best way to restore lower door panels?

[Texas82GP]

HAFROD used truck bedliner to restore his inner panels. Posts 149 and 152 are relevant....
https://gbodyforum.com/threads/my-daily-driver-project-81-elcamino.57936/page-15

 

[Longroof79]

Yea i dont know how bad they are yet, from the outside they are not great, ill see next weekend when i take them apart. You have a link to the SEM texture coat?

Here's a link to SEM https://www.semproducts.com/refinish-flexible-coatings/texture-coating-39853. It shouldn't be too hard to find.

 

[Longroof79]

The upper door panels are almost perfect, i mean the color has faded and ill just respray them but the lower panels are horrible.

The uppers are usually in good shape...it's the lowers that take a beating....plus the plastic that they used on our cars suck.

 

[ssn696]

plus the plastic that they used on our cars suck.

No defense of GM, but these inexpensive parts weren't expected to serve for almost 40 years. I think sedan panels will exactly fit the wagon. Keep and eye peeled. Grab the A and B pillars while you are there. I found a Pontiac that looks like it spent most of its life in a garage. My cargo area is on its own, however...

 

[Longroof79]

No defense of GM, but these inexpensive parts weren't expected to serve for almost 40 years. I think sedan panels will exactly fit the wagon. Keep and eye peeled. Grab the A and B pillars while you are there. I found a Pontiac that looks like it spent most of its life in a garage. My cargo area is on its own, however...

Quinn,
I'd have to agree with you. These cars were never meant to last that amount of years.
As for obtaining 4-dr A and B pillar plastics, 4-dr parts cars are starting to thin out. Good B pillars are becoming a problem to find. Sometimes when I thought I found some nice ones, they were cracked from people's legs hitting them when they enter or exit the vehicle.

 

[zdeckich]

Quinn,
I'd have to agree with you. These cars were never meant to last that amount of years.
As for obtaining 4-dr A and B pillar plastics, 4-dr parts cars are starting to thin out. Good B pillars are becoming a problem to find. Sometimes when I thought I found some nice ones, they were cracked from people's legs hitting them when they enter or exit the vehicle.

Thats how mine is. Are the B pillars not be reproduced? There is a few scrap yards near me that i heard have a few gbodys. Ill have to check and see what they got.

 

[Longroof79]

Thats how mine is. Are the B pillars not be reproduced? There is a few scrap yards near me that i heard have a few gbodys. Ill have to check and see what they got.

No, unfortunately they're not being reproduced, so it would be in your best interest to remove them when you come across them. The last nice set of A and B pillars that I was able to find was a number of years ago. I'm not saying that you won't find them...you might get lucky.

 

[zdeckich]

So looking around on dixie, opgi, etc seems nobody makes a new/reproduction upper and lower door panels for a sedan/wagon?

 

[TURNA]

DAWN does !!!!

 

[Longroof79]

So looking around on dixie, opgi, etc seems nobody makes a new/reproduction upper and lower door panels for a sedan/wagon?

That's correct. 2-dr door panels are reproduced, not the 4-dr/ wagon variety. Obviously, 2-dr G-body cars are more popular, so therefore you can understand them repopping the 2-dr panels.
Us wagon guys are on our own.