Interior Panel Upholstery

[RobbyJoe]

I'm thinking about putting vinyl on the interior panels of my wagon. They're currently just stained masonite-like material) I figured I'd glue vinyl fabric on each panel to spruce up the interior. I'm wondering if there's any benefit to using a layer of 1/8" foam beneath the vinyl? Anyone have any experience with this? Seems like a pretty easy DIY improvement.

 

[Lookout Ranch]

The stained Masonite material with a slightly marbled texture surface is stock, I believe. If yours is, you may want to preserve the panels and use them as patterns to made new ones from something else for your project.
The foam would help to absorb noise. You could have an upholsterer sew the foam to the back of your vinyl, creating a light diamond or tuck-and-roll upholstered appearance in the process.

 

[mickeykelley]

Did they ever come from the factory with vinyl or always just Maronite ?

 

[dahreno]

Make or buy replacement panels and go buy upholstery you like. They make some with foam already on the back. Hold on to the stock panels, or sell them to someone who is die-hard stock. I made my interior panels instead of buying them, I made them twice as thick. I had to install rivnuts and screws for the front panels as the stock clips were to short and I couldn't find longer ones. It turned out just fine for me. I know some will spend a lot more then me and get fancy upholstery but mine is an off road machine, bound to get gouged and dirty.

 

[RobbyJoe]

Thanks for the pics Dave, that's pretty much what I had in mind. There's a full set of Masonite panels on EBay right now for $85 all pre-drilled and ready to go. I'm pretty sure that's a good deal when you consider time and materials. I'm not sure my panels are original as some are smooth and some have a textured finish. I'll research them a bit more before I potentially muck up a desired original. I'm not looking for anything too fancy, but clean is nice and anything to help with sound deadening is a plus in these rigs.

 

[Larry Messing]

I have a original masonite panel from my 51 pickup that I am building. Now my idea was to come up with a interior fabric that is machine washable and then come up with a way to attach to the panel so that it still removable so when it gets dirty you just simply take it off throw in the washing machine wash it and put it back on.

Larry

 

[edudley]

I used foam on mine I think it was 1/4" It was too think and looked goofy. I removed it

 

[RobbyJoe]

Hey Larry. I'm choosing vinyl for exactly that reason, I can wash it in place with a damp rag if it gets dirty. Eric, I know what you mean, I'm not fond of the "overstuffed furniture" look that a lot of cars in that era had. Maybe an 1/8" foam would be ok? I'll do one panel and then decide. I may just go with sticking just the vinyl straight to the Masonite panel without and other backing. It'll still be a softer look/feel than just the plain panel but still be utilitarian. Just gotta decide on color... Thanks for the pictures!

 

[dahreno]

I didn't like the E Bay Masonite panels, they were to thin for me.

Mine are twice as thick and have a Formica backing on them that face toward the inside of the door for moisture control. Most old wood panels have some kind of water damage that cause them to warp. I can also bang on them, or lean heavy stuff on them and they don't distort of crack. They were also quit a bit cheaper for me to make. I don't like the idea of a foam backing, seems like it could get snagged on something easier. I've also insulated the whole inside of the wagon so I wasn't concerned about added insulation.

I never consider time when I'm doing something for myself that I enjoy, I just never consider the cost of my labor and put a dollar amount on it. If I think I can do it myself, do a good or better job, and less out of pocket expenses, I think I'm ahead of the game. I probably spent 100 bucks or so on all material, including wood, the adhesive and grey vinyl.

I actually found the rear arm rests in the color I needed, new old stock, on E bay. Then I found the same material, and had them sewn together, then I installed the red material over my existing front arm rests. Now all I have to do is wait several months for my knee to heal so I can drive it again. It's not as satisfying to have my son come over and drive it for me so it doesn't just sit all that time !

 

[65ELCMO]

Velcro on the backside might work

 

[65ELCMO]

edudley That looks nice. Is that carpet under the wood strips?

 

[edudley]

Yes that carpet from Lowes under the wood strips. I eventually had all the smaller pieces bound at a carpet shop which really made it look nice. I too used 1/4" plywood to make my panels and I also added sound insulation inside all of the compartments.

 

[65ELCMO]

Yes that carpet from Lowes under te wood strips. I eventually had all the smaller pieces bound at a carpet shop which really made it look nice. I too used 1/4" plywood to make my panels and I also added sound insulation inside all of the compartments.

I like that look.

 

[lemsteraak]

Hey Rob,

I went to SEMA a few years back and was impressed with what the hot rodders were doing with their panels. Had a nice chat with the guys at hotroddoors, they don't exist anymore but they kept their concepts on the internet. Start with their checklist and go from there, you can pick up most of the materials locally as panels are expensive to ship. Here is the link - http://www.roddoors.com/pages/f-t-f-cklst.html

Oh, and keep the stock panels, remember, be kind to the next owner

Rich

 

[Greg5565]

I used a new Masonite set off of eBay for my wagon - the Masonite was 3/16". On the doors, I added 1/4" foam before covering with vinyl. On the kick panels as well as rear panels, I covered the Masonite in a single layer, cloth batting first and then covered with vinyl over that but no foam on these secondary panels. This was the closest I could match to what I had seen as original panels.

 

[RobbyJoe]

Hi Rich! The panels in the wagon right now don't match. The front doors and rear cargo area panels seem to be a cardboard or maybe masonite-type material with a smooth, dark finish. The center panels under the slider windows are embossed with some sort of crinkle pattern and are grey. I'm not sue if any are actually originals but the door panels and rear cargo panels are in pretty sad shape with water staining, warping, and the holes torn out or blown through. Not sure they'd be good for anything beyond patterns. I'd never throw away an original part if it were still serviceable or repairable, but these skirt the edge to say the least.

 

[65ELCMO]

Did the wagons with the woody look three tone paint have wood interior panels?

 

[Willy001]

Rob, I went for the OE look using 3/16 upholstery board and match the material as close as possible. I did how ever change the color. All the material were available from a local supplier and I used my old panels for patterns. If you rally want a nice flat look you can use a body shop product Skim Coat, sand and prime them and no imperfections show through. I found the board easy to cut with a fine blade in a jig say and sand papered the edges..
Dan

 

[RobbyJoe]

Thanks Dan! great pics! That's exactly what I'm looking to do with my panels, except with a light grey vinyl. Nice clean look. You're Wagon is definitely in a different league than mine, but new panes will spruce it up quite a bit. I considered just painting them, but the vinyl isn't that expensive or hard to do and it softens up the interior just a bit. It looks like one piece of 4x8 material will do the job? Thanks again!

 

[germain]

Check my gallery for panels with tweed/vinyl desigh, not original, just my design. Made cardboard templates, then cut final panels. Put foam, probably 3/16", and glued covering to panel. Used velcro, industrial strength to attach panels, but had to add a few screws after the summer we had 68 straight days of 100+ degree heat here in DFW. The adhesive got gooy and the door panels started sliding down the door.