As I'm sure most of you know, replacement interior door panels can get rather expensive... so in my attempt to be as cheap as possible, I was wondering if anyone has (successfully) rebuilt a door panel. I'm not talking show quality here... just good enough for a daily driver. All I want to replace is the damaged cardboard. Mine has the typical damage... mildew odor, water soaked cardboard, and a little warped. I thought about using 1/8" hardboard. I want a permanent solution.. it doesn't have to be perfect, just solid and decent looking.

Here is the back of my drivers door panel...

 

Yep, they can be spendy. I looked at rebuilding mine too, and found nice vinyl for around $7.99 a running yd. It was 60" wide, so a couple yards would do it. They'd be plain flat, but I figured that was OK. I looked at the corrugated plastic, which looks like cardboard, but is stiffer and easy to cut to shape with heavy shears. It can be purchased at sign stores as they use it. I found sheets of 4'x8' for $20. Some contact cement was about $8-$10 a can to glue it on with. Total under $50.
I then priced factory repops at Biscay's Classic Chevy, and found Jim sells them for $100 a pair with all the embossed shapes and backsides perforated to knock out for window cranks, or leave in for electrics. At $100 I decided to buy them and just hang them on. Saved a lot of time and grief, plus they look great too.
I built new armrests from an old pair of 1966 Chevelle armrests, as I never liked the full length style on my '71 Camaro.

 

Wow. mine look JUST like that. And if I'm not re-using that backing (no help there), I'll be paying like $350 a pair. Besides, I can't seem to find the right color for anything anywhere. Whatever. I'm not sure if I'll attempt a rebuild on mine just yet, but until I find some cheap second-hand ones, I'm just going to have to deal with it.

 

I'm thinking cheaper than that... like free. I have access to all the cardboard I want (I drive a semi for a warehouse) plus I have the 1/8" board at the house. I can, in its current state, just screw the panel to the door... but I'd like to make it a bit stiffer.

I found this site that talks about rebuilding a door panel. I might try that or just be lazy and screw the damned thing to the door.

http://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=293625

 

Here's a link to Biscay's. Don't look at the online catalog, but call them, as they've got more in stock than what shows online.

http://www.biscaysclassic.com/biscays/index.html

 

you also might want to invest in some weather striping lol,ecklers camaro has it the cheapest that i have found.

 

Oh yea... I got the panels out of the car for that very reason. I didn't want them getting any worse (no garage so my car is outside). Coincidentally I got the Ecklers catalog in the mail today, but it will be a while before I can get the weather-stripping. I'm pretty much gonna need everything... the stripping, the felt.. all of it.

 

My weatherstripping from Biscay's was $50 per door. That was both pieces for the door and windows. I didn't see anyone cheaper.
My felt was good, but since I covered the top plastic piece on my door panel with new naugahyde I had to remove the stainless strip and felt. I saved them and although they're stapled on originally I was able to pop rivet them back on afterwards.

 

Thats a good tip about riveting them on.I bought the complete inner and outer set a while back,but only installed the outers because i wasnt sure how or where to get those huge staples they used,now i can get the inners installed and be one step closer to finishing a very long project haha.

 

Yea, I tried stapling with my big stapler, but those things are tuff! Just folded the staples over, so I tried the rivets and it worked great.