• Welcome to ClassicBroncos! - You are currently viewing the forums as a GUEST. To take advantage of all the site features, please take a moment to register. It's fast, simple and absolutely free. So please join our community today!
    If you have problems registering or can't log into your account, please contact Admin.

Homemade interior quarter panels

lonesouth

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Messages
5,045
This will be a mini build thread for my interior quarter panels.

1. Cut the panels out of masonite.
2. cut speaker holes and access panels for later
3. fiberglass the panels
4. Carpet the panels
5. Install rivnuts to anchor the panels
6. Install the panels and speakers.

I already had the masonite, so it was an easy choice to use it. This material is hot pressed saw dust, there are no glues or binders. It is extremely flexible and easy to work with. I used a jig saw for all of my cuts, but a circular saw will work for straights just as well.

Step 1:
The template was supplied to me by NGABronco, THANKS! Having a template saved a load of time vs building one from cardboard.

First I had to measure the dimension I wanted the panel to be. The stock panel, going by the template, is ~55x18 inches. I wanted mine to come right to the top of the bed rail, and just shy of the rear of the bed, so I made mine 54.5x19.

05f70ad1.jpg


Once I had the rough dimension, I layed the template over the panel and lined up the wheel well. The template had the door jam to wheel well right at 10", however, mine measured 9.5". In the rear, the template was switched on the measurement, 9.5" on the template, 10" on my bronco. So it was a simple matter to match up the wheel well on the template to the leading and trailing measurements I took from my bronco.

dd843402.jpg


I then traced the wheel well on the template with a razor, cutting out the wheel well.

ceebc18f.jpg


And then painted the panel using the template as a stencil.

f611453c.jpg


Then it was simply cutting along the edge of the paint to remove the wheel well from the panel.

cbb42fee.jpg


I used the first panel as a stencil for the second. I know that this can compound errors, but I'm not really concerned. I did use a straight edge to clean up the straights portions, but since I am going to glass and carpet over the masonite, most errors will be blended in. At the end of the night, I have two interior rear quarter panels.

038d46d0.jpg


Now, since I have a 77, the drivers side will need to be fitted. The rear fuel filler neck protrudes about 1/4" beyond the wheel well face. I am going to remove the rear seat and test fit it to see if I want to cut around it, or if allowing it to bend will be sufficient.

Here's a pic where I just placed the first panel on the driver's side to check rough measurements. So far, I'm pretty happy.

92e84225.jpg
 
Last edited:

NGABronco

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Feb 4, 2007
Messages
7,341
Loc.
N. GA now South Carolina
Dad gum lonesouth, if I had known you were sitting there waiting on that templete, I'd have overnighted it!!!!%)%)%)

Here's some pics of the brackets I mentioned, one on top of FW, one on front and back and one in front and behind the FW. Hope this helps!!
Good luck!!;D
 

Attachments

  • FSCN4453.JPG
    FSCN4453.JPG
    158.6 KB · Views: 629
  • FSCN4454.JPG
    FSCN4454.JPG
    179.1 KB · Views: 632
  • FSCN4456.JPG
    FSCN4456.JPG
    170.4 KB · Views: 530
OP
OP
lonesouth

lonesouth

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Messages
5,045
thanks for the pictures. I'm going to go without for now. I'm hoping the panels will be stiff enough after adding some bracing and fiberglass.
 

zombie66

Sr. Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2003
Messages
983
Loc.
Beaverton, oregon
Did you put rivnuts on the top rail to bolt down the hardtop?

Good point Mike, that would suck to have to remove the quarter panels to remove the top.
It's looking good so far lonesouth. I have been interested in making some of these myself. And it will be nice to learn from you so keep up the good work.:D
 
OP
OP
lonesouth

lonesouth

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Messages
5,045
I have purchased the rivnuts, but haven't installed them yet. I'm also looking at getting a soft top, so it wouldn't be an issue.
 

DrLathrop

Full Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2009
Messages
297
Loc.
Fulshear, TX
Could you make another template before you glass them? I have a 77 & have been looking to do the same thing for speakers & cup holders for the rear passengers. Thanks.

Colin
 

brianstrange

Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 22, 2011
Messages
1,626
Nice job so far. I wanted to suggest the option of using a thin acrylic instead of the masonite, especially if you store the Bronco outdoors. It's a bit more pricey, but will stand up to direct moisture Rain.
 

Justafordguy

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
6,253
Hey Parker, I need to borrow those templates before you get rid of them if that's cool. I'll just make some copies and then you can have them back.
 
OP
OP
lonesouth

lonesouth

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Messages
5,045
I still have the paper templates, but I pretty much only used them for the wheel well contour, which in itself saved loads of time. I still need to fit my panels before they will drop in, specifically around the door seal in the front and the filler neck in the rear. As yet undecided on how to handle the filler neck.

We'll go over it when you stop in to look at the top.
 

Justafordguy

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
6,253
I still have the paper templates, but I pretty much only used them for the wheel well contour, which in itself saved loads of time. I still need to fit my panels before they will drop in, specifically around the door seal in the front and the filler neck in the rear. As yet undecided on how to handle the filler neck.

We'll go over it when you stop in to look at the top.

10-4, Let me know what day is good for you.
 

Steve83

Bronco Guru
Joined
Jul 16, 2003
Messages
8,976
Loc.
Memphis, TN, USA, Earth, Milky Way
In Frank's truck, I just used a single layer of 1/4" hardboard, cut & then coated with spar polyurethane varnish, before upholstering. Even with the MASSIVE hole for the rear speakers, they're plenty sturdy enough with only 6 screws going directly into the sheet metal.



The door panels are 2 layers.

 

bobzilla

Full Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2006
Messages
298
Loc.
Riverside, ca
if you are going to put the rivnuts on the bed rail for mounting the top dont use the aluminum ones. I did and I ended up breaking three of them while bolting the top down. Now this was the first time i put the top on and I had to tweek it and flex it quite a bit to get it to fit.
 
OP
OP
lonesouth

lonesouth

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Messages
5,045
I'll be going with a soft top, so no rivnuts on the top of the rail.

Thinking of going with cup holders from a full size.

53e24de5.jpg


also had a thought to install some stock arm rests for the rear passengers. Something I'll add later if I find it useful.
 
OP
OP
lonesouth

lonesouth

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Messages
5,045
You might reconsider rivnuts though. You never know in the future if you'll want to go back to a hard top.

I wasn't planning on filling the holes, just not putting the rivnuts in the hardtop bolt holes right now. I was figuring on using rivnuts to mount the panel to the body. Course, now that I think of it, a rivnut puts a large hole in the body to mount a light load. Maybe I'll just use some oval stainless sheetmetal screws with decorative washers.
 

badmuttstang

redneck grease monkey
Joined
Oct 25, 2009
Messages
2,807
I used rivnuts on my side panels I think they are size 10x28 used stainless button head bolts if your not going to mount much to them you could use industrial strength Velcro like JGZ suggests for his fiberglass ones like I have
 
Top