Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

Hey guys just wondering if anyone has made inside door panels themselves, if so what did you use for building material? Someone has put very thin panels in mine and they're starting to have waves in them over the year. I'm a bit of a do it yourself kind of guy and this looks like something I could handle. Thank you for replies...

I have made two sets for postwar cars using 1/8" fiber board--similar to the Masonite some Packards used but smooth on both sides. Thickness results varied -- with fabric, one was thinner--more along the lines of the cardboard door panel material. The other turned out to be a bit thick with all the vinyl material wrapped around the edge -- but worked. Another friend I know used luan plywood which also worked but no idea on how that has held up. Both of mine seem to be holding up OK but was a P.I.A. to cut all the clip holes with a jigsaw. Being a compressed product, not terribly waterproof so if that is a concern, some treatment or added protection on the door itself would be a good idea when using something like that.

A friend in the upholstery business is now using ABS plastic sheets. He gets them from his upholstery wholesaler and says it's the same thickness as the cardboard panels which would put it around .115. Some holes he cuts with a saw, drill or punch and others he melts using some kind of heated tool. I didn't see one of those but he says it's easy, strong, waterproof and he wouldn't do any the old way again unless his customer insisted.

thank you for the advice...

There should be an upholstery supply store in your area. They sell big sheets of black cardboard material for this purpose. You can cut out your own door panels and staple the upholstery onto them.

The reason your panels are warped is, there is no vapor barrier in the doors. Cars come with a plastic vapor barrier for a reason, rain water always runs down the glass into the door and warps the panel. You have to make sure the drain holes in the bottom of the door are open and there is a sheet of plastic under the door panel, sealed to the door with caulking.

Another good tip. Don't use the stock metal clips, use Velcro. This holds the panel in place perfectly, makes it easy to remove without damage, and you can move the panel around a little for perfect fit.

The corrugated plastic panels make excellent door panels too. You can buy the material at building supply stores. It's the stuff they use for signs.

The problem with Velcro is that the heat would tend, over time, to separate the sticky-back glue and then the panal would sag. The part that attaches to the panal could possibly be sewn but the part that attached to the metal would come undone.

There should be an upholstery supply store in your area

Wish I had such luck. If you know a friendly auto upholster, he can get the door panel or water resistant cardboard for you perhaps for a small fee. Unless you have an automotive supplier who sells retail in your area, I think you will be out of luck with regular upholstery supply stores. Most seem to be wholesale only--others deal in furniture stuff and their cardboard is different-- but you live in a big city so your choices may be better than mine.

The cardboard or panelboard is available from a couple of internet places but oversized freight costs are about 3 times as much as the board unless you order a bunch. I don't know what years used cardboard. Postwar, they all seem to be a Masonite like material. If I could have found a thin Masonite or hardboard at the time, would have used it on mine but the almost 1/4 in stocked locally was too thick so fiberboard it was. I've been using panelboard I got from an upholstery shop on a glovebox project. It also is annoying to cut--too thick for a knife to easily do so punches and fine toothed blade jigsaw again.