I have a C3, 1973, sweet car. I have two, fair door panels. I've removed these to rehab the interior of the doors and I find the panels are vinal streached over an egg carton like cardboard. The panels are warped to the point that they are hard to get on the flat panel of the door and when installed they fit poorly. I believe what happens is the heat and cold over the years has shrunk the vynal covering like shrink wrap and it deforms the cardboard underneath, Does any have any experience with reshaping these type of panels?...........Thanks..........Chris

 

I had a similar problem with water damage to a small area on the back of my 69 door panel. I simply removed some of the soft material and glassed it over with cloth. It was as good as new. If I had badly damaged panels I'd strip the vinal and experiment. Fit the stripped panel in place and adjust it for a proper fit. You may need to sand down badly warped areas. At this point you will need to do something to reinforce it and maintain its shape. I'd coat it with fiberglas resin using cloth in bad areas for extra support. The soft material will absorb some of it and prevent too much build-up which is what you want. If it is badly warped you can creat a channel to glass in a 1/8 steel rod for support. After the resin hardens, remove it from the door and do the same to the back. When you are finished, the panel should be close to its original shape. Now, you can check the vinal cover for fit. I would expect re-gluing it in place a difficult task but worth a try. If not, you can go the custom route and treat the door panel as a body panel. After filling low spots, sanding and priming, paint it interior color. I have never seen one done like this, but it might look purdy good. If useable, you can add the trim off the removed vinal cover or make your own accent trim. Diamond plate over a black panel might look good. Like I said, experiment and you might be surprised at what you can do.