Anyone ever made early door pockets?

[Neilnaz]

Hi all, I have been thinking about this for a short while. I do not have any door pockets in my car. I have made temporary covers for the lower part of the door where the door pockets should be but the doors are crying out for door pockets.

The thing is that I won't be able to find any or buy some without selling a kidney. I know Einmalig and others sell reproductions that do look good. But if I do not have original ones to restore I am thinking that I could have a go at making some with fibreglass and covering with vinyl (etc.). If they turn out to be awful I may learn something along the way. I can always buy some reproduction ones or original ones at a later date when I can afford to

I have no expertise in this at all. I am vaguely aware of how to go about it, have reasonable skills and patience. I decided that nothing ventured nothing gained I shall have a go and see what happens. I have plenty of photographs to get dimensions and work things out.

I have even gone as far as buying fibreglass kit. I have a plan formed in my head. I need some foam to create the moulds and will take it step by step.

Is anyone aware of someone who has done this before or seen a blog or whatever documenting their work? It would be good to get a few pointers.

Anyway I will keep a record of my trials and tribulations on this thread if anyone is interested.

Cheers,

Neil

[D@vid]

Sounds like an interesting journey Neil, I too am looking for a less expensive alternative.

Good luck,

D@vid

[Neilnaz]

I decided to have a go at making a mould for my driver's door (RHD) fold-out map pocket.

1) I used photographs from the Internet and the door handle as guides to create dimensions for the door pocket.
2) I purchased some balsa wood, 1.5mm plywood, balsa glue and some expanding foam.
3) I cut the balsa to make a frame to the dimensions in 1
4) I cut some plywood and attached to the frame
5) I put a plywood backing on the frame and left openings for the expanding foam
6) I filled the enclosure with expanding foam (that stuff is great fun!)

The result is shown in the picture.



Although it looks like a mess with the foam having expanded and the corners are currently too angular (I intend to trim and shape it) I am happy with it.

Next I have to offer the mould up to the door and ensure that it is dimensionally correct. It has to be very slightly smaller that the final door pocket as it is the mould for the pocket that will be formed over it.

I will keep you posted.

Cheers, Neil

[Neilnaz]

I have made some drawings of the door pockets showing dimensions and layout. This is an attempt to be able to break down the pockets into constituent parts.

The folding pocket has a front and rear section and, the way I have tackled this, will be comprised of the front section and a separate section which will be folded to create the back, base and left and right sides.



I have previously made the mold for the RHS folding pocket. This section is shaded green in the drawing.

The fixed pocket does not have a back and will be made from a single piece of fibreglass folded. An additional layer will be wrapped around the folded form to ensure it's strength.



I will have to make the top of the fixed pocket - I should be able to form it out of plastic and create an aluminium finisher for it.

I am hoping to use the mold I have made to make the first panel this evening. This may be the go/no go decision making point. I can see how this could be done it is attention to detail that is required.

More to follow.

Cheers, Neil

[Neilnaz]

I have made some progress with this. I have laid 4 layers of glass fibre matting cloth to create the fronts of the folding pockets. These are using the moulds that I made. I am quite pleased with how things have gone.

I have also made one fibreglass sheet which will make up the sides, bottom and back of one folding pockets. I will need some of the hardware soon like hinges (etc.) but will not purchase anything until I know that the pockets ate going to work.

Next instalment will include pictures

Cheers, Neil

[rothaus]

Nice. Looking forward to see more.

This reminds me on my custom flares I made for my 71 911.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/paint-bodywork-discussion-forum/860217-i-made-some-custome-fg-flares-my-911-a.html

Cheers
Engelbert

[Dpmulvan]

Pink foam insulation board can cut and glued together to make blocks,from there you can carve a plug finish it off with a coat of bondo sand and shape it. From that you can make a perfect mold.for supplies try tap plastics. I have used this method to make cafe seats for motorcycles it works very well.

[RSTarga]

Wouldn't ABS be better?

[Neilnaz]

Hi all, please see the folding pocket front section. I am pleased with how this came out. You can see the profile. This will be joined to a rear section that will be folded to provide the bottom and sides of the pocket. I have now sourced an aluminium finisher (or at least an aluminium strip that will be fashioned into the finisher with some sanding, polishing and shaping.



As you can see the fibreglass is rough round the edges but it has a good profile and will look good covered in black vinyl. It is reasonably rigid which will be enhanced with the aluminium strip which will have 25mm inside and 10mm outside as shown in the 3rd picture.





Next is to join the front section to the rear section once the rear section is folded and strengthened and tidy up the edges.

As to whether ABS would be better than fibreglass. I honestly do not know. Certainly fibreglass is easy enough to work with and you can create strong items. This is my first time doing anything like this and, with all these kinds of things, you learn a great deal along the way.

I think, provided I take my time, the outcome will look quite good and be very similar to the reproductions. That is what I am looking for.

Cheers, Neil

[techweenie]

There was a guy in Costa Mesa who undertook making them in steel and using a stainless 'flap' to replace the bungee cord. He did a couple prototypes, advertised them for sale, then disappeared. My sense is that there's a reason the repros cost the price of a kidney.

The place all the repros came up short was in the aluminum trim. It is not as you show in your diagram, but squared and with 'tangs' to hold it in place. It is also clear anodized, which gives a finish difficult to achieve without using polished anodized aluminum.

There is another alternative: just replace the pockets: the first 72 hot rod I built used a one piece aftermarket pocket that looks a lot like the 74 and later pockets. Much simpler solution.

[Neilnaz]

Techweenie, that pocket does look really good. The only downside is that it doesn't look like the original which obviously didn't matter to you. I am hoping that mine looks quite like the original and is 'in keeping'. I am fairly sure that knowledgeable people will know quite quickly as the trim will be too wide or the finishing round the fixed pocket 'isn't quite right' but I will make sure I am happy with it all.

I also agree with you regards the price of repros. I have spent a fair amount on materials to build the moulds and the fabric, resin and a couple of tools. By the time I add in the hinges, bungee, vinyl and trim I will have upwards of $400 invested. That is the reason for not splurging on everything until I have confidence that the end result will look good. I am leaning towards buying the vinyl, bungees and hinges as I am gaining confidence about the way this is going.

The difficult bit oddly enough is the fixed pocket as the trim is fitted around the top of the pocket and the shape at the front means that the pocket isn't a straightforward shape. Anyway, with enough picture, I can glean what the dimensions are and build up edges, lips (etc) so that it all has the right shape.

Thanks for your input.

Neil

[Ayles]

I have left over door pocket carpet from my appbiz kit. I have RS door panels so won't be using it. Shoot me a pm if any you can use it.

[Neilnaz]

Ayles, thanks for the offer. Early Door-pockets are the vinyl covered variety so do not have the carpet that later models have. So I don't need carpet but I do appreciate the offer. I am also in NZ so postage would have been a little too much I imagine!!

Cheers, Neil

[Ayles]

Interesting on both parts, I didn't no the pockets were different. NZ is one of my dream destinations.

[Neilnaz]

Hi for anyone following this I have made some progress. I finished the front section and cut it to shape and checked the shape and fit as shown below.



The fit seemed good but I did notice that, although the fibreglass is reasonably rigid it isn't rigid enough for my liking and has a tendency to bow so I decided to add a section of plywood to the section that is flat.



I have also cut the back, bottom and end section out of one piece of fibreglass sheet that I had made earlier. I scored along the fold lines and bent along those fold lines.



In this last picture you can see the front section face down which is joined to the end and back section with the base section hanging. You can see the fold line. That section will be folded and bonded to the front section and trimmed to suit.



I still have to make a small end section joining the front and rear sections. I have a piece for this but will put this in place when I fibreglass over the folds and joints and smooth corners.

I know it doesn't look like much at the moment but I am confident that the end result will look pretty good. So much so that I have ordered the hinges, bungee, rubbers and the vinyl. I just have to get the brackets and stud that interacts with the bracket I will have to save my pennies for them.



Cheers, Neil

[Neilnaz]

I am slowly getting there. I am close to finishing the structure of the folding pockets. They are now the right profile size and shape. They do need finishing with some filler to perfect the exterior. I am also aiming to have a nice smooth interior of the pockets and will line them with flocking or felt.



I am really pleased with how they are coming along. Progress is slow but you are often waiting for resin to dry.



Next will be finishing interior and exterior of the pockets.

I will shortly start the front fixed pockets which, initially, I thought would be easier but I have realised that they are quite complex shapes and have an awkward to create piece to go around the top of the pocket where the aluminium finisher is inserted.

Cheers, Neil

[Neilnaz]

All, I have made some more progress with the folding door pockets. I have built them up and sanded and then applied a light skim of filler. The pockets need another skim and sand but are getting quite close to being ready to be covered.



I have the hardware (hinges, bungee, bungee rubber end, vinyl (etc.)) on order but they may be another week or so away.



In the meantime I should be able finish the folding door pockets and shift my attention to the front pockets which will have their own challenges no doubt.

Cheers, Neil

[sballard]

In the custom boat-building world, hulls are sometimes made on molds using very thin wood veneers. They put down several layers with epoxy and put a vacuum bag around it to get good penetration of the glue. The product is very strong, rigid, and light. I've often wondered if anyone had tried this approach to making the door pockets.

[Neilnaz]

Steve, I am sure there are better ways of making the door pockets than I have used. From where I started I made mistakes thinking that the door pocket was more curved and it was only when I studied more photographs that I realised my mistake.

The door pocket profile is flat with a curve at the end of the upper part of the pocket to fall away with the curve of the armrest. That is why my original mould and resultant fibreglass front were so curved.

I then adapted my approach to use scoring and folds (see drawings) and epoxying together sections. This has worked to a reasonable extent. The addition of thin plywood has made the process easier and the results better.

I don't have the woodworking skills (or tools) to make a mould as you suggest and the most difficult aspect of that is that the mould has to be right (i.e. you have to know the exact shape you are after). My pockets have morphed along the way with multiple sessions holding the pocket up and amending the shape accordingly.

I tried to design with drawings what I wanted but found that I couldn't easily create a theoretical mould describing the end result.

I believe for the best results an exact mould will give the best results. I have ended up using flat sheets of fibreglass and shaping them. Very laborious and the amount of work is massively increased when you are trying to make a silk purse from a sow's ear.

When I hold the pocket up it follows the armrest profile really well and is roughly the right depth to attach to the fixings points via the hinges (that I do not have yet).

The end result will be pleasing but it is quite still some way off. Tonight I believe I will have taken the folding pockets as far as I can without the vinyl and other hardware. Next will be the fixed pockets.....

Cheers and thanks for the interest,

Neil

[RSBob]

IMPORTANT THREAD NEWS BREAK! For those of you suffering with the embarrassment of white-ish door pulls like in the pics above, buy the product Forever Black - it's a dye which comes in a sponge applicator which really works. You may need to put on 3 or 4 applications but the stuff stays put. I used it on my ignition switch surround, door pulls, the black parts of my mirrors, bumper bellows, and rub strips - the stuff is great, transforms the appearance and gets rid of those embarrassing blemishes. Use it on the other cars back bits as well- No affiliation). Now back to door pockets already in progress...