Clearly, the original Ford Country Squire door panels did not need to be replaced as there were years of reliable service remaining.
But, I replaced them anyway. This is the passenger door which turned out much better than the drivers door. In other words, I am getting better at it.Using the original door panels as a model, I trimmed the aluminum panels to the almost correct size by leaving them a little long to anticipate the losses from the roll at the top. Since I do not have a sheet metal slip roll or brake, I was not able to curve the top edge. The local sheet metal shop matched the curve to the original door panel in about 5 minutes and then put a hard edge at the top to hook into the door. I would love to say that the service was great and prices reasonable, but it was not. The sheet metal shop is run by a cantankerous old world bastard. The sort of fellow that has phenominal chops and deep knowledge, but is an arrogant prick that has zero interest in sharing even a few tips while complaining the whole time about how youth has no interest in learning the lost arts. Jerk.
I lined up the panels on the door, marked the material that needed to be trimmed and did the final cuts with tin snips. After lining the edges with weatherstriping, I re-hung the panel and attached the door hardware to hold it roughly in place. Starting at the top, I drilled and riveted my way around the door panel.
