy once you mask off the plastic trim. Just make sure you’re using a flexible coating designed for upholstery (like SEM Color Coat). Post pics of your progress!

Thanks for the responses. It looks like my door panels have already been recovered. That’s why my trim is loose. I’ve just ordered another set of panels that need some love. I’ll try to make those work. I’ll post pics as I go along.

Paint pictures tomorrow. Already too dark for good ones tonight.

Good info, I am about to take this one on in the somewhat near future too.

If you want to “rechrome” stuff like that, a buddy of mine with an old chevy pick up bought a can of that alsa brand brush on chrome. The finished product looks really good, and he got a ton of use out of it, seeing as how 50% of it didn’t get blown away in the wind. Durability is yet to be seen, but for interior parts, I think it should work real well

Pics from body shop:









More pics:





a few more:








I’ve been curious about that stuff, glad to hear it worked out for your friend. Paint is probably a more ideal solution than vinyl, since vinyl can peel. But, vinyl can be more reflective and shiny. Trade offs!

Nice!!