Upholstery Stapler For Door Panel Seal?

[sewlow]

I would have pre-drilled all the holes.

Every time a rivet is popped it'll compress things. Even if each one only compresses the combined parts (& I'm just picking numbers) maybe 1/64". over, say, 32 rivets, that ends up to be a total of 1/4" short at each end.
The last 7 or 8 pre-drilled holes away from the center are going to be out just that tiniest litlle #@%#4@3!!! little bit, but it'll add up as they work out towards the ends. Enough so that the holes in all the parts aren't going to line up well enough for the rivet to go through them all.
It may be just a bit, Probably not as much as my quickie math would indicate, but having to dick around and stretch the last few holes gives the opportunity for that seal to shift over time. Use the pre-drilled holes as they are, & now the seal is warped from the get-go.

Another random question, has anybody tried plasti-dipping the armrests? I'm not willing to pay $60 each for armrests, and I was wondering if plasti-dip would be a suitable replacement for the factory plastic that's warped and cracked. Alternatively, I'm tempted to try building armrests out of 18 gauge wrapped in vinyl.

Post that up here...
https://www.gmt400.com/threads/the-stupid-interior-questions-thread.35/

Just makes things easier.

 

[Erik the Awful]

Fairchild KG2040
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=1859038&jsn=2041&jsn=2041

 

[Erik the Awful]

Done! I used my welding clamps to hold the seal while I was moving the rivets outward from the center. The rivets are spaced a rivet-length apart, because that was quick and easy. I used 1/8" rivets with 1/4" grip length with backup washers.
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