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Door card material?


Siqx20

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I wanna make some new door cards (panels) but not sure a good affordable material to make the panel out of. I'm going to be wrapping it in fabric. I would just wrap my original panels but they are all warped and fucked up. what is a good material to use and where can I find it? Thanks!

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I've got a few door panels from a 76 280Z, if that will help you at all...

 

as far as a good material to use? Thick Cardboard, like a Refridgerator Box might be sufficient. What I do when I find myself in such a situation, is wander around home depot or Lowes and see what would be a good idea. For instance when I made my Door panels, I simply took Roofing vinyl, cut it to shape, stretched it tight and screwed it onto the door :lol:

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I made mine out of some 1/8 inch "white board" and put the white side toward the door for an extra bit of moisture protection. I am very happy with it. My panels were also warped and spongy which is from moisture in the air. This seemed a good solution to me. Other than the white, it is very similar to the original material.

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I made mine out of some 1/8 inch "white board" and put the white side toward the door for an extra bit of moisture protection. I am very happy with it. My panels were also warped and spongy which is from moisture in the air. This seemed a good solution to me. Other than the white, it is very similar to the original material.

 

same as i did but he used MDF with a melamine(plastic) - also found at home depot, and i like that better than just MDF :thumbup:

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DO NOT use plain MDF, it will soak up moisture. Just like the cardboard.

 

I used a wood called Baltic birch plywood. it is thin and takes in no moisture. Cabinet makers use it. You can cut it with a scroll saw or a jigsaw, perfect to trace out your doorskin.

 

Radio

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I'd use tempered hardboard, 1/8" thick. Most often called masonite.

 

Around here a 4'x 8' sheet costs about $9 at Home Depot. If you can, get the S2S stuff (smooth both sides), the S1S has one smooth and one textured surface (looks like a screen door), it isn't as durable.

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I'd use tempered hardboard, 1/8" thick. Most often called masonite.

 

Around here a 4'x 8' sheet costs about $9 at Home Depot. If you can, get the S2S stuff (smooth both sides), the S1S has one smooth and one textured surface (looks like a screen door), it isn't as durable.

 

thats the stuff i was thinking about using. my dad told me about some stuff used in cabinetry as well, i believe he called it backer board. i need to make new panels for inside of my c-pillars. and for the rear deck.

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I used pegboard. It's a bit thicker and harder than the original stuff, but fairly cheap. I did put visqueen between the door and the panel.

 

I left some pegboard outside (or my kids did). A few good rains, and it swelled up to the thickness of a 2" thick phonebook.

 

Don't get the pegboard wet!

 

I like the thin plywood, too bad it's like $25 a sheet.

 

Dan

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I'm making mine out of this ABS plastic stuff, it's glossy on one side and textured on the other, similar to the texturing on Datsun dashes (at least the 510s)

 

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One of the best things is that it's super easy cut and it was fairly cheap, I think I made about half my panels (six total) with about $25 bucks worth.

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Consider Kraft Tan Wateproof Panelboard My link for the door panels (since it is already moisture-resistant). However, this material is designed for sewing door panels and therefore is less dense (and lighter). Since I have the fibreboard and am already applying polyurethane to the kick panels, I may not use the panelboard.

 

Keith

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I asked about getting panels made at a really nice hot rod shop that just does interiors. They said they'd cut the backing out of some of plastic, maybe similar to what was mentioned about Tap Plastics, so I'd think that plastic would be the professional choice, but then again cardboard might be more appropriate for a real ratsun, or anyone that thinks the jankier the better. You wouldn't even need to wrap it with fabric, just the Speed Queen print that's already on the cardboard. Oh ya!

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I asked about getting panels made at a really nice hot rod shop that just does interiors. They said they'd cut the backing out of some of plastic, maybe similar to what was mentioned about Tap Plastics, so I'd think that plastic would be the professional choice, but then again cardboard might be more appropriate for a real ratsun, or anyone that thinks the jankier the better. You wouldn't even need to wrap it with fabric, just the Speed Queen print that's already on the cardboard. Oh ya!

 

I can see it now. One panel says "Grade A Large Eggs" and the other panel says "Cheerios". Nice.

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Any kind of hard board like Masonite, peg board will have the same problem as the OEM door panels, in that they attract moisture. You might pop them off once or twice and then the holes tear and the panels don't stay on.

 

MDF unless cheap but you get what you pay for, and it doesn't solve the moisture problem. Baltic Birch would be a good soultion if you could get a couple scraps and didn't have to shell out $65 for a whole sheet. Still it's wood and attracts moisture. Maybe Baltic birch that was sealed with a paint or varnish would be the hot-set-up.

 

Here is what I did a few years ago. Pretty sure I beat Son of a Datsun Guy here to the idea. I got scraps of ABS from Tap Plastics for $6.

 

 

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You could use a jig saw but I have a bandsaw and put a little sanding drum on my drill press to clean up the edges.

 

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I got these plastic fasteners from my automotive paint supplier, for Toyota Celicas, 2 boxes of 10, $20. Located holes in the new panels from the existing 9 holes.

 

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The fasteners look finished and I can pop the panels off any time to fix the locks and window regulators.

 

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The only thing I would do differently is to glue some block of foam on the back or a thin layer of polyethylene sheets like come in packaging or packing... just to keep the door skins from transmitting noise. Never have to worry about moisture, scratch and mar resistant... comes in any color as long as you want black.

 

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Bueno, no?

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I held newspaper up to my doors. Aligned one edge to the top. I still had my old panels for teh window crank and door handle. So I traced those onto the newspaper as well. Then I just sharpied all the points. Later laid the newspaper over the new board (I used speaker board so I just let the sharpie bleed through...) and use a punch to mark all the spots. Worked well for me!

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