These pages are devoted to
the 1991 3000GT VR4 Custom
Oak Access Panels All Pictures can be clicked
on to enlarge
In this section we will deal
with a lost or broken access door along with a Modification. Either can
be accomplished here. Below is
the access door we are speaking of. The reason I came up with this mod
is because when I got my car one
of them was missing. I went to Mitsubishi and asked the cost of a new replacement. Upon being quoted
$24 for a little piece of plastic, I decided to not give in to the whims
of dealers on price gouging so
I made one myself. It had nothing to do with not being able to afford it, but more so my thinking on what
the part was worth. I felt maybe $10- $12 bucks would be fair My replacement is worth far
more than their mass produced product and took maybe one leisurely afternoon and has a lot more
class and pride than their original
First go to Home Depot or your
local Supply Store that handles wood products and purchase a piece of Oak or Poplar or
other hardwood of choice. If you want the grain of the wood to go upward, buy one with the following
dimensions,,,,, 1/4" thick X 8 inches wide X 8 inches long If you want the grain of the
wood to go side to side, purchase a piece with the following dimensions,,,, 1/4 inch
thick X 6" wide X 14 inches long The piece I bought was in actual
measurement 1/4" X 7 1/4" X 24 and it cost me $3.72 and it was Oak I have left overs to
play with and had a choice of going either direction. Next purchase a piece of 3/4 inch hardwood
dowel rod in the shortest length you can. They generally come in 2 foot minimum and you will
only be using about 2 inches of it. Cost is about $2.00 with lots
of left overs
Tools You will need: (Pictured below)
Coping saw
Router
File
Ruler (a 12" school ruler will do)
Glue Gun
Clamp
Vise or Black and Decker Work mate (pictured in knob project below)
Moto Tool (not pictured)
Medium and Fine Grit Sandpaper (not pictured)
Preferred Stain (I used Walnut Stain)
Table or Skill Saw (not absolutely necessary, but make the job easier)
If you do not have all these
tools, I always look at it as they are something that can be used over and over again and do not contribute
their cost to a project because they pay for themselves over and over again. All the tools
I have I have had for many years and many projects.
First trace the panel on the
wood and cut it out using the coping saw skill saw (not shown)or a table
saw
Remove the locking knob from
the original and mark the hole on the wood. Drill the hole first from the side you determine to be
the front so the front won't be damaged when the drill bit pops through and splinters the wood.
That should be hidden in the back. If you do not have or wish to purchase a Router, making the
countersink is not absolutely necessary however it adds to the originality of the piece you are making
and not making the countersink affects the dimensions in making the locking knob and you will have
to adjust for that yourself by making the shaft longer
Alternative
Action / Idea Though I do not have pictures
of this and have not done it, you can drill a smaller hole in the access panel, purchase a small wooden
knob from your supply house, drill a small hole in the knob and glue in
a screw with the head cut off
and place a screw clip on the hole in the rear panel that the locking knob use to go in. Screwing it in
will take longer, but these panels are not accessed that often.
I used a V router bit to route
out the recess and finished it off with a barrel sand bit on my moto tool
Once this is complete, cut two
small strips for the hatch retainers. I just used some old wood lying around and cut two thin
strips to size out of pine. They do not have to be oak as they do not have very much stress and do
not show when the hatch is in place. Using a hot melt glue gun, or wood glue, glue the strips into
place and clamp them to dry. I used hot melt glue because of the drying time. If you use hot
melt glue, apply glue to both halves and using the tip, get both sides melted before placing them together.
The finished product should look like this. Glue and a small screw will
hold better if you find one small enough to not pierce the finished side
At this point if you are
replacing a cracked or broken panel you can use the original locking knob if you don't mind
the grey knob on the wood or if you plan on painting the panel grey anyway. If you do then you can
skip the next part and just go ahead and paint the panel to match the original. The original locking
knob will, however, only work with a recess the same as on the original cover panel
Now moving on to the Locking
knob. Cut off a piece of hardwood dowel about six inches long will make it easier to handle.
Place the dowel in a vise or a Work Mate Vise and using the old locking knob mark and cut
off the top area to match the little handle on the top side of the knob
I apologize for not taking a
picture of the following because it is a difficult step, but I will describe
it. Because you are working with
wood and not plastic, you must make the shoulder area of the knob thicker so it is stronger, so
measuring down using the old knob, add about another 1/4 inch to the shoulder stock, then add
the distance for the locking area of the knob. (the little pieces of plastic that are split and protrude
out from the bottom) Then marking off on the bottom side, while having the piece anchored in the vise
using the little handle you cut out on the top side as a hold, mark off a # pattern (only straight
and not italicized like the # sign does automatically) with the center being the dimensions of the
two small locking pieces on the bottom side of the original. Remove the unwanted pieces with
a coping saw. What you will be left with looks like the picture above but the length
of the part protruding up will be your dimension for the width of the little locking pieces
below that is also in the picture but may have to be viewed full size to
see. Now, using the file (a standard
metal file) rasp out the outside to create a round pillar with two protruding ends that look similar
to a P on both sides. Since the hole in the panel in the rear of the car is oblong, the pillar should
be the size of the hole across the smallest direction. The P part will
fit into the oblong hole but will
lock when turned. You will note on the original
that the center of the pillar is split. While plastic has flexibility
Oak does not, so leave the pillar solid, do not cut out the middle section Here is the finished product
next to the original and the dowel stock , note the thicker shoulder
Next comes trying out the part.
Additional filing might be necessary to match the thickness of the countersink on the panel and
can be done on the knob. Checking the diameter of the pillar and the protruding locking parts in
the hole on the car is recommended as you file to make it a snug fit. If when trying to fit the knob
in the panel you have just made it doesn't go into the hole, trim the hole slightly. Do not
trim the part once it has been trimmed to fit the car. The locking knob needs to be fitted to the trim
on the car not the hole in the panel The only trimming of the locking knob you should do once fitted
to the hole in the car is to achieve the depth needed so the protruding tabs will go behind
the shorter span of the oblong hole while the part is installed in the access panel you have made Now
comes the staining. Since the locking knob is cut
out of the dowel in a different direction of the grain of the wood, they should be stained separately
The rest is up to you I have included pictures of what it looks like stained Light Oak and Dark
Oak. Another option is to use Vinyl Paint that is the same color as your interior if you are
just looking at replacement
Stained in Light Oak
Shown Installed in Vehicle
Dark Walnut (my Choice)
View of Dark Walnut from Distance Installed in Car
to Compare to Original
Here is the finished product.
Of course you may want them original, but mine are staying like this
