Okay, here's part deux of the door panel project. Whaddya think?

Steve

 

...and another...

S.

 

I Like!

 

those look awsome, cant wait to see them in that awsome car of yours!

 

sweet, is it hard to do that?

 

that looks pretty cool. Do you plan to paint the flames or overlay them with another fabric color or what?

Should come out looking good no matter what though

 

I love it.

 

how did you make that?
:hail:

 

What did you use for a backerboard? That is like something I want to do. Did not know what to use for the door panel itself.

 

Are you the same guy that made the Bird headliner?
Great stuff man...you should go into business. I know that us third geners would pay 400 for a pair of panels like yours
--Dan

 

The panels are going to stay gray as they are, meaning no added color. The idea is to have them be more subtle than the "beat ya over the head" orange/yellow/red combo that would typically show up on flames.

I started with a small piece of paper and just started doodling a bunch of different flame types. The one thing I didn't want was for all of my flame "licks" to look the same from one to the next - I'm not a fan of that particular look. Once I had a decent idea down, I got a large piece of paper, large enough to represent the entire door panel and made full size flames; I put the actual door handle plate on the paper to trace around and made a mental note where the arm rest would lie.

Tearing off the material from my original doorpanel revealed a worn out piece of cardboard that showed every little bump and divot that could possibly stand out - even under the foam. So I got some 1/8" thick plastic and, using my cardboard original as a template, cut out new

doorpanels from the plastic. Marked, drilled, and cut out all of the holes for the fasteners, door handle panel, and arm rest. The same with the foam; two of these, one for the front, and one for behind to deaden road noise.

Moving on to cut out the flames from foam I just cut out the pattern from the paper, layed it on the foam and used a knife to cut around the pattern. Using spray adhesive to cover the plastic I glued the foam to the doorpanel, and then glued the flames to the doorpanel foam. Then the search was on for the right material. It had to be thick enough to give a smooth appearance without showing every little nick, or flaw in the foam; but it couldn't be TOO thick, otherwise it wouldn't lay correctly around the edges of the flames. You also have to make sure that the adhesive doesn't bleed through or discolor the fabric.

Hose off the entire door panel a third at a time, and lay the fabric down, making sure to smooth everything out. Voila. Done deal. I don't have the fabric pulled around the back in these pix, but that'll get done tomorrow.

You can get the plastic for the doorpanels at any industrial plastic shop (Yellow Pages); look there for foam as well.

I'm not the same guy that made the 'bird headliner, I had this in the works at the time, but that just made me want to get this done even more as he did an awesome job with that headliner. I'll get installed pix during the next week or so.

$400 for a pair!! Man, if there were a market like that, I might seriously consider it!

Steve

 

I bought a pair of door panels from hawks (red velour, black carpet) and all they were was 1/2 black and 1/2 red...nothing special and i paid 165 for em. i would have paid you 400 to make those flame ones. Actually, maybe 300-350, because I thought you were going to color the flames and stuff (ya know...go all out).
--Dan

 

IMO the solid color adds to the effect and adding another color(s) would make it look terrible

 

Agreed. Even with just two colors it would end up being pretty garish.

Main Entry: gar·ish
Pronunciation: 'gar-ish, 'ger-
Function: adjective
Etymology: origin unknown
Date: 1545
1 : clothed in vivid colors
2 a : excessively vivid : FLASHY b : offensively or distressingly bright : GLARING
3 : tastelessly showy
synonym see GAUDY
- gar·ish·ly adverb
- gar·ish·ness noun

But that's just me.

Steve

 

The panels look excellent. I was just planning on redoing mine very similarly. I have already ordered the material even. My question is... What material did you decide on? I ordered black tweed, but I'm afraid it might not follow the contour of the flames as you menioned above because it might be too think. Any advise with tweed? Thanks

 

it would all depend on what colors you went with. Even if you simply double stitched the area where the edge of the flames were would add an effect taht would look really cool.

If you went with brite Red with Black background, it might be a little much, but if you went with a charcoal gray with a Black background, it might set it off nicely.

I like what you have so far and cant wait to see the final result. I agree tho it could end up easly garish...

John

 

JMatlock88: I don't know about tweed - you may want to start with a thicker foam and try it out on a test panel or something to see how it works out.

Okfoz: Yeah, sticking with the grays would work, but when he said "go all out" I figgered he was talking about colored flames; yellow, orange, red, etc. I don't think that would work unless the rest of the door panel was red as well. Stitching would be cool, but labor intensive and if you jacked it up (made it look un"smooth") then it would really look bad.

Steve

 

Excellent work Steve, would love to have a close up look at yoru car. You need to meet up with all of us fromt he board sometime!

I'm going a simalair look with my Camaro, when it comes to body lines and wanting nothing but perfectly str8 flush lines.

 

Looks awesome man. What else do you plan to do to your car before we see some paint ?

 

Looks nice!

 

I absolutely love it; I worship your car, Steve. When I saw the headliner guy do it, I wanted a line of flames down the center of my t-bar headliner. Maybe that'd be good on your car to match? Looks great, dude!

 

PAINT YOUR CAR!

 

agreed... that would make your car look better... How long has it been in primer now (way before I came to the boards )

 

Yeah, I need to get out more. One of these days when she's ready, I'll be joining the Pontiac Club in order to get some exposure.

I'm looking into placing a couple of those Cobra "nostrils" into the sides of my hood toward the rear, to let air escape at high speeds. A couple of other things are also in the works...

"Worship" is kind of a strong word, dontcha think? That's okay, 'cause I worship her too. The T-top headliner idea is a good one, but I've got the overhead console, so there really isn't much "headliner" left to do that too. Besides, that could lead to the dreaded "too much" disease...

SEND ME MONEY. (Remember, there's TWO "F"s in Cauffiel)

Seriously, she's been in primer now for about two years and until I am happy with her "look" she'll remain in primer. As for the money thing, I'm only half kidding. I just spent a grand on a turbocharger setup that'll be making it's way to my engine compartment soon. That means, different heads and cam so that's where my money will be going over the summer.

Hoping for a ten second daily driver by Autumn.

I'm going to attempt to get the drivers' door panel back on today - if it happens I'll post some more pix.

Take it easy,
Steve

 

That is going to be a slow daily driver, only 10 seconds come on, who would want to drive that SLOW

 

i'd pay a good 300 a pair for door panels with a firechicken on 'em

 

Gives me ideas!

 

Steve:

can you tell me what type/thickness of foam and fabric you used to get those panels so sweet? I'm thinking about doing my own take on that idea and have been trying to figure out how to do it forever. You're a godsend. thanx.

tony

 

Hey... Headliner guy here!

Anyway, I was also thinking of doing something like this. I guess I need to get crackin' on making up some door panels with the bird in there dont I. I could make panels all day and not have to get a summer job. As much as you guys are willing to pay for them and all.
Anyway, I think I still might go out and do a little searching for some covering to use on the panels. I don't know what the faabric that is on there now is called. The panels I have now are half carpet on the bottoms, and some other material on the top. It is pretty soft and has some little squares in the fabric. If anyone knows what this stuff is, let me know. I will try to make a stop by a local auto apolstry place that sold me my headliner material. Probably pick up some mor material for my speaker panels and sun visors.

Oh, the panels look good by the way hope everything turns out well for ya.

Tyler

 

I believe it is called regal velour. Good stuff, but thin. Adds a nice sheen. Headliner material may be a wee bit too thick, but there must be different thicknesses.
Take care!

 

The foam is just, errr... black... foam... ummm, can't get more descriptive than that really. It's about 1/8" to 3/16" thick. The fabric is... well, ummm gray. Got it from a fabric store. Sorry I'm not more descriptive, but I just went looking for the color I wanted; didn't pay much attention to anything else.

Experiment people - don't wait to get spoonfed!

Steve

 

when I did mine, I used 1/8" masonite as the panel, but when I redo them I'm going the plastic route, it's much more flexible and easier to cut with a dremel. For foam I used 1/4" closed cell foam for backing and the design, however, you need to use caution where the door handle surrounds go and cut out where they sit, otherwise they won't sit right and could break...ditto for the top molding. If you can find 1/8" closed cell foam, use it for backing instead, or skip the backing all together and adhere right to the panel, it'll save a lot of headaches. Another word of caution, be patient and let the adhesive fully tack up before applying the two surfaces, otherwise you get what I wound up with, patches that lift when it's hot.

Again, the key isn't so much the materials as it is advanced thought, preperation and of course patience...and if that doesn't work, listen to hindsight

 

If I were to try this, I would consider using layers of headliner material, its cheep, and a pair of scisors can cut it. Another nice feature is its soft and little imperfections would not show.

It might not be as dramatic as some would like, but it would work for a soft cushy feel.

another advantage it would have is it would help a little in cutting down on the noise.

just a thought.

John

 

how about vinyl? i was thinkin of tryin the flames with some vinyl, but then wouldn't it wrinkle where the foam drops down? or do you cut the material to the flames and cover the rest? hmmmm. any answers?

 

i did it too just used original backing (cardboard ) cut the desighn out of foam and glued it to the cardboard then glued the fabric ..looks cool ....thanks for the idea
:lala: :lala: :lala:

 

Have you put these in your car yet? I'd like to see some finished pictures. The flames look great, but it seems a bit unfinished..... maybe a border around the edge? I could be wrong, I think maybe once the door is put back together, the armrest and such could complete the look and prove me wrong, but I can't shake the feeling that they still look a little rough around the edges. I realize you haven't properly tucked back the fabric in these pics though, so maybe that has something to do with it also. I think they look great though, and it's a great idea!

Mathius

 

No, I've been out of town for three weeks on vacation so I haven't gotten any further. It may look a bit rough because of the pixellation in the pictures - I used a good bit of compression. I'll finish her up and get pix one of these days.


Stay tuned,

Steve

 

The panels look awesome Steve.

As far as the use of tweed...The car show guys have been using it for years for stuff like this. They make all kind of patterns in their dashes, doors, and overhead panels.

 

I don't know that I would have used plastic for door panels. Plastic tends to breakdown rather quickly when exposed to heat, like in a closed up car parked in the sun. ALso it tends to warp under those conditions.
I was contemplating redoing my door panels this summer and have decided to use 3/32"-1/8" hardboard. It is durable, holds up to heat and won't fall apart if it gets wet like the stock cardboard ones do.
Also, J.C. Whitney sells headliner/door panel fabric by the yard with the 1/4" foam bonded to the material. That should make for an easier install. Should be able to find the same materials at an upolstry shop.

~M~

 

vinyl, anyone have thoughts on vinyl? i'm not a soft cushy kinda guy when it comes to my bird, more hard out "lets rumble riceboy" attitude in cars. think vinyl will work?

 

Hey all, I was in Barnes and Noble today lookin at some books and came across one by Taylor & Mangus called Custom Auto Interiors. It was well illustrated and guided you through making some sweet looking mods including door panels Hot Rod style. It's well worth a look, and at $20 it's not too bad to take home