Door Cards / Window Trim and Thoughts (1 Viewer)

[JoeCova]

We a have a couple threads floating around already which I will link regarding some door card options to include Australian Door Cards and Orikawa but wanted to semi consolidate some of my findings given the lack of parts availability that this "mod" would otherwise require.

Australian door cards

I ordered the Australian ABS door cards. It took about 10 days to get them to Florida. They were easy to install. Fit perfectly. I was able to order new plastic barrier and inner window rubber strips from Toyota. I may leave the metal exposed or use the padded covers off of my original door...

forum.ih8mud.com

80 Series Door Panels ORIKAWA

Replace your worn out door panels with new Orikawa aluminum set. (prototype shown) - Powdercoated Aluminum for durability - Upgrade OEM Speaker placement - MOLLE attachment points for pouches - Maintain OEM aesthetic and functionality Will be on the orikawa.net website this week! May 20th...

forum.ih8mud.com

Background
The OEM door cards for US spec 80's are nothing but an upholstered masonite board with a plastic armrest, plastic pocket, and plastic trim piece (with window trim) screwed into the back, and clipped to the interior of the door. A vapor barrier resides between the door card and the actual door to protect from moisture and water intrusion. Due to neglect from the previous owner, one of my door cards was in really rough shape caused by a water leak through a loose door handle.
After speaking to upholstery shops and interior car specialists the OEM cards could not be repaired to OEM condition due to how the OEM cards are manufactured.

I planned to just have some new door cards waterjetted out of aluminium but stumbled on the threads for Australian Door Cards which are made from ABS plastic. Given the price and utility of these cards I thought I would give them a shot. The Orikawa door cards look to be a great option as well and some key differences between the Orikawa include aluminimum material, rubber gasket, window trim, and are OEM speaker ready.

The single biggest challenge when converting to an AUS style door card is that they "somewhat" require the standalone window weatherstrip trim that is no longer available. And by no longer available I mean, not in Japan, UAE, Australia, IMPEX, Yoshi, Partsouq, Amayama, etc. These part numbers are Front - 68170-60040, Rear Left - 68240-60010 Rear Right - 68190-60010.

More on window weatherstrip later.

The Cards

I won't go into details on how to remove your door cards as there are plenty of other threads on this and to be honest it's just popping up the armrest pad and window control module, removing 3 armrest screws and a tiny screw holding the facia of the door handle, then everything pops off. The only note I will make that plastic and masonite dont always age well and recommend a interior door tool to help pop these things off as you can easily destroy the card if it is compromised.

Below you can easily see the difference between my rear door card and the new ABS door card. While I removed the armrest I had not yet removed the upper trim and window trim.

Front side of rear.

The installation of the door trim is pretty straight forward, unscrew everything from the old card and resecure to the new card and install in reverse order with the provided clips.
Note: I have aftermarket speakers and all I did was drill new holes in the door card and door and used sheet metal screws to secure the speaker. Easy.

Something to note in the picture below is absence of the trim and window weatherstrip which is a distinct characteristic of australian style door cards.

Window Trim

The single biggest challenge with this type of mod or change is sourcing the window weather stripping with all OEM options NLA. There are currently 4 options available to us.
1. There are aftermarket trim pieces you can order off ebay that ship from Thailand. While these will work the quality leaves a lot to be desired. I put these on the shelf.
2. You can purchase Weatherstripping from Orikawa which seems to be higher quality and similar to FJ60 style trim.
3. Modify the current OEM trim pieces using 3M to secure to the door, or you can source the OEM clips that secure to the door via part number 68211-10030. Note: These clips are not an exact fit to the current US Spec trim and thus the weather strip will not fit flush without some modification or foam window trim.
4. Reuse the the original upper plastic trim and weather strip. Note: You cannot secure the upper trim to the ABS plastic like the original door card as you will interfer with the new clips. The trim just floats on top of the ABS door card secured by the weatherstripping.

Below is the Thailand aftermarket weatherstrip compared to a modified OEM weather strip using the OEM clips.

Below are the clip locations for the weatherstripping.

Below is how the current OEM weatherstripping sits after modification with the clips.

See Post 2 for more.

 

[JoeCova]

While I like the of the AUS style look I do also kind of like the more finished look with the plastic trim. This is what it looks like with OEM top trim and weatherstrip.

Front Door Considerations

The front door does not have a cutout for the factory speakers. I thought a potential option could be to use something offered by StealthTech also out of Australia that positions the speaker similar to a Land Rover. I chose not to install these because I did not want to lose the storage pocket. I decided to cut a hole for the speakers using the old door card as a template and similar to the rear just drilled new holes for the screws. However this is what it looked like when mocked up compared to a factory option

80 Series Landcruiser Speaker Pods Gray

These pods are to suit 80 Series Landcruiser wagon and replace the pocket on both front doors. These are an ABS construction with 9mm MDF backing, upholstered in leather look vinyl to match factory trim. Pods are sold as a pair supporting 6.5" speakers. Speaker mount is set on a 10 degree...

shop.stealthtech.com.au

While the Stealthtech would have worked perfectly fine and seems like good quality, I decided to just stick with the originals. Since the AUS door cards include the holes for the factory door pocket it is easy to align and secure.

Note: The lower section of the doorcard uses the OEM clips to secure to the door since you cannot insert them externally due to the pocket.

Here are two interior shots to compare looks with trim on vs trim off.

Conclusion
Australian Door Cards is a great replacement option that provides more utility and ruggedness to the vehicle albeit at the expense of some luxury and without the risk of future water damage. The shipping was surprisingly fast and @DrLui is on the forums to answer questions and I believe offers a discount codes to forum members.

The door cards an exact match and by exact they are probably 99.999% matched to the holes with no impact to installation or misalignments.

Your greatest challenge will be determining how you want to trim/weatherstrip the windows and how you want to install the speakers.

Orikawa is great option as well at greater cost but the value seems to support it, so something to consider.

 

[Bigtoepfer]

I don't mind the look of the exposed metal above the door card. I've wondered for awhile about the felt striping between the window and the door though that comes off when you take off the factory card. I know the Orikawa is a bit more expensive, but I liked the cutout option for hanging a bag on the front doors. I did wonder about the quality of the seal he provided though.

Seems most reviews have been positive though. I recently replaced all of my felt runs for the windows and greased all the regulators. I need to replace the vapor barriers and I'd like to do something with the door cards. So I've been going back and forth on options.

Thanks for the indepth write up.

 

[TXMeatball]

Wow, didn't see this thread but I ordered the ABS panels and pods last week. Didn't think about the weatherstripping either.
Factory panels don't have that top row of clips where upper plastic trim secures- don't really see there being an issue drilling holes so that upper trim can be secured like OEM?
I was also planning on wrapping the panels in tan marine vinyl to not clash with the rest of the interior.
Know new water seals are easy to DIY but australian door card sells precut set for ~$30 USD, doesn't add any additional shipping with the panels.

Trim Gaskets Dust Water Seals Fits Toyota 80 Series Landcruiser Wagon All Models x4

Set of 4 Inner Door Gaskets, Trim Moisture Dust Seals Suit: Toyota 80 Series Landcruiser - All Models - SUVBrand: Australian Door CardsThickness: 200 micronsMaterial: High Impact 200 Micron Clear Plastic These inner door gaskets are brand new reproduction and have been precisely CNC laser cut...

australiandoorcards.com.au

 

[TXMeatball]

Adding onto this thread with my thoughts. TL;DR: In my opinion only go the ABS route if your original panels are really trashed. Mine are decent and I have some regrets making a semi-unreversible modifications. I ditched the ABS/speaker pods and just kept my factory panels.
Swapping over the door pocket/armrest is easy and straight forward, just a bunch of screws. The top plastic piece is slightly more tricky since the top brown vinyl is bonded to the tan leather- it requires cutting to fully remove (at least for LX450s). You should cut below the glue line so that the fabric is still tight on that piece. I cut above it and that made it loose (Resecured with 3M super 90 which made it wrinkly, had to spend 45 mins massaging those wrinkles out with a heat gun). Once it's off you can test fit and drill the holes like normal and it'll secure like normal.
I wanted the ABS panels with the speaker pods to run a bigger speaker in the front. Turns out the pods have the same depth challenges- have to use a speaker around 1.5" deep. Wasted money there. I'd say only get the pods if your truck didn't come from the factory with front speakers.

 

[Bigtoepfer]

I feel like the pod would be beneficial if you cut the panel and utilized the space from pod surface to the window run to gain the extra depth

 

[TXMeatball]

I feel like the pod would be beneficial if you cut the panel and utilized the space from pod surface to the window run to gain the extra depth

I did. You'd have to cut the doors sheet metal to make it deeper.

 

[Bigtoepfer]

I just realized that the pod sits lower than the factory speaker hole. So yea thats a bit of a bummer.

 

[JoeCova]

That’s a good tip on the speakers. I didn’t go beyond the mock up as I just didn’t like losing the pocket since I keep trail books and air down kits in it.

 

[ZetheGSD]

Adding onto this thread with my thoughts. TL;DR: In my opinion only go the ABS route if your original panels are really trashed. Mine are decent and I have some regrets making a semi-unreversible modifications. I ditched the ABS/speaker pods and just kept my factory panels.
Swapping over the door pocket/armrest is easy and straight forward, just a bunch of screws. The top plastic piece is slightly more tricky since the top brown vinyl is bonded to the tan leather- it requires cutting to fully remove (at least for LX450s). You should cut below the glue line so that the fabric is still tight on that piece. I cut above it and that made it loose (Resecured with 3M super 90 which made it wrinkly, had to spend 45 mins massaging those wrinkles out with a heat gun). Once it's off you can test fit and drill the holes like normal and it'll secure like normal.
I wanted the ABS panels with the speaker pods to run a bigger speaker in the front. Turns out the pods have the same depth challenges- have to use a speaker around 1.5" deep. Wasted money there. I'd say only get the pods if your truck didn't come from the factory with front speakers.
View attachment 3904805View attachment 3904804

I went this exact route when I converted to the AUS door cards. I liked the idea of having better speakers that actually fit the pods. I used brand new OEM weather strips from the dealer as I used my factory upper trim that I had reupholstered. Awesome quality and I used this repair as an excuse to restore all the hardware inside all the doors as well as sound deaden.

 

[ZetheGSD]

I went this exact route when I converted to the AUS door cards. I liked the idea of having better speakers that actually fit the pods. I used brand new OEM weather strips from the dealer as I used my factory upper trim that I had reupholstered. Awesome quality and I used this repair as an excuse to restore all the hardware inside all the doors as well as sound deaden.

 

[geo5]

I really like the look of these AUS door cards and pockets with speaker pod. Very nice.

I went the orikawa route. These cards are pretty sweet, love the color, but are a little fiddly did require some minor modification.

Orikawa front cards take a 6” speaker just fine with no sheet metal cutting necessary- ‘97 lx450 doors have a cutout/access hole in the right location to facilitate.

I did cutout holes front and rear for courtesy lights. I believe orikawa now offers these pre-cut.

Rear door speaker holes required widening and 1” spacer to fit 6” speaker.

great info on this thread re: install and armrest fit tips.