Someone had asked. So I made this post on Facebook. I have re-posted it here.
The issue. It is almost impossible to find rear panel trim for a Suburban. Not to mention, the aftermarket panel replacements are gray colored cardboard. I had the cardboard, which you have to cut yourself, and it almost immediately started to warp and get wavy. That changed my mind about the headliner, so I went with some 1/8” ABS. Figuring I oughta match the headliner, I changed all side panels to ABS. I even made panels for the rear barn doors to protect them from future dents from loads. Give it a couple of summers, and various heat cycles, the ABS started to get a little wavy. Not as bad as cardboard, but enough to bug me. So I started hunting for some metal trim. I found some perfect stainless stuff across the pond, but I didn’t even want to figure out how or how much it would cost me to get it here in the US! It was already going to cost me a few hundred just for the material. Then I found this stuff. Right here in the good ol’ US of A.
Aluminum. They have shiny and satin.
It comes in 12 foot sections, so it costs a bunch to ship. However, they will cut it down for $7 and then shipping becomes more reasonable. So I tried one piece. I had them cut it so it was 2 inches longer than what I needed. I believe, for the rear panel which is the longest, you need somewhere just over 7 feet. That is if you want no joints. Otherwise, if you like welding stuff, have it cut in half. I got the smaller section and used it for practice. I was worried the stuff was too brittle to bend. It’s not. So it took the 7 footer and made myself some trim. I like the way it looks! Time to get more to finish the rest of the panels. I think it even looks better than the stainless trim I got from Classic Parts for the door panels.
You’ll see the in pics where I trimmed off the back side to make it easier to bend and bend evenly. Bending any channel makes it want to flare, so after bending, a soft hammer will flatten it out again. I basically bent it around my panel, removed it to complete the bends, finessed the bends, drilled or cleared the screw holes, and installed it. Tightening the screws made it conform to the body sides.
