1971 Mark III Door Panel Repair

[stovebolt1]

Good evening;
Looking for advice on repairing the interior drivers side door panel on my 1971 Mark III. The panel is cracked horizontally at the weakest points behind the armrest. The two pieces have not completely separated but they're complete at only a few points.

I was thinking I would cut a thin piece of stainless or aluminum, maybe 7 inches wide, and cut out the same holes/spaces to match the panel. Then glue the metal to the underside of the panel and pop a few rivets through at key points (or maybe some edge clips). Thoughts?

Yes, I could recreate the panel itself and swap the skin from old to new but that sounds like a royal pain. Suggestions?

Thanks - Stovebolt

 

[Action]

Is the crack visible when sitting in the vehicle?
What is cracked? Plastic or fiberboard?
Post some pictures

Action

 

[stovebolt1]

Sadly both are broken. I though I would start with the fiberboard while I search for/investigate the plastic.



And yes, that's my foot. The driver-facing side looks pretty good and you can't see where the break is. Why people won't invest in an $8 trim removal tool I'll never understand.

The plastic piece is broken in two, at the middle of the speaker cutout. I'm gathering that one might be a tougher restoration.

Thx - Stovebolt

 

[stovebolt1]

And the plastic piece:

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[Action]

I have never repaired the plastic arm rest base. Just got a replacement donor. This was for my 66 Lincoln 4 door that has shorter pieces because the door is shorter. This might be repairable by using some kind of epoxy adhesive and metal support strap that spans the speaker crack for some distance.

I have never seen the fiberboard broken. Damaged holes yes. Broken in that manner no.

Action

 

[stovebolt1]

Yes, I suspect a previous owner was trying to pull the panel off without removing all of the fasteners around the armrest.

I was pondering the fiberboard over a cup of coffee this morning and consider this:

Dynamat.

You know, that black sticky rubbery stuff with the aluminum foil facing. It's easily cutable, yet it would take Lou Ferrigno to tear it. It sticks like glue, and it's firm, yet flexible. And it's waterproof so it would protect the fiberboard.

My only concern would be rigidity - given that the door pull strap is only attached to the fiberboard, and not the door itself, I'd like something that offers a bit more support but, given the fasteners supporting the arm rest, maybe that much rigidity isn't required around the strap.

I may give this a try.

 

[Action]

I have no used Dynamat. Seen advertising. I just don't believe everything until I see it.

Is the door straps backed by the metal squares? I have not had my Mark III panel off.
May be float fiberglass mat and resin over the fiberboard?

Action

 

[stovebolt1]

Yes, there are metal squares holding the door straps to the panel.

I've used Dynamat knockoffs in the past with good results (they're all very similar). I have a couple of feet left over that might just satisfy the need.

I'll post pix when I get it applied.

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[stovebolt1]

I glued the halves of the door panel back together then covered the torn areas with DynaMat. It isn't the prettiest but it has really stabilized the panel. I'm pleased.



Is the panel held on with Auveco 10780 clips?

The front of the door panel looks great, except the wood trim is a bit weathered/bleached. Any idea what it was originally stained with? It looks like some kind of danish/teak oil but I'm not certain. When I cleaned the wood on the dash the brown finish came off on my rag which makes me think they weren't varnished/shellaqued.

Stovebolt

 

[Action]

That side does not have to look pretty. Looks good to me!

I do not know about the wood finish. Never had to mess with that.
And very possible it changed over the production run any way.
If you got close, not sure anyone will notice.

As to Auveco 10780 clips, if you say so. The metal wire clips are used at the bottom. These were revised later with a piece of heavy foam to keep any rust off and squeaks from happening.
Using clips in all panel slots is not necessary.
Not sure the factory even used all slots.

The center is held by the large arm rest.
The top of the panel hangs off of the door.

Action

 

[stovebolt1]

Well, probably not the cleanest epoxy job but it feels fairly solid with the aluminum bracing. I saw replacements listed on EBay for $369 and knew I had to try to fix this one myself. It is still missing a mounting point but I think it will still hold its shape (and a speaker should help reinforce repair). From the looks of these I should probably find some way to reinforce the points where the plastic actually mounts to the door, they look like they are prone to cracking as well.

 

[Action]

For those hard plastic pieces I would recommend following up with a treatment/conditioner. Over time these get brittle. Using a conditioner helps plastic to not be so brittle.

Action

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[stovebolt1]

BTW - those door clips, from Auveco, are the AP2310 (that may not be the exact item, but it is the same size all the way around). I pulled a clip, with the foam on it, out of the other door. I wonder how I can duplicate that, or maybe just put a rubber washer above the "hip" in the clip. That might reduce the likelihood of a squeek. I can see where that might prevent the clip from rubbing against the door.

 

[stovebolt1]

BTW - those door clips, from Auveco, are the AP2310 (that may not be the exact item, but it is the same size all the way around). I pulled a clip, with the foam on it, out of the other door. I wonder how I can duplicate that, or maybe just put a rubber washer above the "hip" in the clip. That might reduce the likelihood of a squeek. I can see where that might prevent the clip from rubbing against the door.

Well duh! Auveco does make a clip with the foam - the 23292.



Not that I need a box of 100 but now I know what to look for.

 

[Action]

Yeah those are the good kind.
First use and the panel might stick out a lil until the foam compresses.
You might use 20 if every one was replaced.

Action

 

[stovebolt1]

Well - I tried repairing the drivers side armrest on the door panel. It has separated from the core about half-way back and curled up at the bottom. I filled the gap with 3M Yellow weatherstrip adhesive and clamped the piece for about 20 days. While it isn't perfect it has pulled the curl back into the pad and makes it appear much straighter. If I had it to do over again I'd probably have used more adhesive and tried to create clamps that would wrap the bottom of the armrest around the bottom of the core. C'est la vie.

We'll see how long this repair lasts.

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