[dataway]

I have thankfully found my original rear "door" interior panels ... or whatever they are called on a two door, but the panels that go on either side of the back seat. Anyway, the vinyl is in great shape, shiny, clean, undamaged, however the backing board is iffy ... would work in a pinch once it was all snapped in place.

Is there a way to separate the vinyl for the backing board and get a new backing board? Is it just glued on?

Thanks

[tjs72lemans]

You should be able to just pull it off unless it's glued well. If so, you may distort the fabric trying to pull it off.

[dataway]

I just investigated the "unassembled" kits ... so on those you have to glue the vinyl to the board? I see Ames appears to sell the boards separately.

[rambow]

With the unassembled ones, you take apart your originals- remove the old metal top rail and window felt/fuzzy- then mark and rivit it onto the new boards.
Then wrap and glue the vinyl/felt flap up over the top, then reattach (rivit) the window fuzzy strip back on. Not hard to do at all. Biggest thing to remember is to mock it up in the car with the door panel installed so that the pattern lines up exactly between the front and back.

Your originals have the design "heat sealed" into the vinyl. What you don't see is on the backside, a really thin set of firm inserts that give the vinyl the raised look.
If you peel the vinyl off the old door card, that backing stays on the old card... so it may not look quite right when you glue it onto a new board. It might be easier/preferable to glue a new door card onto the backside of the original warped card...if you use good high temp contact cement, it will stick like crazy stiffen it back up.

I faced a similar decision on my 68 chevelle 300, as it had door/side panels that are not reproduced and my rear cards were horribly warped and peeling from moisture even though the vinyl itself was still in good shape and soft.
In the end I opted to replace mine with the standard style unassembled panels instead of trying to save my originals.

somewhere i have pics of the process i used moving the top rails, I can post them if you need them.

[dataway]

Might give it a shot trying to "unwarp" the old ones ... maybe put them under some weight for a while.

Probably not a good idea ... but I had the idea in my head of cutting out some sheet metal in an exact replica of the card and glue the card to the metal to straighten it. I have tons of various kinds of sheet metal lying around .... maybe some 24 ga galvanized. Might buzz with vibration though.

[tjs72lemans]

When I restored my 55 Chevy Sedan Delivery (like a nomad but no back side windows), my interior upper panel cards were very warped from not using (stored) for over 30 years. They were bare, so I wet them good, weighted them to get the shape I needed and laid them out in the sun to dry. Worked well and kept the shape I needed.

[ladytata]

If it’s just because it’s warp, lightly mist the back with water and but something heavy on it

[OG68]

Originally Posted by dataway

I just investigated the "unassembled" kits ... so on those you have to glue the vinyl to the board? I see Ames appears to sell the boards separately.

Data, if you do order from Ames check the wording in the catalog. They mention rear panels for a 2 Dr Sedan, but not a 2 Dr hardtop. You may want to call to verify.

I did notice that NPD has Hardtop rear panel kits with different weights of padding included with the panel

[dataway]

I've had them in the house for a few days now, they are looking even better. I have one weighted ... thought about the water, think I will give it a try. Looks like the clip holes are all good too.

Some of the vinyl needs to be reglued around the edges ... looks like two of the edges were never wrapped and glued to the card ... is that normal? All the edges except the back curve, and the bottom are either still glued, or show evidence of being wrapped and glued ... were two of the edges left flapping?

I think these originals are going to work for me, they cleaned up so nice there isn't even staining where the arm rest bolted on.

[ladytata]

I usually use headliner glue on a q tip, seems the upper edges always need some glue


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Greg Reid]

Do you have a steam gun? I think that would work better than plain water, although I would think that either would work with some flat weight on them for a while. Moisture warped them and moisture can straighten them with the right persuasion..

As stated, the glue is only along the perimeter and all of the metal top portion. Make sure you get an even coat of glue on ALL of the metal portion if you have to peel it up. I only did the edge like the rest of the panel and I can see an area or two where it would have looked better if it had all been glued down. Like a slight area of 'slack' in a couple of areas along the top, if that makes sense.
Which sides are not folded over and glued on your originals? I would think that you could get away with the floor edge and the curved edge that is hidden by the seatback.

[dataway]

Yep, the curved portion and the edge along the floor appeared to be never have been glued from the factory, same on both of them, no crease there, no evidence on the cardboard. The other areas that were glued and came loose have the powdery dried glue on them.

I have a wonderful home built steam gun .... I worry that it would dissolve any of the whatever that is used to bind the cardboard together.

They seem to be reverting to their proper shape under some weight and now that they are in the very dry house .... and probably more importantly are laying flat, not thrown in the trunk with other parts all willy nilly.

[vertigto]

Originally Posted by Greg Reid

Somebody plays the git fiddle...

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by vertigto

Somebody plays the git fiddle...

I play AT it...lol. Used to play much more seriously back in the '70s and early '80s but still enjoy strumming occasionally. Couch player...lol

[dataway]

I average about 1 hour a day the last few years, getting better ... again. Played since I was 9 years old ... used to be pretty good till I did this ...




They put the four fingers back on, but they don't work as well as they used to
Be careful around your farm equipment.

[Shiny]

Originally Posted by dataway

...I have a wonderful home built steam gun .... I worry that it would dissolve any of the whatever that is used to bind the cardboard together.

They seem to be reverting to their proper shape under some weight and now that they are in the very dry house .... and probably more importantly are laying flat, not thrown in the trunk with other parts all willy nilly.

I like your idea of bonding sheet metal to the cardboard. Assuming it never got "wet wet", the carboard wants to warp for some more "subtle" reason - either stress from the attached cover or from non-uniform material properties after 40 years of aging and degradation. Cardboard is not exactly a super-stable material.

You'd be surprised at the amount of creep deformation a corrugated box can experience from being top-loaded and exposed to moderate cycling RH.

It may be obvious the warp was fairly "uniform" and once attached to the car it will hold it flat forever. But if it was "potato-chipped" and locally bulging, I think it is likely to come back... but that's just my guess.

I'm probably not seeing all the risks but I don't see any downside to bonding the cardboard to a sheet-metal stiffener and you will never worry about it warping again.

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by dataway

I average about 1 hour a day the last few years, getting better ... again. Played since I was 9 years old ... used to be pretty good till I did this ...

Holy smokes! Time to take up the harmonica or something I guess.

[dataway]

Shiny, going to take one down to the shop tonight and mist some water on it, and lay it between a couple of granite surface plates. They really aren't that bad .. lay them flat and not more than an inch of warp anyway, but a bit wavy.

Greg, surprisingly my playing is slowly coming back to where it once was. Lead is no problem at all, chords are a bit more of a problem, the last joint on my fingers doesn't bend so I have to contort my wrist to get over the fretboard which causes a lot of forearm pain. My index finger is somewhat deformed and on bar chords the A string goes right right through a gap, sometimes I have to wrap the finger with something to keep the A string from buzzing. All things considered I'm lucky to still have them with little or no effect on my everyday life. Did it 20 years ago so I'm used to it by now.

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by dataway

... All things considered I'm lucky to still have them with little or no effect on my everyday life...

Amen to that.

[dataway]

Anyone ever used hot melt glue to secure the wrapped edge of vinyl on a door panel?

And ... do complete replacement quarter door panels come with the sheet metal top section?