How To Rebuild Your Door Panels

Once completed, the door panel reinstalls just like the original. We installed new push clips in place of the original rusted pins. OPG also offers replacement cups for the door, which are sometimes missing or broken. The entire operation including front and rear panels took about a day to complete. Our Judge is back to cruising the strip in style, and now, no more mildew scent!

The original window felts...        read full caption The original window felts were stapled on; these needed to be removed to complete the installation. A die-grinder and cutoff wheel made quick work of the staples.	Again using the die-grinder,...        read full caption Again using the die-grinder, the original star-punch holes were ground off leaving a flat, uniform surface to mount the new panel. We also hit the metal with a Scotch-Brite Roloc pad on a die-grinder to clean up the surface rust and residual adhesive.	The new panel was laid up...        read full caption The new panel was laid up against the backing plate along the line we marked earlier. A couple of clamps held it in place while the backing board and metal support were drilled approximately every 6 inches.
Using a generic pop-rivet...        read full caption Using a generic pop-rivet gun, the two pieces were joined together. This was much easier and more secure than trying to reuse the original punched holes.	The backside of the rivets...        read full caption The backside of the rivets needed to be knocked down so the panel would sit flush against the body. A 2x4 block and a hammer flattened them nicely.	While rattle-can spray glue...        read full caption While rattle-can spray glue is OK, much better results will be obtained by using high-quality spray adhesive and a cheap paint gun. The glue is available from most any upholstery shop. The glue was sprayed on the metal backing plate.