How to Make Door Panels for a Truck

Building a custom car or truck means you can design your vehicle to look or perform any way you want. Part of that involves building a custom interior, designed to your specifications. At first, it seems like a daunting task, but if you have time and patience, you can build your own set of custom door panels in a few hours. In this case, the project vehicle is a 1994 Toyota pickup, but the process is the same for many other vehicles as well.

Things You'll Need

• Phillips head screwdriver
• Interior trim-panel removal tool
• 2-by-4-foot piece of 1/4-inch Masonite
• Jigsaw with fine-tooth blades
• Circular saw
• 2 sawhorses
• Pencil
• Drill and drill bits
• Christmas tree clips
• Contact cement
• 2 yards of vinyl
• 2 yards of 1/4-inch closed-cell foam
• Razor blades
• Staple gun and 1/4-inch staples

Instructions

1. Unscrew the interior door handle and arm rest using the Phillips head screwdriver. This will free up the handle for the next step.

2. Remove the door panel by placing the interior panel removal tool between the door and the door panel. There are several Christmas tree clips that surround the perimeter of the door panel, and the interior trim tool will help you remove them.

3. Pull off the door panel from the truck.

4. Place the 1/4-inch Masonite on the sawhorses and place the door panel on top of it.

5. Disassemble the stock door panel by removing all of the vinyl stapled to the panel and pulling out the Christmas tree clips. This should leave you with a bare piece of wood with some holes in it.

6. Place the old door panel on top of the Masonite and trace out the perimeter and any holes using the pencil. You're going to duplicate this panel with a new panel, so make sure everything matches that you want to transfer over.

7. Cut out the perimeter of the markings on the Masonite using the circular saw for the larger cuts, and the jigsaw for the corners. Continue cutting out each mark on the Masonite using the drill and drill bits for the Christmas tree mounts and to start any additional holes that need to be worked out with the jigsaw.

8. Place each of the Christmas tree clips into the door panel. You're going to glue over these in the next few steps, so make sure they're in there correctly.

9. Place the new door panel onto the foam and cut out the foam using the razor blades to match the perimeter of the panel. Cut out designs or patterns at this point if you like.

10. Spray the contact cement on both the closed-cell foam and the door panel. When it gets tacky, place the foam on top of the door panel, which will adhere the two together.

11. Lay the door panel on top of the vinyl. Cut out the vinyl with the razor blade; leave at least 2 inches around the perimeter of the vinyl. This way, you can have some extra to wrap the panel. If you don't want to use vinyl, you can use any other material you like as well.

12. Spray the backside of the vinyl and the foam on the door panel with the contact cement. When it gets tacky, place the vinyl on top of the door panel, which will adhere the two together. If you have any patterns in the foam, make sure the vinyl is pressed into the crevices and tight against all edges.

13. Wrap the excess vinyl around the back of the panel and staple it to the wood. Make sure the vinyl is tight so there are no wrinkles.

14. Reinstall the new door panel by placing it on the door and hitting the Christmas tree clips into place using the palm of your hand. Then reattach the armrest if you want, and the interior handle using the Phillips head screwdriver.

Resources

• Christmas Tree Clips