Hi again Jim. I just did my door panels, and the rest of the car. For
the door panels, I had an old plastic mat that goes on the floor for
chairs with rollers. Office type supply stuff.
It was somewhat bendable, but not a soft material. I tested it using
spray on adhesive, and the adhesive held the vinyl fine, with the
material stretched over the edges. I also added a foam material with
cloth backing to give the panel a better feel.
I also added a vapor barrier for added insurance, held to the door with
a roll of mastic, although probably not needed.
Because I needed an access door in the left kick panel for access to the
new fuse box and relays, and a built up area for a larger speaker in the
right kick panel, I wanted rigidity in both panels. I went to a sign
shop, who had a plastic material that was about 1/8" thick for use in
each kick panel.
This plastic can be molded with a heat gun, and is easy to cut with a
jig saw. The vinyl also adheres to it using the spray adhesive.
For other areas of the car that use a cardboard panel, upholstery shops
use a cardboard, that has a layer of plastic imbedded in it, that does
not deteriorate or wrinkle when wet like most cardboard. It is fairly
thick and substantial. I also used spray adhesive to hold the vinyl on
this material.
Good luck.
Larry
James Barrett wrote:
>
> Folks,
> I have replaced my interior door panels several times.
> The pressed fiber boards warp after a year or so here in Florida.
> I have used various types of pressed boards, some prepainted,
> some I added plastic sheeting to. Also used thin plywood several
> times. The plywood rots out and comes apart.
> I have consider plexiglas, lexen and aluminum sheet, but
> these would not allow the vinal covering to be stapled. Any one
> found an available material that would last for a long time even
> with rain leaking in? Would like the material to be soft enough
> so I could staple the vinal covering on.
> As I have a Tiger II the interior is the GT version and
> there are iron sheet metal pieces around parts of the edge. These
> also rust out, but I can replace those with stasinless steel. The
> sheet metal pieces are pop riveted on.
>
> I noticed that some of the commerical trash cans outside
> my work are Rubbermaid and appear to be made from a 1/4" thick
> gray plastic that has many swirl marks from the molding process.
> It appears to be soft enough to staple to.
> This stuff looks promising, but I have never seen it in sheet form.
> The trash cans are several years old now and they are still OK.
>
> James Barrett Tiger II 351C and others
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