Headliner and Door/Kick Panel Sources....

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Bigger Hammer
Jun 13, 2016
129
Northern Illinois
First Name
Chris
Willys Model
  1. Pickup
Willys Year:
  1. 1948
Does anyone have any good pictures, feedback, advice on headliner kits and door/kick panel kits for a 48 Pickup from vendors like Willys America, Walcks, Kaiser Willys, etc? I have checked all of them out and not only do they vary in price, but some are more "complete" than others. Also, Willys America's claim to be some type of plastic if I remember correctly... good, bad? What material are other companies made out of? Are they all paintable to make them original in color? Any feedback and advice would be appreciated!
 
Does it all have to look original ? I made my own kick panels, door panels, and the rear panels and covered them myself for a fraction of buying everything. It looks new, clean, but not original, if that's what your looking for. I haven't done a headliner yet.
 
i dont know bout all that as far as kits or material and such what i am going to do is seeing i have a original door panel i am gunna use it as a template to make two new ones now the kick panels will be a trial and error custom cut to fit though i can get a very close match starting point by pulling a kick panel off the White Beast.The head liner is gonna be a way down the road if and when i ever get to the point of needing and interior done.

(P.S) i sent you a PM on stock dome light


Larry
 
I agree with Dave, for the kick panels and side interior panels, you're going to have a lot less $ in it if you make them yourself. I know that Willys America sells complete kick panel kits that I assume should fit, but they are pricey, and you still have to upholster them. I ended up using a really thin plywood (I think it was 1/8" utility board/plywood) from Home Depot that came in 4x8 sheets. There are several threads on the HAMB talking about different materials you can use for making panels. A lot of people like Luan plywood, but I couldn't find it in big enough sheets that I wanted. I shied away from anything cardboard or fiber board based since it swells when it gets wet. Thin plywood should be pretty water resistant and is very light and easy to work with and cut. I think a few members here have also stained the plywood and installed it as-is without upholstering it. Since my interior had already been redone before, some of the holes were in different places where the panels screwed in to the body. If I had ordered them precut and pre-drilled, I would have still had to do some work.

I would find a good upholstery shop locally and they may be willing to sell you material. I found a distributor near me that was willing to sell to individuals and allowed me to come pick it up at their warehouse.

As far as headliners go, I ordered mine on ebay from goliners. Willys America had the cheapest price but after calling and talking with them a couple times and them making it as difficult as possible to order one, I spent more money and just bought the ebay kit. The ebay kit from goliners fit absolutely perfect. If you call and talk to him, he will also give you pricing on additional material. I ordered enough to do my interior panels as well. That way the headliner and panels match. I used 3M upholstery adhesive to attach the upholstery to the plywood panels I cut, but I would use a different kind of adhesive next time.
 
I wasn't concerned about originality and definitely didn't want to go back to cardboard backing. I used Masonite with a vinyl or a Formica type finish on one side I found at Home Depot. I used the Formica side facing outward for water protection, sprayed 3M adhesive and bought some gray Vinyl material that came close to matching my interior and glued it down. It looked and worked fine and still does about 5 years later. I use my wagon for 4 wheeling so I have no doubt I'll be redoing them after a while .
 
A lot of people here promote making your own but I will go against the grain and say check out The Jeepsterman. They make the seat kits most companies sell and are very authentic and know their stuff. I am most likely buying panels and headliner from them as they helped me make decisions along the way with valuable knowledge on my seats. Now if you don't mind originality or just want a homemade look, by all means use your old ones as templates and have at her. Post your results either way!
 
Hey everyone,

Thanks so much for the opinions and replies, I really appreciate all of them! My goal on this truck is to put it back to as close to factory original as possible. I don't really mind using a newer material over an old one (like cardboard vs. a wood or synthetic material), but I do want to stay true to the look and fitment as much as possible. Thus, the reason I do plan to buy panels that are as close to original as possible. I have seen pics of trucks restored to "original" by Willys America (see the 1947 picture from their site below), and they have left me somewhat confused because the door panels in the pictures do not appear to be covered in any material, and dont match the upholstery as many say was the case originally. They look to be more of a brownish wood look, so I am confused as to what they actually used on these trucks originally. There seem to be too many conflicting ideas on what EXACTLY a 1948 pickup came with from the factory as far as headliner and door/kick panels are concerned!

More pictures of the truck I am talking about at the bottom of this page: http://www.willysamerica.com/restorations/trucks/index.html *** My truck is the exact same Potomac Grey with Red wheels as seen here, so I am trying to make it as correct as possible, and I assume basing it off this restoration by Willys America would be a good one to mimic? Or am I wrong?
47truck3.jpg
 
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Here's a shot of my interior - can sorta see the kick panel and most of the door panel. I don't know what the original was as dad had to replace it in between the time he bought the truck (in 1957) and before I was old enough to notice anything (about 1969). He used a textured masonite panel that he cut to fit. When I rebuilt it, I couldn't find a textured tempered hardboard so I went with the smooth. Cut to fit, couple of coats of paint, and done.

interior.jpg


I missed this on e-bay several years ago:

680185-Pad, Cowl Trim Left, Group 31-12

i-4_B.jpg


And a section of the wrapper torn open:

i-3_B_L.jpg


Don't know anything else about it but it's 'factory'...
 
There's a guy on Ebay who sells a full set of panels (Rear, Door, and Kick) with all the screw holes pre drilled. His sets usually go for $100 or less (he does lots of them). They're made of masonite I believe and you'd need to paint or cover them as you see fit. You can do it cheaper yourself if you have good templates, but that price is pretty good IMHO. God luck!
 
Your not going against my grain when you give Jeepsterman high praise, I have bought more high quality stuff from them then anywhere else, at a good price. I used all 1/4" thick board for my panels and the original spring/clips that held the original door panels on were to short. I ended up installing nutserts and used polished S.S. washers and screws.
 
Mine were pretty worn but original. Tried to match original color and carefully rolled on. Made a world of difference. If you still have originals they might be made presentable again.
 
This picture shows the original door panel in my 62. It was a hardboard/fiberboard covered with something almost like wallpaper. It was very thin.
20070913_0001.jpg

Here is what it looks like now with new hardboard from Home Depot and upholstery.
IMG_1325.jpg
Sorry I don't have a recent pic with door handle and upholstery buttons installed.
 
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Hey everyone,

Thanks so much for the opinions and replies, I really appreciate all of them! My goal on this truck is to put it back to as close to factory original as possible. I don't really mind using a newer material over an old one (like cardboard vs. a wood or synthetic material), but I do want to stay true to the look and fitment as much as possible. Thus, the reason I do plan to buy panels that are as close to original as possible. I have seen pics of trucks restored to "original" by Willys America (see the 1947 picture from their site below), and they have left me somewhat confused because the door panels in the pictures do not appear to be covered in any material, and dont match the upholstery as many say was the case originally. They look to be more of a brownish wood look, so I am confused as to what they actually used on these trucks originally. There seem to be too many conflicting ideas on what EXACTLY a 1948 pickup came with from the factory as far as headliner and door/kick panels are concerned!

More pictures of the truck I am talking about at the bottom of this page: http://www.willysamerica.com/restorations/trucks/index.html *** My truck is the exact same Potomac Grey with Red wheels as seen here, so I am trying to make it as correct as possible, and I assume basing it off this restoration by Willys America would be a good one to mimic? Or am I wrong?

This is from the Willys America web site:

Our door panels are reproduced after the original "crushed-grain" design used from 1948 to 1958, however, they will fit all other years. Door panels and truck headliners can be custom painted by your installer
  • 1946 to 1947 Wagons used a "faux" wood-grain finish
  • 1960 to 1964 Wagons, Trucks and Deliveries used vinyl material stretched over door paneling
  • 1946 to 1951 door panels were held on by screws & finish washers
  • 1952 to 1963 door panels were held on by plug buttons and in some cases a "washerhead" screw in each corner
All remaining interior panels were held on by screws and finish washers (from 1946 to 1956) or with "washerhead" screws (from 1957 to 1964)

The original 'crushed grain' panels on my '54 wagon were painted grey with no material covering them.
 
I did read this on their website, and I think just going with the crushed grain panels and painting them will be the way to go for me.

This is from the Willys America web site:

Our door panels are reproduced after the original "crushed-grain" design used from 1948 to 1958, however, they will fit all other years

Door panels and truck headliners can be custom painted by your installer

1946 to 1947 Wagons used a "faux" wood-grain finish

1960 to 1964 Wagons, Trucks and Deliverys used vinyl material stretched over door paneling

1946 to 1951 door panels were held on by screws & finish washers

1952 to 1963 door panels were held on by plug buttons and in some cases a "washerhead" screw in each corner

All remaining interior panels were held on by screws and finish washers (from 1946 to 1956) or with "washerhead" screws (from 1957 to 1964)

The original 'crushed grain' panels on my 54 wagon were painted grey with no material covering them.
 
My 58 is using 1/8" finished plywood which can be stained or painted to your interior. Ultra durable. In my back seat I put a pair of foldable cup holders from Westmarine . They fold up flush and give your passengers a place for a beverage.
 
Hey everyone,
...I have seen pics of trucks restored to "original" by Willys America, and they have left me somewhat confused because the door panels in the pictures do not appear to be covered in any material, and don't match the upholstery as many say was the case originally. They look to be more of a brownish wood look, so I am confused as to what they actually used on these trucks originally.
My truck, a '51, came with thin wood panels on the doors. Tan, more or less plain wood. Dunno if they matched the interior because the stock seats are long gone, and it was carpeted. I don't _know_ that the panels were original either but they didn't look homemade.
 
i got the panels from the guy on ebay, they fit and the holes all lined up. i think it was worth it. cutting the shape is not big deal , but it will be very time consuming to make all the mounting screw holes line up .
 
My panels had gotten wet. I think I can still use them for a template. I have some vinyl I can glue on or staple.
 
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