Interior panel restoration question(s)

[rjohnston79]

I have to say Joe's Hawk interior looks great. That brings to mind a couple of questions I have about my '63 Daytona's insides...
1. Because the car was stored outdoors with the windows down for many years, the pressed fiber door and side panels are moldy and badly warped. Does anyone make reproductions, or can interior shops deal with this?
2. Mine uses a similar multi-color, multi-texture vinyl on the panels - are materials like this still available?
3. My rear windshield is smashed and while local glass shops actually could get me a front, the rear seems unobtainable... any suggestions?

Thanks, this is my first true restoration - I did a '64 Marauder a few years back, but started with a very good original car needing only minor "freshening"

Cheers

Ron Johnston
1963 Studebaker Daytona HT

[buddymander]

The last set of door panels I made were from 1/8" masonite that looked like a 4 x 8 sheet of wainscoating. It was 16.95 at Lowe's but it had a flaw in the corner so they gave it to me for five bucks. I like to use this stuff because it mimics a white interior until I get it covered. The hardest part with making any panel is attaching the clips. I'd like to find some more expensive clips that can be attached by just drilling a hole. I used to use 3M stuff to adhere the vinyl to the back but this desert heat turns that stuff to snot, so I now use a $4.99 glue gun I bought at Harbor Freight.

[valleyguy]

There are various materials you can use for the panels; you may also
be able to find ready made repro ones; check all the vendors. I
made mine up from a rigid, (black) cardboard-like material I got from an upholstery shop. Seems to me the the hardest part would be
getting all the holes in the right spots; also as Buddymander
mentions, the clips could be problematic. The panels I used as patterns already had all the holes drilled, including the holes for the clips, which made it easy; I'm not familar with how they attach on your Daytona. Maybe you can find some good used 63 panels to recover?? Finding the right vinyl might take some time..check around. I used SMS fabrics for the gold mylar on my panels; JDP supplied me with the off white vinyl to match my seats. Maybe others can chime in reagarding your rear glass, I wouldn't have a clue.

Joe D.

[JDP]

Not that easy on a 63 Lark since it wraps around the top. Phantom makes repo's but if you have to ask, you can't afford them.

JDP/Maryland

[rjohnston79]

I was wondering if its possible to form masonite, like by steaming and clamping it to a wooden buck I could shape to match the original? Or maybe the same with the heavy cardboard like stuff mentioned above. I doubt I can afford the phantom repros, but I'll look into it - the body on this car is already going to cost me more than its worth... it looks pretty good but there is a LOT of fiberglass in the trunk and floor, as well as the rear quarters, rockers and above the headlights. I'm planning to put it all back to steel next year.


Ron Johnston
1963 Studebaker Daytona HT

[Milaca]

Somebody here likely has a good used rear windshield for your car, but shipping would likely cost more than the actual glass. I made a door panel for a '63 Hawk, but thats a more basic design than your Daytona. For it I used 1/8" thick fiberboard (similar to Masonite) that I purchased from Menards. The clips required square holes so I punched out square holes with a sharp punch. I glued the vinyl on with outdoor carpet adhesive on the front side and what vinyl wrapped around to the backside got stapled with 5/32" long, 3/8" crown upholstery staples. SMS Auto Fabrics of Canby, Oregon, offers reproduction door panels for cars dating back to the 1950's. Here is their link: http://www.smsautofabrics.com/products/door-panels.php
They offer ready to install panels or they will sell you a complete kit which you or an upholsterer can assemble. Or, you can make custom door panels and purchase vinyl from them with di-electric embossing in vinyl if so desired. Of course, it likely won't be inexpensive.
Good luck Ron, '63 Daytona's are one of my favorite cars.


Brent's rootbeer racer.
MN iron ore...it does your body good.

[buddymander]

It's easy to curve masonite. Just don't expect to do it in one day. It won't take much persuasian either. Just store it in a humid environment with a little bit of weight on the part you want curved and you'll be surprised at how fast it will reform. So.. nobody knows about some type of more expensive fasteners that can be attached to the panel by just drilling a small hole and running some sort of thin large diameter nut down over it? The conventional clips are hard to install and weaken the panel.

[Milaca]

Buddy, use chrome plated sheet-metal screws. [8D] If you don't like the look of the philips screw heads showing, then close your eyes.


Brent's rootbeer racer.
MN iron ore...it does your body good.

[Swifster]

.125 plastic sheet will work for door panels. They are light, strong and not bothered by water. The plastic is bendable with heat but you need to be careful not to melt it.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom - Mulberry, FL

1964 Studebaker Daytona - 289 4V, 4-Speed (Cost To Date: $2161.27)

1964 Studebaker Commander 170-1V, 3-speed w/OD (Cost to Date: $623.67)

[N8N]

if the vinyl is only moldy and not cracked/ripped/hacked up you might be able to transfer it to a new backing. But like JDP says, the trick will be forming it, it's not flat like 62 and earlier.

nate

--
55 Commander Starlight

http://members.cox.net/njnagel

[buddymander]

Ya, prolly like about twenty screws just to make sure it stays on there tight.....

[candbstudebakers]

I have rear glass for the car , but like Brent said the cost to ship could get high, needs to be packaged as not to brake and still not sure it won't happen...Bob

Bob Peterson / C & B Studebakers

Castro Valley, CA
canbstudebakers-

[Milaca]

Heres another option, check out Loga Enterprises as they have been in the Studebaker interior panel business since 1985. They use water resistant card stock and they list the bare panels for all 1963 Studebakers. These come with all necessary cutouts and you just need to upholster them. They offer panel clips also. I didnt realize how much stuff they have as they also have vinyl headliners and carpet sets too. http://www.studebakervendors.com/logaent.htm

So
They
Used
Delco
Electronics
Before
Autolite
Kept
Engines
Running?

Brent's rootbeer racer.
MN iron ore...it does your body good.

[rjohnston79]

Thanks everyone for the tips. I think I'll be trying the 1/8" plastic or masonite route, and I think I might try re-using the part of the old ones that curves over the door/quarter panel. I think I can use some light sheet metal on the back and glue it all together. And I think I have come up with a pair of windshields although the fellow hasn't named his price yet - the location is ideal because the city lies on a route that my employer trucks thru twice a week, saving me huge shipping costs. Thanks again =]

Ron Johnston
1963 Studebaker Daytona HT

[Jeff_H]

I got tired of water leaks warping the cardboard kickpanels on my '53 so I got some ABS textured 1/8" sheet from this place:

http://www.eplastics.com/index.html?logoff=T&ckinvalidate=T

In my case, the black textured stuff since I had black panels already. Very easy to cut and shape.



Jeff in ND

'53 Champion Hardtop