upper door panels

where can i get 73 malibu upper door panels? new, or what is the difference in the 73 and the 74 uppers?

I honestly don't know the difference between the different years, but I can tell you what I did.

I wanted an entire black leather interior. No original chrome trim, no wood grain, just black.

So, I found these from OPGI.

Front:
http://www.opgi.com/searchpart.asp?search=yes&catmainid=&Partnumber=dp76100

Rear:
http://www.opgi.com/searchpart.asp?search=yes&catmainid=&Partnumber=dp76300

The fronts looked great, but the rears were not what I expected. Now, remember I didn't want the chrome trim. If you have original panels with the chrome trim, you carefully remove it and install it on these new panels. If you don't the rear inserts start coming apart.

I ended up taking the rear insert to my upholstery guy and had him make me new ones from scratch. Turns out, it was pretty much the same price to have him make them as it was to purchase them from OPGI. If I had to do it over again, I would have just had him make the fronts for me too.

Oh and DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT purchase the reproduction lower molded panels if you need them. They are cheap plastic scrap, and don't even fit correctly. "Excellent replacement" my @$$!!!!! Not only did the look cheap, but the passenger side cracked one day while closing the door. I ended up getting a pair of original ones off of eBay and repainted them.

Here is a photo of the rear coming apart (after installed of course)

I think re pop 74-77 Malibu Classic door panels are out there. They will fit your 73, but look totally different. If you want true 73 Malibu door panels, you'll have to find some used ones.

73 door panel upper the non SS will say Malibu in the SS place



AND Original Parts Group sell the 73 laguna ones .............they have a cool hidden pocket in the front of them (which I will not be using now) HINT HINT

Fogot about those Malibu emblems. I still have the two I took off my original pannels 12 years ago.

I WILL TAKE THEM FOR FUTURE USE IF YOU WANNA PART WITH THEM ??

Too bad they don't remake base Malibu door panels. Could have used new ones on mine. I just repaired mine as much as I could. They looked decent. Make your own door panels 383?

Limey wrote:I WILL TAKE THEM FOR FUTURE USE IF YOU WANNA PART WITH THEM ??

I might have two sets laying around... I'll have to look. Just moved in October and haven't gotten around to organizing the Chevelle stuff.

Was that a question Kyle? I made some door panels out of masonite and tweed back in the day with a raised bowtie. But those are long gone, and now have the all black leather ones.

AND Original Parts Group sell the 73 laguna ones .............they have a cool hidden pocket (factory original vertical pleats and a sewn-in map pocket pleat) in the front of them (which I will not be using now) HINT HINT

74Malibu383 wrote:Was that a question Kyle? I made some door panels out of masonite and tweed back in the day with a raised bowtie. But those are long gone, and now have the all black leather ones.

Yes, it was.

Sounds nice.

the 73 laguna look ok. ill have to wait to see how my interior looks with the new shifter, center console, seats, carpet and custom headliner in, itll be all black and a few stainless parts so im thinking wood grain will either totally ruin it or set it off very nicely