It’s a good thing that there are car washes, otherwise I would have spent a few hours scrubbing and polishing. So there was first an all-around wash incl.l underbody wash of course.
The cleaning of the interior was also really worth it. The old floor panel out, 5 buckets of water with dishwashing liquid and 2 packs of Q-tips for all the little crevices with dust and dirt.
The side panel was damaged and no longer looked good visually. If I remove it to put insulation underneath, I’m sure it won’t look any better afterwards. Should I insulate at all or leave it?
Yes, I should insulate the car. It’s not that much work and cost, and besides, it’s hard to make up for this step when the interior work is already done.
An insulated car reduces temperature fluctuations in the interior and there is less condensation. It’s also much quieter when driving.
So off with the side paneling… and while I’m at it, I might as well take the headliner down with it. I want to reupholster it anyway.
The clips are sometimes very stubborn to remove. Some break off. You have to get hold of them and then you can drive under them with a wrench to lever them out. I was more careful with the headliner, because I basically want to keep it. With the side panel, I was more violent and pulled hard on the panel so that the clips came out with it, which was much faster than removing them all individually.
I will redo the trim with a nice wooden panel.