So I finally scored a set of Briarwood door panels! This is my attempt at revitalizing these 30 year old panels. For anyone who's not already following, these are going into a Briarwood clone. There may be a few differences from stock and a few modifications of my own, so bear with me.

 

So I started the disassembly process.


These old panels are super crusty and aged with years of himan filth


The speakers, stapes, and backing were removed.


The fronts have a lot of work to do before puting a new backing behind them

 

The product I came across is called hardboard. In my case these are tempered. Before anyone asks, no its not waterproof. This was local and cheap, plus sturdy and resilient. I do have plans on applying some sort of a waterproofing coating before assembly.


These were the best three panels they had in stock regardless of the minor exposure


For anyones whos curious, I got these at Home Depot. Lowes has full sheets but I could not fit them in my car so these will do

 

So since I've already gotten this far, there's not much left to do. For me personally, I do because I tend to be a perfectionist but honestly it's not much to do.

1. I need to trace out the old panels and cut out the new backings. After a test fit and probablprobabltriming technically i could throw it back together and ill be fine but i want to take it a few steps further.

2. I need to clean these before I reassemble because they are absolutely filthy..

3. I need to change the carpet out of the lower panels. Like I said before these are for a clone. My XJ is a 96 Country. And the **** rug won't cut it.

4. I am going to try to straighten out the speaker grills. Hopefully I won't have to but new ones.

5. The map pockets need dealth with. In my Country, I've got exterior plastic pockets instead of these intrigrated ones. For my tastes, they are too deep, and hard to clean. I've thought about transferring over my pockets but I'm not exactly sure yet. I would like pockets in the rear too.

I know this won't be an actual restoration, but for my jeep it's perfect. I can't wait to see these panels get finished and really tie together the Jeep.

Like always, im open to constructive criticism!

 

So this is specifically about the lower portion. The carpet is old and deteriorating, plus is the 1980's **** carpet. I personally don't like that style carpet, plus it doesn't match the rest of my interior. All together, it needs replaced.

The first problem I have is I thought about replacing the lower portion with new carpet but then I would have to try and figure out how to get the perimeter edge sewn back onto it and quite frankly I do not want to pay for that.

The second problem is the map pockets. They are a cardboard interior and they are too tall and too narrow; they are perfect for maps, but now we have GPS.

Since I do t want to spend the money to custom make it, the solution I have is to replace the portion with a part from a different vehicle, and make it custom.

I was able to source lower door panels from a 87-91 F150/Bronco. They are nearly exactly what I want. Let's go into a little more detail.


This is the Ford lower panel. It is exactly the right size tall, just a little too long.


The curve radious of the two panels are identical.


After this mounting flange is trimmed, they will be the same height.


The build quality of the Ford panel is better than the Chrystler one. Not only is there more room, but there is more ACCESSIBLE room.


This is how it will look between the seat and door when it is fully shut. I may have to think about the electric seat swap when I finally get to that point of the build, but this is acceptable.

The Ford panels are made from a rubber like material. I thought at first it was injected molded plastic, but I was mistaken. Either way, I don't think it will be a problem when I shorten it.

There are only things I'll have to do to these panels:
1. Remove the old brown carpet.
2. Trim the mounting edge.
3. Cut and shorten the panel.
4. Replace carpet with similar to OEM carpet.
5. Beautify the speaker covers and install them.
6. Final reassembly all parts together onto the tempered hardboard.

Because I am cutting and splicing the panel, I may mount it to the hardboard in two pieces, then apply the carpet and speaker covers. Preferably I would want to glue the two pieces back together but it's rubber so I cannot plastic weld them. I'm still pondering this one.

Also i thought about using vinyl paint to turn the brown rubber into tan to make it mesh better, but I am kind of likeing the contrast of the dark brown. Im not sure yet.

Stay tuned and leave feedback!

 

So I was able to get some progress done while I'm waiting for parts for my 242HD swap.


I traced out the old backing onto my hardboard making sure to account for the new lower panel.


I drilled the holes and cut it out slightly larger than needed just to guarantee the fit. It's still kinda rough.


I cut the Bronco lower trim at a 45° to preserve the corner. I'm not sure if this is the best way to do it but it seemed to work out fine so far.


This is a view of it shortened. Both speaker holes don't line up to bad so i cant complain.


I trimed the upper mounting tabs on the Bronco trim. This is somewhat how it will look after its all put together. Luckily, the seam is under the speaker cover so it may not be super noticeable.


There are two different textures on the hardboard, coarse and smooth. I plan on mounting the rough side towards the door panel so the adhesive will have a more mechanical lock. The smooth side towards the door will make sure it fits completely flat and will have the most surface area.

I am having trouble sourcing same colored and textured carpet as OEM. I looked in a few local areas but couldn't find any. I also ordered a few samples from ebay and they were all the wrong color. So if there is anyone on here who can point me in the right direction, that would be appreciated.

 

I would spray a good urethane to seal the hard board so if it gets wet the water can't warp the hard board .

 

from whatbive read online, it's supposed to be water resistant. Even bare, its better than factory. But i definitely will take that into consideration! Thank you

 

If you seal the door with some type of plastic/Tyvek, but not Tyvek, lol material, you shouldn't have any concerns of water getting to the hardboard.

 

yeah I'm thinking maybe regular clear coat paint may work