Thread: Door and kick panels finished, ready for upholstery

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Well, there it is---the current roadster pick-up thrash is finished, ready to move on to whatever I decide is next. What you see is interior panels made fron 1/8" luan mahogany (thats a door skin from your local building supplier, $10.50 for one peice, big enough for 2 door and 2 kick panels.) Making the panels was the easy part----before I could do them, I had to chase down some decent door handles from the wreckers (old Mazdza), modify the door to mount them, and fabricate linkage rods to operate the bear-claw latches. Then I had to buy speakers, and modify the doors to mount them. The panels are currently attached with one screw in each corner, as a temporary measure to trial fit them. I am somehow in a raging controversy as to what the final means of attachment to the metal door will be, nylon christmas tree type or metal spring wire type fasteners----jury is still out on that. I will give them a coat of urethane to waterproof them---then they go to the upholsterer who is putting new covers on my bucket seats, to be covered in maroon nuagahyde with a pattern in it.---if you are going to do this yourself, make full size cardboard patterns first, then trace around them onto the panel and cut it with sabre saw.

and another picture

That looks good. The braces that are from the back quarters to the floors are those original? I think I might fab a set.

No, I made them. This car was originally a sedan, and when the top was cut off there was too much body flex----the gap between the rear of the door and the back of the cockpit would open and close with frame/body flex. I built them and welded them into the sub-floor of the body to firm everything up.---curiosity---what would you put them on?---whats your ride?

Yankeyspeed---I just figured it out that your the guy who is overseas with the forces, and that you have a roadster pickup. Why would you want to add the gussets on it?---or does it have the flex problem also?

Brian, you said the magic word "luan". I had no idea what "doorskin" was but I have a whole bunch of luan left over from paneling an attic office. In fact when I first read your thread I said to myself, if I had to do that I would use the luan I have left over from the office panels. I know I seem like the rank amateur that I am since I do not have the body yet (see thread "I ain't got no body") but I am saving most of your threads and studying them so when I get the body in early summer I will be ready for interior mods. I am not sure about what you said about the stock Model-A latches, they are about $20 each from Speedway while the bearclaw latches are about $15 each. If the fiberglass doors accept the stock latches I will use them, but if not I will use fiberglass bonding instead of welding. I have built two small sailboats using glass cloth and resin and made learning mistakes there so I think I can substitute fiberglass techniques where you have welded. How are you going to handle the wires to the speakers? Nice picture of your running boards too, are they steel or part of the glass fenders?

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Hi Don---You can buy a tightly wound, very flexible spring, about 1/2" diameter x 4" to 6" long. It anchors to the front of the door and slides thru a clearance hole in the doorjamb as the door is opened or closed. The speaker wires are routed thru the spring. I don't know where I can get them yet, but I know they are available.

On my car the wires into the doors are routed through pieces of clear plastic tubing that are anchored inside the door frame and and slide in and out of the door through a larger diameter hole in the door itself. You need tubing of a diameter large enough to hold the wires. You could use any color tubing you waat as long as it's flexible enough for the door movement, but stiff enough to hold it's shape. I have electric windows and door poppers so I needed a fairly large tube. Here is a picture:

Pat

Great idea, Pat !!! Simple and effective. Gonna steal your idea next time. Thanks for the tip.

Pat----how did you anchor it on the inside of the door jamb?---did you split it and put a screw into each side of the split above and below the hole in the door jamb? My cowl section still has the wood in the jambs, so that would be easy enough to do.

Ditto for me, Great Idea! I used to think such tubing was only available through medical and chemical supply houses, but I have noted that Ace Hardware carries several sizes of clear plastic tubing. See, you (me) ask a dumb question here and get a great answer!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Don, I've purchased similar tubing at parts houses.

Don---If you use the original latches, you will also have to purchase a set of dovetail locators to install on the door and jambs to locate the door vertically. The original latches do not have the safety features that the bear-claw latches (which are a double lever rotary latch) have. The bear-claw latches have an alignment feature which makes it unnecessary to have dovetails. The bear-claw latches also have an adjustable striker bolt which is a real boon when setting up the initial door alignment. Another feature of the bear-claw latches is that in a car with roll up windows in the doors (which doesn't leave room for the bearclaw latch in the door) they can be reverse installed, that is to say, with the latch mechanism recessed into the door jamb and the striker bolt on the door. People who are using electric solenoids with no outside door handles like to do this, as it does not require electrical wires running to solenoids in the doors. The pulling force required to "unlatch" a bearclaw latch is much lower than that required to unlatch a stock model A latch. Once a bear-claw latch is "latched" onto its striker bolt, it is pretty well impossible for the door to pop open, even in a situation of severe body flex. Also, a big selling feature is that bear-claw latches are generic, meaning that they can be installed in just about any vehicle. There you go---that is just about the sum total of my knowledge about bear-claw latches.

Full size GM vans use the spring type wire protecters in their door jambs I picked two up at the bone yard for $5.00.

Originally posted by brianrupnow
Pat----how did you anchor it on the inside of the door jamb?---did you split it and put a screw into each side of the split above and below the hole in the door jamb? My cowl section still has the wood in the jambs, so that would be easy enough to do.

On mine there is bulkhead inside the kick panel and the tube was cut to leave a tab and is screwed to that. Your idea of splitting the tube would work too.

Glad I was able to help

Pat