# Building door panels



## SinWolf

Ok guys... These pics are step-by-step, and I don't think any explination is required... But if you do have any questions, feel free to ask


----------



## SinWolf




----------



## bentleyrb

Those door panels are beautiful.
Thanks for the write-up.


----------



## kimokalihi

wow. How long have you been making these? My next step is to try my hand at some vinyl work.


----------



## cheesehead

Thanks for the pictures!

What is the white material you used around the speaker rings and crossover holders to round out the corners?


----------



## 02bluesuperroo

cheesehead said:


> Thanks for the pictures!
> 
> What is the white material you used around the speaker rings and crossover holders to round out the corners?


Body filler?

How long did this process take? They look great.


----------



## SinWolf

02bluesuperroo said:


> Body filler?
> 
> How long did this process take? They look great.


100%

The white stuff is body filler... These panels took me quite long to build, probably about 6 weeks or so, but it's because I only worked at in the evenings after work...

You can make these much quicker if you work the whole day on them !!

Thanks for the compliments guys


----------



## Entityofme1

They look great. Very clean and simple. I hope that the integrity of the body filler will hold in the long run. For that extensive amount of filling I would have opted to use duraglas which is fiberglass reinforced. It doesn't spread as easily but it still can be shaped well enough and sanded for the same application while adding superior strength and resistance to sinking over time with weather changes.Here where I live our seasons go from very cold to extremely hot and humid. If I were to have used a basic body filler for a project like that I'm sure that over the course of a year or two it would start to pit or sink. I'm not by any means bashing the end result. I'm just hopefully providing some advice that will allow for your next build project to be stronger so it will last longer.


----------



## AzGrower

WOW. cool!


----------



## bdubs767

how did you attach that piece to the actual door?


----------



## ErinH

bdubs767 said:


> how did you attach that piece to the actual door?


Exactly what I was going to ask.


----------



## Genxx

Great job those look awsome. I hope my stuff turns out that good. I really like your design and how you incorporated everything. Thanks for the step by step pics.


----------



## fastev

What kind of glue did you use on the vinyl? I've never been able to get it stretched that tight without lifting. Thanks!


----------



## ///Audience

ive always used 3m super 77. really messy stuff but never had lifting. i also think hes using that scerw driver to stuff it into the cracks between the two pieces.


----------



## the other hated guy

BassBaller5 said:


> ive always used 3m super 77. really messy stuff but never had lifting. i also think hes using that scerw driver to stuff it into the cracks between the two pieces.


super 77 will never hold up to heat...and after awhile it will lift...any of the 
3m stuff lifts...


----------



## jearhart

the other hated guy said:


> super 77 will never hold up to heat...and after awhile it will lift...any of the
> 3m stuff lifts...


then what would you recamend?


----------



## the other hated guy

jearhart said:


> then what would you recamend?


if your only option is spray can...then the stuff that Rick over at Raamat is awesome

http://www.raamaudio.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?p=pr


----------



## Thumper26

what else besides a spray can?

and how did you attach those to the door panel?


----------



## the other hated guy

Thumper26 said:


> what else besides a spray can?
> 
> and how did you attach those to the door panel?


use a pot sprayer and professional glue...that's the best way


----------



## the other hated guy

Thumper26 said:


> what else besides a spray can?
> 
> and how did you attach those to the door panel?


and all he would have had to do to attach the pod to the panel is either use thread inserts or tnuts on the back of the pod and screw from the back side of the door panel to attach...


----------



## SinWolf

bdubs767 said:


> how did you attach that piece to the actual door?


Hi,

The panel was fitted to the door card with screws (from behind the door card into my panel)... But this is not enough, because of the weight of the new pannel. So what I did is: Before I mounted the speaker, I installed a nut and bolt through the panel to bolt the panel to the door itself....











And the crossover was also bolted through the panel, directly onto these extra bracing strips I installed...










So the door card is not only fastened using the OEM clips, but also the extra bolt, and the 2 bolts at the crosover. This is more than enough support for the panel and door card


----------



## SinWolf

fastev said:


> What kind of glue did you use on the vinyl? I've never been able to get it stretched that tight without lifting. Thanks!


Well, here in SA we have experimented with alot of glue, and find the PEKAY contact adhesive to be the best...

http://www.pekaygroup.com/fu.html

I'm not to sure as to witch formula we used, but I think it was the V446.


----------



## vwtoby

exellent wrapping china 

whats next for the citi?

cheers


----------



## SinWolf

Thanks all for your compliments....




vwtoby said:


> exellent wrapping china
> 
> whats next for the citi?
> 
> cheers




Well.... I need to fabricate a trim panel in the boot to house a LCD screen, and to neaten up the boot area... And then, I need to fabricate a centre console which shall also be used to house my PS2


----------



## scott_fx

your work is top notch and inspirational to say the least


----------



## W8 a minute

In 6 weeks you did more in your backyard, using a tree stump than I did all summer with a fully equipped wood shop/garage.

I feel like a loser.


----------



## SinWolf

W8 a minute said:


> In 6 weeks you did more in your backyard, using a tree stump than I did all summer with a fully equipped wood shop/garage.
> 
> I feel like a loser.


I used that tree stump as a base for my "custom" router table :blush: :blush: :blush:


----------



## Oliver

Very nice, Sinwolf !!

1] skill = 10
2] imagination = 10
3] treestump = priceless


----------



## Turborusty

I'm forced to pay someone to build them for me.......as I own neither a tree stump nor bricks 



Turborusty


----------



## thazy2

wow! make me a set : )


----------



## 60ndown

ive removed about 15 door panels in the last 20 years, never once got 1 back on right. i break the plastic clips. and often tear the board in my 'passion' :blush:


----------



## lotusing

You did this after work? What type of work do you do and if it not installing than you are in the wrong line of work.I know places that would pay big for your talent


----------



## SinWolf

lotusing said:


> You did this after work? What type of work do you do and if it not installing than you are in the wrong line of work.I know places that would pay big for your talent


 No, I'm not in the sound industry  

I finished my studies as an Electronic/Computer Engineer about 2 yrs ago, and is busy with my 3 yrs Engineer in training, so that I can register proffesional...

Car audio is a side-line hobby


----------



## GlasSman

Top notch work.

What vinyl did you use and was it easy to work with?


----------



## rapsucks_07

whats the white stuff u used to make the curves. looks like really smoth bondo. also looks easy to work with


----------



## Steak

rapsucks_07 said:


> whats the white stuff u used to make the curves. looks like really smoth bondo. also looks easy to work with


that's body filler...


----------



## bobditts

SinWolf said:


> The white stuff is body filler...





rapsucks_07 said:


> whats the white stuff u used to make the curves.


----------



## GlasSman

Nice.


----------



## Horton Hears The Who

My applause also! Just beautiful. I would like to see the end result. Pictures of the doors finished and I'm surprised nobody asked to see a picture at night with those custom door lights.

I was also interested in how the wiring made it from the crossover to the speaker. I'm guessing there was a little trough routered out.

The only downside I see, and it's not his fault, is the speaker terminals. I've had this complaint for years. Spade connectors have no place on high quality speakers. You go to all the trouble of installing good quality wire and it ends up making poor contact on a spade connector.

After a few months of vibration and temperature cycling what do you think the resistance of that connector is?


----------



## oneiztoomany

amazing work, more finished pics please!!!


----------



## beastmode

you did a really good job i like all of the pictures.


----------



## SinWolf

Thanks guys !!!

I have removed the door panel "inserts" because I want to re-cover them in another shade of gray vinyl. I'll be finished in a month or so, and then I post some pics


----------



## Rockin'Z28

I love the effect of the letters under the vinyl. Where did you get them?? How thick are they?? 

I'm trying to get that same effect by using a CNC to carve a logo into the top of my Sub box. My letters are 1/4" high, but the MDF keeps separating and I'm left with only half a letter, or a stub of a letter.

Thanks.


----------



## SinWolf

Rockin'Z28 said:


> I love the effect of the letters under the vinyl. Where did you get them?? How thick are they??
> 
> I'm trying to get that same effect by using a CNC to carve a logo into the top of my Sub box. My letters are 1/4" high, but the MDF keeps separating and I'm left with only half a letter, or a stub of a letter.
> 
> Thanks.


Ok, I'll spare you ALOT of time and explain how I did it  

What I did is, I glued a piece of of-cutt vinyl where I want the lettering. Then I used a hertz sticker and I stuck it on the vinyl (you can also print the writing on a pc)... This sticker was my template...

I then cut the along the lines of the sticker, and removed the vinyl that will NOT form part of the logo... like this...










On the pic, you can clearly see that the "logo" is a vinyl logo...

Then you just cover over the vinyl logo. Make sure you get the glue niceley inside the corners of the logo...











^^^^ Like this.....

And then you cover it, and take some extra time to press the covering vinyl nicely inside the corners of your logo, to make it stand out more !!!


----------



## Rockin'Z28

That's a beautiful thing. Thanks for the reply. I was sitting at my computer right now plotting out the logo I want. I was going to cut out the letters individually and try to align them. Your method will save me a lot of hours and aggravation.

Thanks a ton!!!


----------



## NeverEnuffBass

Amazing job, I love doing raised vinyl projects.


----------



## CHH777

Those are simply beautiful. Excelent work.


----------



## yermolovd

Your work is the inspiration for my project that I'm starting tomorrow.

I won't be attaching a speaker to the panel, I just need to modify my panel to house an 8" grill and the driver will go in the door.
I have a question about body filler, will it hold together between plastic panel and mdf ring? (I'm blending them together).


----------



## GeoffB

Nice builds, and a great tutorial. 
I just noticed its a south african citi (mk1) golf too. Reading the thread the doors looked formilier to me for some reason but it took me a while to twig why lol. There not quite the same layout as early mk1's like mine but at least they moved the window winding mechanism and winder handle on the newer cars. 
Very nice and its very rare to see systems in mk1s i must find and visit some SA forums to try and see some more examples.


----------



## EMU

very inspiring work you've done! wish i had half the skills!


----------



## AzGrower

het mooi werk tot dusver heren!

tot ziens


----------



## something2003

why did you use two different colors of vinyl


----------



## ///Audience

something2003 said:


> why did you use two different colors of vinyl


probably because it offsets each other perfectly!


----------



## jj_diamond

sickness. 




very nice work!


----------



## dsg74

Great looking door panels! Very similar to what I was thinking of doing in my truck. Try http://brandsoftheworld.com/categories/ to find logos to print out.


----------



## dsg74

Great looking door panels! Very similar to what I was thinking of doing in my truck. For anyone who is interested, try brandsoftheworld.com for logos you can print out.


----------



## dsg74

Nice door panels! Very similar to what I'm wanting to do in my truck.


----------



## BlackSapphire

dsg74 said:


> Great looking door panels! Very similar to what I was thinking of doing in my truck. Try http://brandsoftheworld.com/categories/ to find logos to print out.


Nice find!


----------



## hemi4me?

Man those are perfect in my eyes I love them


----------



## sirsleepsalot

Very impressive... might have to steal a couple ideas...


----------



## daGwagon

BUMP for finished product pics? night pics
VERY nice looking panels... i wish i had flat door cards 

-Garrett


----------



## SinWolf

daGwagon said:


> BUMP for finished product pics? night pics
> VERY nice looking panels... i wish i had flat door cards
> 
> -Garrett


Hi,

Sorry, but the car has been stolen about 4 months ago....


----------



## blackwolf

SinWolf said:


> Hi,
> 
> Sorry, but the car has been stolen about 4 months ago....


Sorry for your loss. I know first hand about the anger and frustration that goes with having a vehicle stolen.

For what it's worth, thanks for the great tutorial and good luck to you.


----------



## daGwagon

SinWolf said:


> Hi,
> 
> Sorry, but the car has been stolen about 4 months ago....



damn dude that sux sorry bout that
thanx for the write up tho very nice looking panels


----------



## lyttleviet

wow... I am a big Hertz user and that work looks amazing............. DROOOOOOOL >.<


----------



## ss600r

That is an impressive gift you have. And there is nothing in the world I hate more than thieves.


----------



## PsychoZX

Great job on the door panels. I hope to eventually have the skills to build something like that for my car.


----------



## Porky

Stolen! Damn thieves!! I sure hope you get your car back. And by the way, you made the construction of those door panels look easy


----------



## Believe78

Very nice . Thank you for the tutorial!


----------



## w00tw00t111

I'm sorry to hear the car was stolen!!! That...argh that sucks.

Thanks for the tutorial though, the panels look amazing!!


----------



## Strtsk8r321

Wow thats a lot of work! beautiful though!


----------



## pjc

great post... like the simplicity


----------



## BlackFx4InTn

WoW Excellent work. You just gave me some ideas for when I build my amp rack. I love the frame around the crossover which is what I want to do around my amps and crossovers on my amp rack, then cover with vinyl. Did you cut that out with a router? I've never done something like this and I'm not really sure of where to start.


----------



## WhiteSSP

Amazing work, definitely great for some ideas of what I might be doing in the future.


----------



## mpinto19k

Great build log will be much help, thanks! I doubt mine will look anything like that but trial and error is a beautiful thing!


----------



## otomix

scott_fx said:


> your work is top notch and inspirational to say the least



Exactly what Scott said! Great work man!


----------



## sinister-kustoms

Wow, those panels are NICE! Will be stealing some ideas for sure!


----------



## NinjaHanzo

Thanks for this tutorial, 
This makes me want to do my own door panels.


----------



## bmwproboi05

where are the night pics with the lights


----------



## orange_spl

Great job...great finished and great components.

The result a great sound.

I´m trying to fabricate my own door panels, but i´m new on this things.

And my english it´s not good


----------



## jjbeenken

Just got a set of hsk163 off JOOONNN, i had the same idea in mind, look great! Quality work too!


----------



## Noobdelux

did you get your car back?

hope so great install..

annyway what type of component did you install there 6.5"?


----------



## myhikingboots

sub'd


----------



## RaunchyTheBug

Nice How To Guide! Makes ideas


----------

