So, once again I was inside my door today. I'm down to about 2 plastic clips holding the card on because the cardboard is so old and destroyed. It probably doesn't help this cause that I HATE the current vinyl and it's crappy spray paint, but that's beside the point.
Replacement door cards are EXPENSIVE, and add nothing to performace, which is a combination that means I won't spend the money for new ones. But making them seems simple enough, just trace and cut. This is for the first gen miata, just to clarify.
I've seen a few posts about people replacing with masonite or laminate and recovering and everything, and it seems interesting. But I personally don't see the point in recovering unless I have to.
But also, and here is where I see a possible hangup, I know the SCCA has interesting rules regarding interior. Would I need to recover them to stay STS? Could I just getting rid of them all together?
I know getting that tar off that holds the plastic on is kind of a pain, but I really don't care if they're in place or not. It would also make painting easier at that point, at least, it would convince me to paint the insides of the doors and jams too. Might actually look good painted skeleton door.
So what does the hive think? Keep the crap that's in there, replace with something similar that isn't falling apart, or just gut it? My biggest concern, more than noise or losing things in the doors, is staying in my current class.
Locally, the chance that someone is going to care if you just rip them out is pretty low. I'd personally just replace them with something else like coroplast, just to avoid sharp edges and dropping stuff in there. That's probably technically illegal too, but you could make an argument for "comfort and convenience" if there's something there.
I have used the thin plastics wainscoting that you see in low dollar retailers (IE Walmart/ dollar store/ local grocery chains) with good success. They are a thin plastic that cuts easy, weighs nothing and keeps you from keeping your elbows and such from getting caught on rough edges of the door.
You should be able to source it from commercial supplier that sell acoustic ceiling tiles, drywall and frp. If you are open on color, they might have partial order left over that they will let go for really cheap.
Old dryer shell, tin snips, plastic dip the edges after grinding them smooth and rivet into place.
I have a 97 Miata which had the big shoulder bolster that intrudes pretty badly. I found a nice set of door cards from a 91 in a junkyard a couple years ago and got them and floor mats for $40. Worthwhile upgrade IMO.
I find cars without door panels too crude and noisy.
For a cheap and easy solution I would do what I do to some of the vintage race cars at work.
I buy 4X8' sheets of 1/8" textured black ABS plastic for like $12. It cuts easily with a jig saw or even scissors.
A 3/16" roundover bit in the router gives it a nice finished look.
Then mount to the door with black oxide finish washers and screws
Done. Light weight, offers a slight amount of NVH reduction and looks better than nothing, a lot better than crumbling door cards.
In reply to Jumper K. Balls:
Where do you find the sheets of ABS? I was thinking about calling a sign company and trying to get a sheet or possible cuts made from that corrugated plastic sign stuff
Here in town there is a place called Multicraft plastics. I am positive most decent cities will have something similar.
I see smaller cuts on amazon for less of a bargain.
I think coroplast would look pretty bad, but to each his own.
This is a pickguard I made out of it to test the fit before I made one out of the much more expensive celluloid. It was just cut on a bandsaw and finished with a 45 degree bevel with a router. It finishes nicely. The texture looks good.
captdownshift wrote:
Old dryer shell, tin snips, plastic dip the edges after grinding them smooth and rivet into place.
Take it from an appliance service tech, an old whirlpool washer is better. The entire she'll comes of with two screws and two fasteners. The you can cut and destroy from both ends.
the doorcards in most cars are just pressboard anyway. I would run down to your local lowes or hd and pick up a sheet of paneling or even 2mm (1/4") ply and go with that. They honestly do not weigh a whole lot and might save you from shaving your fingers or hands in a wreck.
Fiberglass tub surround is available in 4x8' sheets and works very well for replacing cardboard door cards.
revrico wrote:
In reply to Jumper K. Balls:
Where do you find the sheets of ABS? I was thinking about calling a sign company and trying to get a sheet or possible cuts made from that corrugated plastic sign stuff
Most local sign companies can get similar looking textured sheet PVC in multiple colors and thicknesses. The original brand name was Sintra, but when I was in the business a few years back most suppliers had a knock off brand that was the same material for less money. I've used scrap pieces for gauge clusters and other interior stuff. Really easy to work with, can be heat molded in simple shapes and can be glued with PVC pipe cement. It makes for nice looking stuff and in thicknesses over 6mm, it's pretty structural. Avoid really high heat areas like the engine bay, though.
I think I'm going to go with Masonite, although I'm hearing it's a real pain to cut. It's 8 bucks for a 4x8 sheet, so the cheapest option I found. Unless my dishwasher has flat sides when I pull it out.
this weekend is autocross though, so I probably won't be getting to the doors right away, which will let me do some more looking.
