Custom door panels

[rmel]

The door panels on my 712 project truck were totally messed up.

Looked around for replacements, most of the metal replacement
panels are cut from Aluminum Diamond plate which I don't like.

Found a source for several different textured Aluminum and SS from
http://xpressmetals.com/ out of upper state NY. Several
interesting patterns, 6WL, 5WL, 2WL, etc, made by Rigidized Metals Corp.
You can request samples. See attached of samples of 5WL and 6WL next
to Diamond plate. I settled on Aluminum, 6WL, 0.063" stock which measures
in the ballpark of 0.09" inc. the raised texture, fits in the channels well.

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I had to fabricate a template from a plastic sheet, as my original panels were
only good for the barrel. This took time, a lot of patience, and numerous
tweaks and to get right. Once that's done you can flip it over and the template
is good for the opposite door. Cutting and fitting the 6WL panel was not too bad.
IMHO the look is far better than Diamond.

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[lifefloat]

Wow...…….that door panel looks nice. I run with stock panels but would like to do that "upgrade" someday.

Did you notice any noise or vibration increase now that you have metal there instead of pressboard or what ever the original material is?

Did you use any sound deadening material?

Just curious.

Anyway...........looks real nice.

[TechMOGogy]

Love it - thanks for sharing and YES - looks way better than the diamond plate.
Great find!

[rmel]

As far as noise goes, I "soundproof" my doors. First step in
the process is to remove the goo inside the door itself, then
I apply a vibration damper, followed by a layer of mass loaded
vinyl. You have to cut away some of this to provide a space
for the door handle cup. When it comes time to insert the
metal door panel, I apply some vibration damper on this as
well. When your all done if you hit the outer door or the
door panel you hear only a thud The drivers door
should be as deadened as possible as it gets the most noise
from the exhaust and street traffic.

[VinceAtReal4x4s]

Cool find. I like the ABS option too. I did some in textured ABS and the weight savings was really noticeable and it was easy to cut speaker holes into. No chance of any corrosion and very easy to trim up if needed. Living close to a big plastics supplier that can cut anything to any size is helpful too.

If you want to get fancy with that door insulation, you'd want to add a 1" layer of melamine foam to the back of the inner panel to soak up some of those mids/upper waves.

[rmel]

I have the malamine foam in the read doors of the 710K, I have found that
the cavity on the front doors is a wee bit tight for the foam. But it's a real
good idea to use it where you can as you suggest.

[VinceAtReal4x4s]

Is it the treated (hydrophobic) stuff? Where did you get it? I'm having issues finding any, other than what SSkin is offering under their name Mega'Zorbe, but they limit it to 1/2" which make little sense to me given you need 1" of it to start being effective. I guess they assume people will glue two together? Kind of pricey

[rmel]

Yup SSkin is where I'd go. Yes your right!! You need to double up on
the thickness, 1/2" is not sufficient. Their spray adhesive is really
good to do that -- stack em two high. It's expensive stuff though.

[acurtis]

These might be the best looking door panels I've seen.- I like how you went over the door hinge area, instead of cutting around it, I'm thinking of copying your doors, how did you cut the panels? What was the cost of the material?

[rmel]

Most people that replace the fiberboard panels use the old panel as a template -- unless it's in bad shape.
As such they follow the same cut-outs inc. the hinge area. That is proper for fiberboard material, but if
you are replacing with Steel or Aluminum no need to cut an opening out. The textured aluminum stock
came from Rugidized Metals Corp. N.Y. it ain't cheap. The gauge (or thickness) is BEFORE they run it
through the texturing mill so the dimples will increase the effective thickness. I went with .062", fit
nice in the groves. I had to fab a plastic template as my fiber boards were a mess. I cut the hole using
a drill mounted "nibbler" cutter using a radius arm. The hardest part was drilling holes to match where
the old sheet metal screws went.

[Zee Fifty]

My old truck needed some new door panels. I wanted mine OD green and that left me with OEM, aluminum that I would have to paint, or something else. That something else was .080 thick Kydex T sheet in OD green. I found an online supplier that would ship me partial sheets. 2 x 3 sheets are perfect for a door panel. About $40 each. It’s smooth on one side and textured on the other. I made mine with the textured side out. It’s the heat formable stuff they make holsters and knife sheaths from. It’s easy to work with and can be cut using simple wood working tools. I cut mine using an electric jig saw using my old panels as a pattern.

It’s also great stuff to make other things like phone holders and such. Easy to form using a heat gun.
.....

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[whitesik]

That's a great idea. I just made new ones form hardboard and painted with SAV's spray paint. I will certainly consider this next time. How close is their OD green to Swiss green? There are so many OD greens.

[Zee Fifty]

That's a great idea. I just made new ones form hardboard and painted with SAV's spray paint. I will certainly consider this next time. How close is their OD green to Swiss green? There are so many OD greens.

The match is actually better than what is shown in the photos. It’s not perfect but really really good. Good enough for most I think. I’m happy as heck with them.

I’m confident I could not get any closer with paint. New paint against old won’t be perfect.

I imagine you could get a sample if needed. It comes in all different colors.

[pinzinator]

Around 15 years ago someone was offering pre-cut smooth door panels made of thin aluminum and powder coated in olive drab. I bought a pair and have always liked them ad they don't age, can't be water damaged, and clean up easy.

[David Dunn]

Kydek is actually what is used on the FMTVs since the early '90s for door panels and the interior trim.
Since I haven't owned a 710/12 since 2003 and TDs have plastic door panels, I've never weighed in on this before, but if you live in the southwest or anyplace you have extreme ambient temperatures, I would not use any metal for the door panels as they will retain the heat worse than the fiber panels or plastic ( through your legs will doubt this if they rest against one)