Today's hot rodders have many more possibilities when building their cars than were available in the early days. Perfect metalwork is almost the norm and replica steel pieces can save even the worst old bodies. The '32 five-window we've been working on had fairly good doors, but the doorskins needed some help. Erik Hansson from Scandinavian Street Rods in Huntington Beach examined the doors and felt we would have much better final results by replacing the full doorskins, instead of patching up parts of them.
But who makes doorskins for a five-window? The answer is Bobby Walden at Walden Speed Shop. So we paid him a visit at SO-CAL Speed Shop, where he has his big Yoder "hammer" machine to form the sheetmetal with. There's more shape to a doorskin than you might think, and it takes some time in the Yoder to hammer it out. He started by building a buck of the shape he wanted to finish with and then worked a sheet of 19-gauge sheetmetal through the Yoder to hammer it into the shape of the original doorskin.
It takes time to get the right shape and Bobby checked it with the buck as he went. When he was happy with the shape, he used another machine to roll the edges and fold it 90 degrees on three sides.With the doorskins done, we brought the car over to Scandinavian Street Rods to get the work done.
Bobby starts with a piece...
Bobby starts with a piece of 19-gauge sheetmetal cut to the exact size and then handforms it a little before taking it to the Yoder hammer.
The big Yoder hammer makes...
The big Yoder hammer makes plenty of noise when Bobby hammers the sheetmetal. He puts some oil on the metal to keep things moving smoothly, adding a little as he goes A few trips to the buck and back and it's not long before he has stretched the metal into the shape he is looking for.
For the final check of the...
For the final check of the shape, Bobby checks the fit on the buck all over the entire doorskin, not just the outer edges.
Once the shape is perfect,...
Once the shape is perfect, the edges are rolled and folded 90 degrees, which makes it easier to fit them on the doors later.
The first step for Erik back...
The first step for Erik back at Scandinavian Street Rods is to pre-fit the skin, and mark and cut a notch for the hinges. At the same time he marks the old doorskin for the upper cut.
The plasma cutter works perfectly...
The plasma cutter works perfectly for cutting the old skin about an inch under the beltline.
The best way to get the old...
The best way to get the old skin loose from the inner door is to use a grinder and carefully grind the edges.
You never know what you'll...
You never know what you'll find once you get inside the door. This $1,000 bill will almost cover lunch!
Our doors are a little different...
Our doors are a little different from original, because they were pie-cut at the bottom to fit the new subframe after the body was channeled 5 inches.
The bottom of the inner door...
The bottom of the inner door structure was still open and needed to be filled with some new sheetmetal pieces. Erik cut the pieces to fit the door bottom and welded them in.
The difference between '32...
The difference between '32 doors can be nearly a 1/4-inch, as in our case, so Erik had to unfold one side and then refold it to fit perfectly.
The door is removed again...
The door is removed again and the new skin is tacked in place, working back and forth, hammering out the welds as he goes.
Erik then carefully works...
Erik then carefully works around the edges, folding the skin over the inner door structure.
Thanks to the excellent work...
Thanks to the excellent work of both Bobby Walden and Erik Hansson, our doors look brand-new again.