Building new door cards???

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roadbox

True Classic
Hey All,

I'm planning on building new door cards this week as my old ones are ...well, old, and I see an opportunity for a durable upgrade. My intent is to strip the leather (yes, leather) off of one existing no-too-terribly-warped door card to use that as a pattern. My material of choice for the new cards is fiberglass sheeting used for bathtube surrounds/repairs. I wanted to go with something more weather stable than using masonite as per the originals which will absorb moisture and warp all over again.

Has anyone else done this? Do you foresee any problems I haven't anticpated?

Thanks for any advice.

John O.
 
the only issues I foresee are that the glass laminate is thinner then the mica board, and it will be more flimsy
 
Same thought

I had the same thought a year ago. I salvaged some outer panels from a piece of medical equipment my company was scraping out. These are black ABS or PVC, with a dimpled texture on one side and smooth on the other. Fairly lightweight, pretty rigid, and waterproof. I did cut them to the correct shape and size, but sadly, the project has been on hibernation since I have not decided on a mounting scheme. The method of attaching them to the doors is still up in the air. I see this as the largest hurdle. I don't want any squeaks or the panels suddenly popping off. Any suggestions?
 
Coupefan said:
...I have not decided on a mounting scheme. The method of attaching them to the doors is still up in the air. I see this as the largest hurdle. I don't want any squeaks or the panels suddenly popping off. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

I was just going to use the stock attachement hardware as new ones are available and they seem to have done pretty well for almost 30 years ...ya know, except in the places where the card has warped and pulled away from the door.

John O.
 
I was gonna say...

Cesare (Coupefan) used an different plastic and I would add that any material that did not absorb moisture would probably work well... but also... I believe it was TonyK that used some kinda commercial-grade VELCRO to reattach the panels and was Xtremely happy with it.

PLUS... the panels now go on and off with no fuss or future breakage.
 
Black-Tooth said:
I believe it was TonyK that used some kinda commercial-grade VELCRO to reattach the panels and was Xtremely happy with it. PLUS... the panels now go on and off with no fuss or future breakage.
Click to expand...

That sounds like a great idea! I mean, I'll prep the panels for the standard fasteners, but I'll also look for the Velcro 'cuz even though I know the OE fasteners work, I frakin' hate 'em.

John O.
 
since you're at it

consider making the door panels 3 dimensional. Maybe put a padded bar at the top (ala fiat spider) to have a more comfy place to rest your arm. Just a thought
 
Been there, done that

some 3 years ago I replaced the door cards by FR-4 panels.
FR-4 is the technical name for epoxy-glass plates used in the printed circuit industry and the like.
It was available for me as I use this material in my trade.
It comes in infinite number of thicknesses, I chose 2.4 mm which seemed to match the masonite original panels.
I traced the contour off the original, transfered the original lather covering from the original and used regular contact cement to affix it right.
The project was not a whistle but quite doable.
No pics, naughty me.
This FR-4 will last the life of my X or me, whichever comes first, ten time over, but any solid water resistant workable material will do.
Good luck, it's worth it.
 
Johnny O: Frakin?

Must be a BSG fan?

Velcro! Firm holding power and quickly removable. I think I'm going to give that a test run on one side and see how it goes. Thanks.

Cesare
 
I understand the concern about moisture, having grown up in the East. Just make sure you use a quality contact or other glue so the leather doesn't pull loose. Here in the dry West, I just used standard Masonite because I was able to use an upholstery stapler to attach the covering. My cars don't live in the wet, so I'm sure they're good for another 25 years.
 
This is on my to do list, how would these suggested materials handle speakers being attached to them?
P.S. velcro is an awesome idea.
 
I also have speakers in my door which I intend to keep. I'd think industrial velcro would do just fine holding the panel in place with the additional weight of a speaker. In thinking about this last night, the surface area of the velcro would actually be fairly large if applied all around the panel edge in strips and would limit the bulges and puckers common with the normal door attachment hardware.

John O.
 
I tried velco on a different car

You can buy industrial strength Velcro at home depot in 1 and 2 inch widths. The problem with Velcro is the thickness. The panels will be about 1/4 of an inch off the metal door frame.

Plus Velcro catches all the dirt in the world and will look dirty on the edge of the door panel.

Good luck with your project.
 
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