I am planning out some interior panels and I would rather do the fab work myself than pay the seamstress to do it. For those who have done this before, which is preferable; luan plywood or sheet ABS plastic?


A little research on my part turns up a few pros and cons but I still don't have enough info buy the material.

 

made them of forex foam

 

 

I am not familiar with Forex foam, I will have to look into local (US) suppliers and check it out. Thanks.

 

Easy to glue/molt/cut
Forex Classic sheets can be fabricated mechanically without any problem and can also be thermoformed for 3-dimensional applications Fine, close homoeneous cell structure Smooth, silky matt surface Long-term exterior and interior usage Problem-free mechanical fabrication Three-dimensional thermoforming Difficult to ignite and self-extinquishing Fire ratings Class B1 according to DIN 4102, M1 - See more at:

 

and its very light

 

I have used thin Masonite. bends a little easier than luan.

 

I have always wanted to fab my own interior panels.

Where do you guys get your fabric/leather etc from?

 

I used masonite also. It works fine for flat panels or minor bends. I also used sheet aluminum for some of the trickier panels.
I found ABS difficult to work with and expensive. It's tough though....
Have heard good things about sintra(?)...never tried it.

 

Here is what I am currently working on, this is not my car but hopefully mine will look as nice someday. I bought some ABS panels from Midfifty some time ago for my 56, they have yet to be installed but it got me thinking about these trunk panels and how they are constructed. I was very impressed with the sloping/flowing lines over the wheel housings. I have seen videos where the audio guys use fleece and fiberglass to make interesting speaker enclosures but I haven't seen that technique used on side panels.

 

I used ABS. It is not as easy to work with as foam, great job Bjorn by the way. You can get it from plastic wholesalers in large sheets and is much cheaper than buying pre cut. The surface is non porous so it glues very well. A little heat gun action makes it easier to bend. The surface has a texture which is OK by it self for a simpler look or it covered with vinyl or whatever. I epoxied strips of wood behind the seats and curved the ABS and screwed it to the wood. It finished off the area where the stock gas tank used to be.

 

Charlie
I used Sintra or Komotex (SP) and formed the rear quarter panels in the cab. I used an heat gum to form it. I think that the above are used by many auto trim shops.

 

I had to lookup Komotex and Sintra Bosrd.
Here is what I found on Komotra Board:
PVC Foam Sheet - PVCX Expanded KOMATEX SINTRA CELTEC INTEFOAM

 

Subscribed!

 

San Diego Plastics is only about a 15 min drive from me, I will have to go check them out. ePlastics (used to be Ridout) also has a PVC/foam laminate that I will check out as well. All the spec sheets say to be mindful of the thermal coefficient of expansion, it is greater than wood or other ABS/PVC sheet products. On a door panel it probably wouldn't matter but at a joint it may be an issue, more study to be done.