[jimmy87]

I'v wonted to do this for awhile now so on my last R+R I pulled my finger out and got it done.
I'm happy with how it turn out.

[fergy]

Fully hektic

[frak]

Looks really nice.

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[Gwagensteve]

I am completely puzzled why people choose this material for lining the passenger compartment.

[watermouse]

Gwagensteve wrote:

I am completely puzzled why people choose this material for lining the passenger compartment.

Aluminium checkerplate like this is really just texture plate. It is so thin and bendy you wouldn't really use it for treads.

Cheap, light, "blingy", easy enough to cut and shape.

There are as many cons

but each to their own

[henno]

Not entirely true, watermouse. I used to work in the aluminium game and the super-thin stuff is used in applications where tread is needed but it doesn't need to span anything (i.e. attached directly to a flat surface). We sold treadplate in everything from 0.6mm up to 6mm and beyond, and a lot of the thin stuff was used in things like elevators or caravans where it was simply riveted or adhered to floors and walls.

There is even thinner stuff that doesn't have a true 'lozenge' but instead was pressed from both sides and had an indent on the under side of the tread pattern rather than being flat plate on the reverse side. Not particularly hardy, and usually just adhered to the finished surface and hardly used as a true 'tread.

Regardless, I have seen just about every hack treadplate application you can think of and safe to say after all of those years, it is not my cup of tea. Give me a poly/composite panel all day.

[Gwagensteve]

Water mouse, its also noisy - both from load items drumming on the panels, and from turning all the cavities into sounding boards, hot, abrasive - ut will chew into plastic tubs etc loaded against it, reflective (as in distractingly shiny) and ironically slippery... quite apart from skinning your elbows and knees.

In this installation, neat as it is, the OP has riveted the panels in place, so here's hoping he doesn't need access into the door or body cavities shortly or whilst separated from a drill. I would have used nutserts and button head caps.

The OP has done really neat work - much, much nicer than 90% of tread plate interior fitouts, I just consider it the worst possible material to use.

Steve,

[watermouse]

Totally agree on all points, Steve and Henno. I should have begun my post with "IMHO".

Its not my cup of tea either but it is a tidy job. If it was at least painted black I think there would be a few more fans.

I happen to make flat carbon panel for door cards for the ricer community, RX7 through an online retailer. Its an option but an expensive one.

What other options do people have for DIY doorcards?

[jimmy87]

Thanks for everyone's opinions, I did research the pros and cons before I started. Initially I just wanted the drop down table at the rear, but then decided it would look better if I carried it all the way through.

Painting it black would cut the glare, but would that just make it hotter?

I did spend a lot of time filing the edges so I wouldn't scrape myself on the doors.

As for noise, I've insulated it in parts with dense foam, so haven't had problems with it rattling yet.

[Gwagensteve]

Almost any plastic sheet material works beautifully.

The Trolley Tug has about 5mm ABS (I think) sheet retained with nutserts. In this photo it's filthy - best photo I could find - and covered in overspray but it's smooth, light, quiet and extremely quick and easy to work. I'd wager it's significantly cheaper than tread plate too.




Steve.

[jimmy87]

This is a bit off subject but what seats have you got Steve?

[watermouse]

Not trying to hijack your thread jimmy, but in the interest of alternatives.

These are the carbon fibre doorcards we make and wholesale in bulk for rx7 track cars.



A custom set would look great in a tidy sierra but I wont mention the cost .

[suzukiboy]

I have acrylic at work which I was going to make into a rear door panel but was thinking about using some dibond, which comes in different colours and thicknesses.

[Gwagensteve]

Alucobond also works very well for interior panelling.

Seats are Mazda MX-6. Comfy but not the easiest to fit.

[J--A--C--K]

Why did I not think of alucobond for interior pannels, there was so much being thrown out on my last job site.

[fergy]

alucobond as in alli composite panel
.3 alli and 3mm black stuff ?

[J--A--C--K]

Yes it is

[just_cruizin]

Like this

[got_bar_work]

Problem is that stuff marks and dints real easy. My ute canopy and work trailer is moud out of it

[alien]

IMO some PVC wrapped in vinyl would be the best solution, and is likely what i'll do when my door cards rot, but the stock door cards definitely look the best IMO.

[just_cruizin]

Don't think it marks easy at all, I've tried scratching up abut of scrap material and it stood up pretty well

[Gwagensteve]

X2. The stuff I've worked with is anodised and very scratch resistant. Certainly more than raw checker plate.

[henno]

Gwagensteve wrote:

Certainly more than raw checker plate.

This. Aluminium treadplate or propeller plate (particularly the thin stuff) is usually made out of very soft alloys so that it is easy to bend and fold - something like 3003 or 5005, sometimes 5251/5052 in the thicker sizes (3-6mm+). Any of the shiny stuff (mill bright rather than straight out of the mill finish) will scratch up so easy it's not funny. There is a reason the bright/polished stuff comes with plastic film on the finished side - so it can be peeled off once the job is completed and it's all together.

[got_bar_work]

Maybe every one that works with me are just rough and throw shit up against it to much lol