door panel insert

[dandsgcuda]

 :Dhere are some pics of some door panel inserts that I made awhile back.I wanted something like the gran coupes have for door trim.I used a set of old panels to mold off of.Waxed them up used kitty hair to fill and lots of sanding.Used Rustolem stainless paint to give them a dull metal look.Ithink they turned out pretty good considering its the first time that I did any type of fabing before.

[shawge]

Looks nice!! 

[hemiken]

  they look and fit better than the Gran Coupe inserts.  That is a job well done

[larry4406]

Can you provide some better pictures (closeups) and procedure information/materials on exactly how you did this?  I have been trying to find these insert pieces and have been having difficulty.  Yours look very nice and appear to even have the metal bead on the edges just like originial inserts.  Are the door panels the original style that have a smooth groove in them with no grain?  Did you just use the kitty hair to fill the groove?  How did you attach the home made insert to the panel?

Sorry for all of the questions, this is a needed part.

[quapman]

Me Likeee!

[dandsgcuda]

sorry I haven't replied sooner but my internet was on the fritz this weekend.Ok here is how I made them
First a friend of mine gave me a set of old panels the ones that are calky and not worth saving.I wiped the area that I wanted to mold down with paste wax so that the kittyhair would'nt stick.You can get KittyHair(fiberglass reinforced bondo) at home improvement stores. Mix it per instructions and fill the grooved area of the door panel up so it is just above the edge of the groove.Let it set up and start sanding.If you need to fill holes or low spots use bondo that is easy to sad and is self leveling(RAGE GOLD).once you get it sanded the way you want it paint them what ever color you want.I used Rustolem Stainless Steel to give it that dull brushed color.Then you can use silicone or weather strip adhesive to attach it to the door panels and thats how I  did it.

[larry4406]

Those really look good.  When you used the old panels as the mold, it sounds like you just squeegee'd the filler flush with the surface of the panels?  It looks like the edges are rounded which you wouldn't get from a squeegee technique - maybe you sanded that round detail later?  Did the sanding take place while they were still in the "mold panels"?  The depth of the panel groove is rather shallow, how fragile are they removing them from the "mold panel", sanding and painting, and then transfering the new panel?

Again, some close up pictures would be good, especially the ends at the panel edges.

-larry

[dandsgcuda]

I leveled the bondo just above the out line of the insert so I had some material to sand.used a piece of thick banding banding strap and ground a small radius in it to use as a scrapper to round the corners slightly.

[cudadave72]

Looks sweet!!