The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Help Needed with '54 3100 Doors

It's looking like I'm going to need to do some repairs and possibly replace one or both of my doors. The inside panel is pretty much gone for about the bottom 1 inch on the right side. The left side is better. The outer panels seem pretty solid. The link shows some pics of what sitting in a field for 18 years in Northwestern Oregon can do.

http://s407.photobucket.com/albums/pp156/a-frechette/?action=view&current=LeftDoorRustOut1.jpg

My questions are:

1. Should I attempt to repair the existing doors or am I better off looking for some used ones in decent shape?

2. What years would make suitable replacements for a '54 if I go that route?

Thanks,

You should be able to get a pair of used ones that are in good shape - there's plenty of them around, and they shouldn't cost to much. That's what I did with my 54 3100. Any ealy 50's door with pushbutton handles and vent windows will work. The set I got for mine had all the hardware on them and glass.
Samantha

There are patch panels that replace that part of the door, inside and out and from what I recall they go up far enough to get all your damage. Of course, there's no way of telling the condition of the rest of the door but it looks pretty fixable.

Yes, there are plenty of doors out there but if you can fix yours you'll eliminate all the fitting headaches or replacing the doors. They all "fit" but if you want replacements to fit well, you might be in for some work, especially with the gaps.

on one of my doors on the inside i had to weld a one inch strip along the bottom it was an easy fix then i undercoated the inside of the doors after removing mice nests and broken glass

think ahead what is your ultimate plan. earlier 50's door lend themselves better to electric windows with out the vent glass. just a thought.