Has anyone ever made thier own doorpanels for a 73-79 pickup? Mine are getting into pretty poor shape. I have seen some panels that I could make pretty easily and they would look good. All it would take is some 1/4 inch masonite, 1/2 inch foam padding and some diamond velor to cover it. I dont feel like spending the 155 for new panels. So tell me what you think. If you have any suggestions they are very welcome.

Nitro

 

nitro, i wanted to dress up my door panels too. i had my set rebuilt and new carpet installed. i asked the uphostery shop to be creative with the panels. as luck would have it. they ordered the wrong carpet and it took so long to get that straightened out i didn't have time to do the panels. i looked at the replacement panels you see advertised in magazines. forget it. they look like crap in you hands.
i hope you come up with something and let us know what you do.
good luck!!

 

My cousin had some door panels made for his 77 F-150 just like the ones you describe. They looked good. The only problem was where the door handel came out. It did not look too smooth to me. He used a nice chrome bar for a handle to close the door with..That looked great. He needed to find some kind of rubber but to put around the factory door handle. You know I think you still can buy door panels from the factory. I think they only come in blue. I hope I helped.

 

Hi Guys,

I'm a long time lurker but a first time poster. Making door panels for most trucks (and many old cars) is actually pretty easy. You are on the right track, but I think you might want to reconsider the materials you are thinking about. 1/4" masonite and 1/2" foam then with the diamond velour (which is sewn with a foam backing) makes for a pretty thick door panel. I've made a few and here is how I do it. I used 1/8" Luaun (sp?) that is made for cabinet and furniture making then used 3m spray adhesive to glue 1/4" closed cell foam (designed for use under vinyl car tops) to the board. If you want a sculpted look you can use a x-acto knife to cut designs in the foam. A layer of 1/8" open cell foam was glued over the board then. When doing this spray the adhesive and let it get very tacky before putting the foam on or is will soak through the open cell foam. A popsicle stick is good for pushing the foam into any cutouts in the base layer of foam so that you have a smooth edge. The upholstery material is then glued over the open cell foam. This leaves a finished door panel that is approximately 1/2" thick. If you need a thinner panel you can get the press board backing from most auto upholstery shops or it can be ordered from some places online. You can also leave out the closed cell base layer if want a smooth panel with no sculpted designs. The panels can be mounted a number of ways, from sheet metal screws (easy, but less attractive) to steel spring clips slipped through holes drilled in the backing board of the door panel, to plastic late-model style clips glued on the back of the door panel. Use your imagination.

 

Good Info Bum

John
jowilker

66 F100s
In the still cool hours of the night, you can hear chevys rusting away.

 

Nitro,

Many years ago, I worked as an custom auto upholsterer, and often encountered the same type of problem that you referenced - if you build a custom door panel, how do you keep the door handle and window crank from rubbing on your new door panel!! The solution was to obtain what was called a door handle/window crank extension - which was exactly what it sounded like. It would fit over the existing door panel shaft, and extended that handle out an extra 1/2", 1", etc. Having said that, I don't know if said extensions are still available, but if they are, it would certainly help resolve that type of problem (try van customizing shop if there is one nearby).

Additionally, to mount the door panel, suggest that you use a 'cap screw'. This is a screw that fits through a plastic cup (about 3/8" in diameter), screws the door panel to the door, then you fit a colored plastic cap over that. This is how most of the custom interiors in new vans are done. You can get the colored plastic cap in about any color, and it hold much better than clips behind the door.

 

I've been fabricating alot of diamond plate aluminum for the interior of my truck. so far I've done floor pans, inner door bottoms, and kick panels. diamond plate door panels might look cool too, just a thought. my main objective with the aluminum was covering up the welding I did on the floors and kickpanels, pepairing rust.

 

Unless you're really into custom door panels, why not just replace them? I bought a pair of panels from J.C. Whitney and they were as good as the originals I bought from the local Ford dealer.

Been there, done that.

 

 

making your own is one hell of alot cheaper