C-5 Corvette door trim removal
How to remove your C-5 Corvette door panel without Cursing, Breaking, or Bleeding.
Why might you need this knowledge? Say by some chance you may want flames or graphics painted on your speed machine to make it go faster, or at least make it look faster. Maybe you want to get a speeding ticket while you are parked, that alone will impress your friends. Ok I will get to the point, while I don’t think that doing body work or sanding your car will save you any money, removing the parts before painting definitely will, barring the fact that you don’t break any thing in the process. So get some tools and go to town.
First step is to open the door, if I left this step out I am sure someone would comment so bear with me. After you have the door open look for the mounting points.
Remove the plastic cover with finger nail or plastic wedge
You will need a T30 Torks driver or bit to remove the two screws under the handle.
Remove the T30 Torks screws
Remove the inside handle release shroud with a plastic flat wedge carfully the clips can break easy.
Remove the inner trim panel by putting a strong putty knife between the panel and the door shell
I prefer to use a putty knife because it has more area against the trim panel and usually will cause less damage to it while prying. The clip that hold the trim panel on are White plastic with a knurled shaft, they are stubborn and will sound like they break when they release. I start with the lower rear clip and try to look between the panel and the door shell to get the best placement of the knife on the clip. After the panel is free from the clips then you need to release it from the top. I do this by putting my knees under the trim panel while holding it away from the car. I then lean back a little to put upward pressure on the trim panel and then with an open palm I smack the top to release the clip. Don’t prove your toughness by denting your trim panel as it is the quick shock that releases it not the power.
Now unclip the wires from the trim panel there is a push button that is used to release the clip
Make sure not to lay the face of the panel on anything or stack any parts on the panel as it will dent the panel.
Jon Stewart
