Door Resto

[Barry Churcher]

The first photo is Herb Danter holding a customers door. The customer initially just wanted a patch put in but the door was just too bad.

The 2nd is a closeup of the worst damage

The 3rd photo is the door with the skin removed. There is substantial rust and pitting. The frame also has many cracks from slamming for over 60 years.

The 4th is the frame sandblasted and all the stress cracks welded

The 5th is with a heavy coat of Rustoleum on the side covered by the skin.

[Keith Webb]

That's very impressive!

What sort of cost is involved in doing such a substantial repair?

Looks like the car behind Herb is going to need the same treatment far earlier than the cab 11/12 door...

[Bob Carriere]

Nice job on the door.

Very timely since I have to do the same on both of mine.

Any pictures or trick to removing the original skin with out doing further damage....??

I am considering using the new "metal glue" currently used in body shops to install the new skin......... I have been told that the glue in the folded over section insures rust protection better than spot welds.

The cab 11 doors must have been porne to cracking the frame.... mine have similar cracks to be repaired.

Best I can tell the sheet metal gauge is 19....... what gauge did you use ...? a lighter 20 gauge or a full 18.....?? any advantage to using satin coat finish on the new stock...?

Particularly concerned with the curved portion and how you curved the new skin over the frame..... any pictures of that section..?

Sorry for all the ???? but you started it!!

BooB

[Ken Hughes]

Bob, if you are not saving the door skin you can sand through the folded edge of the door skin.
It is the quickest way,and you use the skin for a pattern remembering to ad on the folded edge
that you have cut off when measuring.
We use a high speed sander with a 24 grit disc.
If however you want to use the skin again you can make a tool using an old screwdriver,by heating cherry red bend the blade back over on its self,then heat the stem and put a step in it
so the handle is clear of the bench if held horizontally ,you may have to hammer the bent blade end in under the folded edge of the skin and then work up the edge 90deg working all the way round the skin,and then remove.
does make a bit of a mess though and you have to hammer and dolly the skin back into shape.
Snapon have a hammer for doing door skins,it has a slight kink in the shank,on folding back over you will need to bondi/lead the edges of the face of the skin.i hope this helps.

[Mike Kelly]

My neighbour is into Medieval stuff .. he made a suit of armour , hand made it from flat sheets . took him 6 months of beating , dressing, shaping , edging .. it's amazing what you can do , takes patience and lots of time . He does talks at schools and military historical groups .

After all that, he ended up buying a ready to use one .. they are made in India .. 11 year old kids spend all day shaping metal sheets into armour suits . they cost 4 to 5 K $ here . The medieval re-enacting thing is growing here ... they have festivals and tournaments and jousting too . They hold banquets .. all the food is genuine medieval style .

Mike

[Barry Churcher]

As Mike said the skin comes off fairly easily if you are careful. It's the door frame you don't want to damage. We used the skin off a good door for a pattern . The rust you see on the inside is just from the filler crap that fits between the skin and the frame. Using a whole skin for a pattern helps to make the overlap spots the same on the corners etc. Careful use of the hammer and dolly flattens the skin right out. We used 20 gauge as it is so close to the original and is heavy enough not to oil can or warp. 18 gauge is harder to work and you have quite a curve to form. We use satin coat because it is more resistant to rust especially on the inside. Scratches in normal sheet metal start to rust very easily, even when sitting around the shop. Satin coat is now $48.00 a sheet.
Barry

[Barry Churcher]

The second door looked a lot better on the outside but under the skin was crap. Bob had to do more work to get it back in shape.
Barry

[Barry Churcher]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

The cab 11 doors must have been porne to cracking
BooB

Bob, are you still thinking about Alex post on the Port Perry girl?

[Barry Churcher]

Here you can see what a nice job Bob did on the overlap on the curve. He used one practice scrap piece to make sure he got it right.

[Barry Churcher]

Finished inside and finished outside. Just needs the door handle and the window curtain holes.

[Bob Carriere]

When I get excited about CMPs my fingers get stiff and I make typosssss

Now just for that crack I have more questions....

Did Bob the wonderbodyman use a metal shrinker tool to shape the metal for the curve.....???? and when he hammered the curved metal back on the frame did he use heat to stretch the skin thinner so it could be flattened...???

How did you fastened the skin.... spot welds of metal glue...???

Do you know of a source for the thimble that fits in the doors holres that allows the fasteners from the side curtain to be attached...????

Super nice job when it is all finished.......

Boob
PS.... you know that repro door handles are available at Mac Auto or originals from Dirk for that matter.

[Bob Doak]

Hi Boobee
I didn't use a metal shrinker for the curve as that would crown the door. I made special dies for my bead roller to start the process and finished the fold with a hammer and dolly. No heat used either. After the folds were made we used spot welding to hold in place. Barry hasn't found a suitable replacement for the thimble but is working on a local heavy industry making them at their expense, then they would truly be OEM.
Regaerds
another Bob

[Grant Bowker]

Originally Posted by Barry Churcher

Satin coat is now $48.00 a sheet.

As I was reviewing this older thread I was struck by the pricing of sheet metal. A quote received last week for 18ga was $118 per sheet. Way back when, Barry thought $48 was bad...

[rob love]

And it now costs you nearly twice (and still climbing) as much to drive to the metal shop to pick up that sheet of satin 20 ga.