Livemeyer, another suggestion:
When I bought my truck it had no door panels or frames. I bought ss frames from one of the vendors and used the frames as the template for the outer dimension of the door panels. (Note: I often use discarded corn flakes cereal boxes for template material as it’s easy to cut/handle). I then positioned/taped those cardboard templates on the gutted doors so then I could precisely locate my holes for the attaching screws and window crank and inside door handle and arm rests. I traced those templates onto some flat lite gage sheet metal and cut them out accordingly. You can then bend those panels (and ss frames) as needed to accommodate the subtle contour of the inner door panel. My local Joanne Fabric Store had the cloth material and the 3M contact adhesive I needed to finish the job. A lot of work: yes. Stock: sorry, no. Also, my panels don’t distort or delaminate from humidity or temperature.
Inside door panelGood luck, regards, Dave
Thanks, this sounds like a great idea, but not the direction I want to go, and least not at this time. My truck is custom so I don't mind that, but I'm trying to roll with what I have. I figure at some point I'll spend the big bucks for custom upholstery, but the truck isn't ready for that yet. I have the brown dash and brown bench seat, but when I get it all done the custom way I really want, it will be a dark red leather seating surfaces with brown and tan accents. The exterior is currently two-tone yellow and green; eventually a frame-off will lead to a light blue paint color; both color schemes contrast with brown and red. And I reserve the right to change my mind too!
Still, I like the way yours turned out and even if I don't do exactly what you did, I might steal some ideas.
