Plastic door panel - thoughts / what I did

[drumvirt]

Thanks, 1 year later they are still holding up really well and no issues have popped up.

I'm not surprised. You did a great job. I hope mine will hold up well too.

 

[SirRobyn0]

I'm not surprised. You did a great job. I hope mine will hold up well too.

If you think of it, it would be great to see before and after pictures.

 

[84GMCSierra]

I'd like to do something with the door panels in my truck. I work in a shop and that black stuff you see is just a little black from the cars I've worked on and brought in on my arm. That'll clean up with a little interior cleaner and a brush. I'm not concerned with that. I'm concerned with areas at the top that have deteriorated due to sunlight I'd image. Pictures and then I'll talk about my thoughts and ask for yours.

Both sides look about the same:

You must be registered for see images attach

It's that top area by the glass I'm mainly concerned with. Below is a close up. To me this is the worst looking part of the interior.

You must be registered for see images attach

That scratch out triangle has been there as long as I've owned the truck.

So one option would be to hide it. Take that black carpet for speaker boxes, wrap the panel in it and glue it on with contact adhesive. Or tan, I could use tan carpet or even brown, the floor carpet is brown, and have the arm rest still the door handle and chrome trim still, and even the black strip could stay. I know I could do this and have it come out looking good, but before I do that I'd like to try something else.

What would happen if I scrapped all the loose dead stuff off, hit it with a heat gun lightly and then treated it with a protectant. You think it would come out looking decent? I can still wrap it if it doesn't. Keep in mind this is a work truck I like to keep looking nice and in good order, not a concours restoration project.

You got another idea I'd like to hear it, but I'm not really interested in buying new reproduction panels.

Thanks.

Mine looked like that from sitting in the hot Phoenix sun. Since my truck is a driver, I used a razor blade to scrape off the "dead" skin, lightly sanded them and painted with Krylon Fusion. 4 years and they're holding up ok

 

[Rusty Nail]

I've heard of people doing similar things in this website before. But dude used the word "cards". What exactly is a door panel " card"? The cardboard part in the middle?

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

I've heard of people doing similar things in this website before. But dude used the word "cards". What exactly is a door panel " card"? The cardboard part in the middle?

Door card is a regional term, mostly used in the Midwest and northeast. I think it goes back to when vehicles had door panels that actually were chipboard or Masonite, like the 47-55 first series GM trucks.

 

[Rusty Nail]

Masonite. That's a fun word. Way better than cardboard.
Not to be confused with the ancient free and accepted Mason ,of course.

 

[SOLLYWOOD]

awesome low buck way too have 1000% improvement,
im totally doing this on the weekend to mine. thanks!

 

[SirRobyn0]

awesome low buck way too have 1000% improvement,
im totally doing this on the weekend to mine. thanks!

Good to meet you. Please post pictures of your before and after if you can. Thanks, SRO