I'm trying to reinstall the kick panels in the car. Right now just working on the drivers side. I can't get the panel to like up with the holes for the plastic pop rivets. Anyone have any tips/tricks I worked on it for an hour before I got frustrated and worked on something else.

Also, anyone have a source for new plastic interior pop rivets?

 

This guy has the proper textured push-clips but they are listed as gray. You could paint the heads of them, I suppose:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/25-Gr...Q5fAccessories

 

You have to slide it into place, it doesn't just slap on. If I'm remembering right, there are two "hooks" on the back of it that are what slide in and hold the part of the panel closest to the pedals in place. For the push clips you can try looking at parts stores or try calling Ray Crowe.

 

The push pins can be bought at the dealer for about $0.90 each

Found on 3-N9 in the parts fiche:
GJ21-68-885B-02 for black
GJ21-68-885B-17 for red
GJ21-68-885B-33 for tan

 

I went in and ended up ordering 15 of them @ 1.00 a piece. Pretty steep for a little crapass-probably-gonna-break-anyway push pin.

 

When they break it's usually because they don't get taken out the right way.

 

or they're 15 years old and brittle...

 

Ding ding ding. I'm used to dealing with the FC interior, now THOSE are brittle. Plastic should be somewhat pliable, this stuff snaps when you look at it wrong. Hopefully the new ones I ordered will be more cooperative.

 

I've never had a problem with taking those type of clips out. I just make sure I pop them out the right way.

 

90 degree scribe and some care and you shouldn't have any problem removing them intact...

 

I was using the soft plastic interior removal tools that include a 90 degree tool. They were still breaking when being removed. The heads on the rivets are very brittle.

 

it's not that they are brittle, a lot of the time they were improperly installed by a previous owner or something and there is to much tension on them, which requires more pressure to be used to pop them out which in turn results in them snapping off. It's usually pretty obvious if a car has had its interior taken in and out a few times when working on it, one of the first signs is you start breaking the little clips and push pins.

A good technique to have them not snap off is while prying move the panel itself around a little bit to try and alleviate some of that pressure, this has worked well for me for quite a few years now without breaking any interior fasteners in my project cars or ones that I'm parting out. I enjoy getting the clips out of parts cars cleanly because other people enjoy breaking them , makes for more of a selling point with the interior panel if it comes with intact clips!