I'm ready to make door panels for my 29 and would like some input from those who know. Concerning the pull or sill at the top of the door....do you make the panel to go under the sill or stop just short and let a little material go under it? The structure of the door does not allow for a straight shot under the sill unless the panel bends to go under. I think I'm going to make a template with a thin plexi sheet so I can mark where all the clips go. OR...is there a company that sells just door panels ready to cover? LeBaron Bonney seems to just sell kits and I don't need the whole kit. Also, what is the pair of tabs for? (one shown). Thanks in advance.
It looks way, way better if it is tucked under. There are many guys here using different door panel backing materials, I would think somebody will tell you what to use that will bend like you want. Also...Lebaron/Bonney is out of business. .
Yeah, I was thinking about possibly running the panel up like the second picture (probably not as high) and letting some loose material tuck under. May not be the best answer. It seems that if you run the panel up and bend it and add material, there may not be enough space to get the sill back on.
On both of my 29's I had interference issues along the front edge of the door panel once the windlace piece was installed on the body. I had to remove about 3/4" along the front edge of the upholstery panel just to get the doors to shut. This exposed the inner edge of the door where the clip holes were. So I welded those holes up, smoothed them off, and painted them nice. I put clip holes farther back into the inner door as well as made a new strip below the inner door for clips to go into. Moral of the story....check how much room you will have once windlace is installed before you get too far along.
No..the sill won't bend out. And I'm sure the factory had a way to do it. Maybe it's the material the panel is made of. Yours doesn't have upholstery to give it the extra thickness I mentioned. An un-upholstered panel would make it easier.
I am sure you can make it work if you use a thin backing panel. One local high end custom car upholstery shop makes them out of very thin aluminum that is made for making exterior house flashings, gutters, etc. It was white on one side and brown on the other, proving it was home related. It was maybe 3 feet wide on a roll. this stuff is just as thin as cheapie house aluminum siding and gutters. It may sound way too thin, but once the door panel clips hold it tight to the door, there is no need for anything thicker. He pulls the material around the backside for 2 inches or so, and glues that back side only, he does not glue the entire face under the material. @56premiere on here has done this work as a career for 50 years, so I am sure he has a good solution that is easy.
good thread on alternative material https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/abs-interior-panel-construction.1101000/
Just got a chance to take some pics for you, hope they help. The material used for the panel is approx. 3/16" thick (third photo). I added some panels behind the seat and in the trunk using the black pieces bought at Hobby Lobby (1/4" thick) and what is called sewing foam underneath the gray material that matched the rest of the car.
The top of the door panel tucks up into the door pull. The door panel is rounded at the corners, this helps the panel fit inside the door pull. The tabs are used to keep the door panel pulled into the door, you put two round holes in the door panel before covering it, then the panel slides down into the tabs. Use 1/8" Komotex from tap plastics for the panel material, 44 bucks a 4X8 sheet. I used 1/8" clear plexiglass to make a pattern to match the clip holes, worked great and it matched the other side too!
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