I found a very skilled gentleman down the street from me in Atlanta that has a warehouse full of auto restoration going on.


My biggest problem in restoring my 1973 Runabout has been the side and rear plastic panels that get flakey and discolored from UV light coming in the hatch glass. Every paint shop has told me it is impossible to paint or coat this deteriorating plastic.


This restorer has a friend that can create molds of the panels, and produce them in various colors with a superior modern PVC plastic. He says he needs at least a dozen orders to make fabrication practical.


My worry is how many panel variants there are. I happen to know the side panels of my 1973 Runabout and those on models a couple of years later are different. I just don't know how many variants are out there. I also don't know how many of you would want to pay perhaps as much as $400 for completely new, OEM style plastic panels.


Anyone interested please e-mail me at henries@mindspring.com. Also e-mail if you have any information about the number of variations between the model years. I know wagon owners probably have the same problems with their side panels as well, even though these are different pieces. But there are probably fare fewer wagons out there than runabouts.

I have a 77 CW. I sprayed my with bedliner. Raptor by Upol. Works great and strengthens it.

I need a pair in Black and Yellow real bad, not standard though. I'd be happy to be a ginny pig depending on cost I guess. We have a lot of shops in the area and I'm partnered with one of them now. But do you have pictures of your work?

Need mine for a 73.

It isn't my work. I am trying to get enough requests together to get a fabricator to do a mold. The cost would be at least $400, less if we could get more people. He wants a minimum of 12 people to make a mold.

I have to make sure everyone wants the same pieces first. What do you mean by, "not standard, though?"

The pieces I need are the interior side panels on the hatchback, as well as the rear two panels that go inside the tailights.

A backup plan would be to laminate the old panels with some form of thin vinyl, but this would not look original.

It isn't my work. I am trying to get enough requests together to get a fabricator to do a mold. The cost would be at least $400, less if we could get more people. He wants a minimum of 12 people to make a mold.

I have to make sure everyone wants the same pieces first. What do you mean by, "not standard, though?"

The pieces I need are the interior side panels on the hatchback, as well as the rear two panels that go inside the tailights.

A backup plan would be to laminate the old panels with some form of thin vinyl, but this would not look original.

Thanks. I have a wagon though I guess I will be painting also and what I planned.

There is an  epoxy product from SEM products that is dispensed from a Dual Piston Caulking  type gun. It's for extremely damaged plastic products, I plan to try some for my Gauge/Shifter console on My GTI. It's one of many plastic repair, and Paint products they sell. They will also blend match any paint color in Aerosol if you send them a good sample. They also handle interior paints for vinyl and Upholstery. If you want that OEM look , they also make graining paper in different styles to duplicate textures in plastic.
 It might be cheaper until someone does make repop plastic molded stock.

I got a ton of black for the Pinto and the Maverick. Both going to be black interiors.