I have been searching through all the posts on 4th gen interior swapping, as I have just started mine. One thing I have noticed is that everyone says that you can't fit 4th gen door panels on 3rd gens without swapping the dash also... This is NOT true. The front of the door panels clear the dash perfectly, BUT that is not the problem you will run into when swapping in the panels. The main problem is that the door panels are too long on the front top, so when you shut the door the A-Pillar hits and slides the door panel back, causing the back of the door panel to hit and the door wont shut. The way around this is to just cut about and inch to an inch and a half off the front top of the door panel, not the bottom where the speaker is, that will be fine. I will post pics later on tonight of mine.

Just thought I'd clear that up for all those out there wondering.

 

Im interested in seeing this, please post those pics......

 

Then you'd need to finish the ends of the panels to look "done"...can't just chop 'em and leave 'em...I have a pair of 2000 t/a panels in storage...would be worthwhile if the mod is essentially that simple...Oh yeah, then you have to wire up door locks, etc....and change the handle around too....

 

Thats after the initial install tho, I waas merely saying that everyone who says the doors dont work with 3rd gen dash is wrong. Yes you do have to relocate the handle, and you can either get the panel from a car without power locks and then relocate the stock window switches or wire it up, personally i am going to wire it up.

 

Wow.. You're really going to have to cut a lot of the panel for it to work.

You are correct that in order for it to fit right in the rear it will hit the a-pillar. I've attached a picture of what I did to clean up the cut area (the fabric is black, not grey) The red line is what additional material you will have to cut in order to fit the 3rd gen dash. I'm not quite sure how you are going to be able to get that to look nice.

I've since decided to go a different way of making it look nice, but I'm a long way away from that.

Good luck,

Kevin D.

 

Yes you are correct about where you put the carpet, but where you outlined red does not need to be cut. I have both door panels on right now and the drivers side clears it fine, and the passenger side barely touches... But im installing a 98 dash tomorrow anyways so it wont matter.

-Scott

 

So let me get this correct you only need to cut out the portion on the door panel as pictured above, not all that is in red like the others say ?

 

Correct, I only had to cut out the same part he did and it fits with my dash, not that im keeping that dash. Im just lettin people know that if they want to keep their dash with newer door panels it can be done.