I would like to detach the black plastic rail that sits atop the the door panel. It appears to be held on by some inverted nuts (speed nuts?) Do I need a special tool? I can turn several by hand but they don't seem to come up. I just put insurance back on my car and I'm pumped!! for a ride tonight-with no interior panels though. Any help would be great! Thanks.

 

I usually use a pair of pliers to grab the edges.The threads strip easy on the plastic stud, so often times the nut will turn & not back out.So I have to pull as I turn, taking care not to slip the pliers off.Which is easier said than done.

 

I find it sometimes helps to take a small flat-head screwdriver and bend the speed nut tabs out a bit on the inside. Then on re-installation they can be flattened back down a bit.

 

When I removed mine to recover the door panels 2 winters ago, I started using a pair of needle-nose pliers. I just inserted the tips inside the nuts and opened them until they contacted the inside flats of the nuts. It worked for most of them, but was very slow going. For the rest, I made a wrench out of some scrap 18 gauge sheet metal. I used one of the removed nuts as a sizing guide to make the notch in the end of the metal and slipped it under the edge of the nut and was able to take them off pretty easily.

 

Another good tip is after you get your work done, is to run some tape the length of the door panel covering the speed nuts and a couple inches of the cardboard door panel. But not just any tape. Duct tape tends to shrink and let go when it gets hot outside. My brother the HVAC guru happened to come by my house and gave me a roll of REAL duct tape. Its more like a roll of aluminum tape, and is not cheap, but MAN does that stuff stick well and not turn loose! He said it can be bought at HVAC supply stores for about $15 for a roll.....and I have wound up using it on alot of different things around the shop. Good stuff.

 

Thanks everyone for the excellent replies. I don't know what I'd do without Thirdgen. For tape I plan on using the stuff I used to tape my dryer export vent up. It sounds exactly like that HVAC tape. Thanks again.

 

Metal duct-tape is available at all hardware stores.
Miracle stuff -- I've personally used it to tape ice cubes to custard pie.

 

I have my first door panel re-done with a thin sheet of aluminum over the plastic studs, the speed nuts on (they did very well going back on) and then this HVAC very sticky tape over it all. Fits tight, looks good. New question: what is the best way to get the panel back on the door so that the 3 plastic tabs on the top piece go into the door properly? won't they break if I take it straight down?

 

Yep, align the three tabs on the panel with the three cutouts in the door and push it straight down. It shouldnt break, but I'll go ahead and throw out a disclaimer.
**two tears in a bucket.....**