How To Build Custom Door Panels - Sintra/Expanded PVC Fabrication

36 hours worth of work later we have a door panel...
Welcome to (does stuff garage) - Today I'm gonna show you how I built custom door panels on our 1963 Buick Riviera LS swapped project car. I started with a few sheets of 1/4 and 3/8 inch Sintra boards which is a brand name for expanded PVC sheeting. I chose this material because all the tools you use for wood can be reused and its waterproof. It's also way less mess than fiberglass. Once I got them cut into manageable pieces - I laid out some cardboard and made a pattern of what the old door panel probably looked like. Once I traced and cut two copies of that out of the Cintra I test fit everything back on the car and did some trimming/sanding to get everything to fit.
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/ @matthewfinlay
Then comes the fun part - my center recessed panel is inspired by 1966 Ford Mustang door panel. Not only is it a pretty attractive design from the factory, it looks pretty nice on other cars too! You can even order the outer chrome trim bezels from suppliers like CJ Pony and use those to make pattern from.
To make the center panel more interesting I added some speed lines with a router and a scrap board moved across the panel matching the back angle of the center panel. Be sure to make you grooves a little bigger then you think you need because once you vinyl/upholstery it your lines will not look as intense. I also finished up the edges of the panel with some 45 degree angles and rounded corners.
The best glue for Sintra is Christy's Red Hot PVC Blue Glue - it's my favorite glue for this type of project. Epoxy and CA glue/accelerator also works well depending on what you have access too. Be sure to install your christmas trees/clips/hurricane nuts in between the panel before you fasten them together. Stay tuned to the next DIY videos for adding sound deadener and building arm rests!
#projectcar #fabrication

[@patrickmball]

5 Stars. Would buy again. This is really what Tim Berners-Lee envisioned when he invented KZbin.

[@JoJeromeMP]

Informative AND entertaining! Thanks!

[@MatthewFinlay]

Thanks buddy!

[@JohnnyThrobber]

Absolutely LOVE your humor and professional quality videos! The content is great and I learned a ton from this video. The quality of your video editing and your on camera presence goes WAY beyond most videos on KZbin. Amazing work! Thanks for what you do!

[@MatthewFinlay]

Thank you so much for your kind words! I appreciate having you as a fan!

[@supernotfunnyman]

your videos crack me up man. keep up the good times!

[@MatthewFinlay]

Thanks buddy! I’m glad your here and enjoy them. No promises you’ll learn anything but hopefully ya enjoy the process

[@supernotfunnyman]

@@MatthewFinlay well, even if I learn what not to do, then I'm learning something ha ha ha thanks again

[@fixesflyers]

Great video. It's like watching Charlie from Always Sunny lol

[@MatthewFinlay]

My idol haha

[@RandomJ2023]

You gave me a great idea to replace the side door on my trailer!

[@MatthewFinlay]

Thanks buddy! Expanded PVC would be perfect for trailers, campers or RVs. It might have to be special ordered, but you can get around 6-10 colors if you don’t wanna upholster it. Unfortunately most plastic places I’ve used only get white or black in-stock. Good luck sir!

[@RandomJ2023]

@@MatthewFinlay thank you, not much worried about looks, just functionality.

[@proatbilliards]

im so excited to start making my door panel for my project beammer e46 got the whole m3 kit on it gonna try some alcantara on it. cant wait. thanks for the knowledge

[@MatthewFinlay]

Nice buddy! I love mixing alcantara into door panels and headliners! Be careful with how you apply your adhesive. I have a video about making a rear deck speaker panel and I brushed the DAP Landua Top Adhesive on but you really have to spray it with alcantara because it absorbs more like a fabric then a vinyl and can bleed through if you get it too “wet”. Find me on Facebook if you have any questions or need pointers - I’d love it see it!

[@kevincody01]

Did you ever do the panels? I'm looking to make new panels for my E36 but also a novice. Matt, I know you joke about panels, but realistically is it something doable if I'm handy and take time? Where are you from also? Thx

[@CrazyGuyBlahBlah]

When you gonna follow up on these panels?

[@N1ickem4n]

Hey! Where did the next video go? About the upholstery and stuff? Searched but didn't see it. Maybe you can link it for me? Cheers!

[@dbc105]

Matt, where did you get this material. I have 2 old cars and the door panels have nice vinyl but the cardboard backer is shot, this would work perfect and I figure hold up much better.

[@dbc105]

I can't find a video on the door handle build.

[@skyecooleyartwork]

Stiffness: How does 1/4" PVC compare to 1/4" plywood (underlayment)? Considering making motorcycle panniers from 1/4" or 1/2" PVC.

[@MatthewFinlay]

Ya there definitely pros and cons to both in that situation. The wood would be easier to fabricate and glue edges to make a box shape but might warp if it gets moisture in there or splashed on/in. I would definitely step up to 1/2” PVC, a 1/4” panel left in the sun all day will get little. Which isn’t usually a problem when upholstered and mounted to something in a car but left to self support, 1/2” min is my vote. But to answer your question - a piece of wood will be stiffer than PVC. PVC will have a little more floppy/bendyness at that thickness.

[@papergatorzfedducca7998]

New subscriber 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@MatthewFinlay]

Thanks buddy! Glad you’re here - I’m working on some sound deadening videos, hiding a dash cam in a car/truck and some 3D printing projects. Hope you enjoy!

[@papergatorzfedducca7998]

@@MatthewFinlay are you going to show how you did the metal piece at the top of the door panel and armrest? Where the tee nuts go? I didn’t see them in the finished panel.

[@MatthewFinlay]

Oh, the metal piece was part of my original door panel that I reused. It’s simply enough to make if you don’t have one though. Stack a few layer of expanded PVC together and use a table saw at the angle you want the top at. The t-nuts are in there, sandwiched in between the layer so they don’t pull out. I’m missing parts for my cars door latch so I haven’t made the upholstery video yet. I will though! I have a guy look in his parts car for the stuff I need as we speak.

[@papergatorzfedducca7998]

@@MatthewFinlay I wish you would’ve went into more details on this build. Don’t too many people show this style of door panels.

[@panchovllaa7791]

Do u have any more videos off the buick

[@MatthewFinlay]

A few actually and iconically I’m shooting a video with the Buick right now for an upcoming video on testing sound deadeners! I plan on making a video doing a walk around and explaining how we did the LS swap soon too, might wanna get subscribed for that!

[@chrishuyler3580]

Is there a followup to this video? I assume you planned to cover it with Vinyl? I've watched a number of these videos and although your layered PVC looks nice, I'm wondering if doing the additional layers in foam volara would provide a quieter driving experience. It isn't quite as easy to cut with router bits, but will hide some imperfections and feel softer to the touch as well.

[@MatthewFinlay]

Not yet, I’ve had a terrible time tracking down all the door lock mechanism and missing components for the car. But I didn’t find the drivers side parts so I’m working on finishing at least one side for a video! I like to place a layer of butyl sound deadening on the door metal and a thin layer of self adhesive closed cell foam to keep things from vibrating on each other.

[@MatthewFinlay]

You can see the difference it made here in this video!

[@MatthewFinlay]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aGfHoqmma9mrqMU

[@CGphotoOp]

Did you ever make a follow up video? Curious to see the end result.

[@earlguillory5168]

@ Matthew Finlay You said you only use blue glue and no primer (5:22). Have you ever tried PVC cleaner and then cement? If so, what were the results?

[@MatthewFinlay]

I have not - it’s just something we never did but I actually don’t know why haha. Super glue or CA medium is what I use for small parts. The problem is the large size and relatively high cost of CA glue doesn’t make it really economical even though it is a great bond. Recently the boys at the shop started using adhesive resin to bond large panels/layers together because it’s not an instant bond and if you get it wrong - the part is trash.

[@coreydobbs6273]

great Ideas I was wondering where did you buy the PVC from?

[@MatthewFinlay]

I bought it from a local plastic supply company, if you google search plastic sheeting, expanded PVC or Cintra sheet you’ll find the closest vendor. If nothing local I just call the closest place and have them ship it to me in 2x4 foot sections of the 4x8 sheet. It was $38 bucks to ship a sheet that way a few years back. Cheers buddy!

[@313ralphiee7]

How thick was the pvc sheets

[@MatthewFinlay]

I like to use 1/4 for the thinner stuff and 3/8 for the thicker. Super glue works really well for bonding small prices together

[@cackleberryfarm4598]

Did you ever do a video on building the arm rest?

[@MatthewFinlay]

Working on it now actually! It was a nightmare tracking down the missing door latch parts for the car and ironically I still don’t have all them for the passenger side. If you want a sneak peak of how to make an armrest check out our video about making cup holders (I’ll link it below). It’s literally the same procedure but with an arm rest shape. Cheers buddy!

[@MatthewFinlay]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6KlmYuGjNusb6M

[@isaaccardenas3515]

You’re hilarious

[@twisteddreamz9977]

Where is the 2nd part of this video you mentioned? I think you are hilarious btw

[@MatthewFinlay]

Oh it’s coming, our car was unfortunately missing most the passenger side door lock mechanism, rods, brackets and a few pieces on the drivers side. I’ve had a heck of a time tracking it down and unfortunately can’t finish the panel until I have some them. I do have all the parts for the driver side now so I’ll be picking the project back up soon. Cheers buddy!

[@MatthewFinlay]

And thank you! You’re awesome and I’m glad you’re here and enjoyed the video! We do have a video about making a rear package tray speaker panel and it covers the finishing and vinyl wrapping if you wanna the basics of what we’ll be doing!

[@MatthewFinlay]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpPNiZyIr7-Id9E

[@bjroberts6521]

Did you do that video on the door handle?

[@MatthewFinlay]

Not yet, but don’t worry it’s in the pipe line! I’m actually missing all the Buick side door latch, rods and parts for the passenger door. My hope was to track them all down and before the next video but I’ve only found a few pieces. I think I’m gonna have to shoot a video about finishing the drivers door and deal with passenger side later. So hang in there!

[@luismorales6351]

AND the 45° angles😢

[@MatthewFinlay]

You know you love them 45s