Hot Rods interior door panels

what should i use to make the interior trim panels of my A? 1/4" plywood seems to thick,

 

Go to one of your local plywood suppliers and get some of those thick card "packing sheets" they use to prevent damage while shipping

 

Flat panel tub surround, cheap and waterproof.

 

I used Masonite. Its cheap and easy to work with especially if the panels are flat. Its not as flexible for doors with some curve to them like my 41 Chevy.

 

1/8" Luan from Lowes or Home Depot.

 

Luan works well and is cheap.

 

My upholstery guy had me get "panel board" for my last car from his supply house.

 

Sintra Sign Board. Basically PVC, like Azek.
Comes 1/8" to 1" thick.
I've been using it for years with great results.
Luan IS too thick, NOT water resistant, and NOT very flexible.
Sintra can be heated and conformed, if needed.
Available online through many retailers. I use FoamBoardSource.
http://www.foamboardsource.com/sintra-pvc-foam.html
Here's a Door Panel I just completed. 1/8" Sintra, with 1/4" Joann Fabric Store Foam.
(Use 3M spray adhesive 90 for applying foam and material).

 

The panel board is good UNTIL IT GETS WET..use Luan..

 

Masonite a Bad Idea too! It will swell to double it's thickness when wet!

 

It's very dependent upon what your plan is.Will you have a pattern s***ched into it? Panel boards from a trim supply house. Will you have a cover made to stretch around the ends then glued in place? Tempered masonite is good stuff. And be sure it's tempered, the regular stuff won't bend as far without breaking. The early Continentals used tempered masonite. If it might see excess water ever then 1/8 plastic sheet isn't a bad choice either. Plan on sanding any surfaces to be glued though as it will peel right off from the manufacturing process, mold release agents. Again if any extremes are in the future you might even want to use an ahesion promoter or glue primer. Worth it in the long run, doing it over isn't even 1/2 the fun of the 1st time.

 

Here's a 1-peice headliner and Bulkhead, heated and formed from Sintra.

 

Used ABS plastic sheet for mine.

 

Very interesting thread. I am going to have to check out the Sintra Board. Next step on my coupe after I put the top on it is interior and I was wondering about door panels and headliner. I have panel board but I like the idea of being able to bend the sintra. The panel board isnt as forgiving as I would like.

 

I used masonite from Home Depot for the panels on my 32 coupe, never, in over 10 years did I have an issue with it swelling. I use it in my 62 Chevy II as well, 10 plus years. It held up fine, I would use it again on my next project. The original panels in the 62 were vinyl covered cardboard. How do you get door panels so wet I ask?

 

You can form the ABS sheets with light heat from a heat gun and it will never be affected by moisture.

 

I used panel board when I did the door panels in my '61 Dodge wagon. I didn't put a moisture barrier between the panel and the door and so when it rains the back of the panel gets wet. It didn't cause any issues for a few years. Now they are warped. Lesson learned about using a moisture barrier. The waterproof ABS or sintra sounds like something to check out. An upholstery guy I know suggested aluminum because it can be bent and it holds its shape. Not sure if I would go that way.

 

I used 1/8" ABS 20 years ago. Was easy to use. I thought it looked a bit thick. On my current 53 Ford project, I bought some 7/64 (2.7 mm) plywood at the home dept. Thinner than 1/8", I think that's closer to the original door card material.

I plan to just use spray glue to attach some cloth material that could p*** for OEM. I may get ambitious and create a two-tone, using some stainless trim.


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I used .032 or .025 aircraft sheet aluminum. Water proof, sturdy and light weight. At the time I was working at an aircraft upholstery shop at it was the standard for the day. Now 40 years later my interior still looks great.


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I used 1/8 luan and hit both sides of it with some waterproofing like Thompsons water seal first.

 

You might look at something like Coroplast...

https://www.bing.com/search?q=COROP...9-9&sk=&cvid=8804CB3E8D404C40BCA766BFCF564249

Easy to cut, somewhat flexible, waterproof...

 

I used aluminum for my Model A door panels. It's sturdy, looks good, and they're durable.

 

Unless your car will see 12 months of weather swings or sit in the parking lot at work 40hrs a week all year, almost anything you want to use will work. Proprietary panel boards are used so a commercial machine can sew through them. I'm using the heavy black, moisture resistant, stuff. There's going to be some sewing involved. I'll also add a sheet plastic barrier in case I get in the rain now n then. Only plastic and aluminum are waterproof, not the cloth or vinyl applied to them. Just sayin...

 

Used ABS in my roadster for door panels and trunk.
Had no real plans to upholster and it comes with a grained texture on one side.

 

In my sedan I used the shower panel boards from the lumber yard, with the waterproof side turned to the door guts. I figured any moisture inside the door would be less than the shower the panel was build for. Those panels will bend a little, but not a lot.