Monday, September 12, 2005

Ford Country Squire Door Panels Replaced!

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.