[kristkustoms]

Chipboard - I dont even keep the stuff around the shop for templates anymore, so I wouldnt even recommend using it for panels. Cardboard works the best for pattern making (for me anyway, plus its free). I get at least a package a day from UPS or FedEx, so I usually have an abundance of boxes around. It stays fairly stiff for pattern making, and it can be cut easily with shears.

About my panel making...

There are a few different kinds of panelboard, each supplier will have their own. Number one, stay away from chipboard like I said, and stay away from some stuff called "cowlboard," this stuff will warp on a humid day. Then there are two kinds of good panelboard, or what some suppliers call "door panel board." There is tan and there is the stuff that 90% of upholsters use which is black. Miami Corp. out of Cincy Ohio sells the tan stuff which is water proof, it will not warp. The black will warp, but it will take a while for it to warp. Then there is Maxxion Moldable Plastic Panelboard, which comes in 1/8" or 1/4", but its pretty expensive (about $50-$75 for a 4x8 sheet). The Maxxion stuff can be molded and curved with heat, its too expensive to use for flat panels.

You could use 1/8" LuAnn Plywood, or masonite, but Im not a fan of masonite (seems brittle). I keep alot of 1/8" LuAnn plywood at the shop (bought from Lowe's or Home Depot), but MAKE SURE it is treated for outdoor use, or once again, it will warp. Its under 10 bucks for a 4x8 sheet. I use the LuAnn for my headliners and some other big panels (trunk sides and stuff like that). I prefer to use the tan panelboard for my door panels, you can cut the stuff with a utility knife, so you can cut perfectly straight lines with the knife and a straight edge or yard stick. With the LuAnn plywood, it has to be cut with a JigSaw, and Im pretty efficient with a JigSaw, but I cant cut a perfectly straight line. I double up the tan panelboard for my door panels to make them stiffer. And of course you need 1/4" closed cell foam for any designs and to add a bit of padding.

Let me know if you have any more questions......

 

[kristkustoms]

The tan waterproof panelboard I buy from Miami Corp. Miami doesnt sell to the public, you need a business tax ID number to buy from them. The way that they talk about the tan panelboard, it is one of their exclusive products. If you cant find it elsewhere, I could sell it to you.

I usually do the headliner first, then the carpet would come next. Youll want to have the carpet/insulation/padding in the car or truck before you start building your panels for two reasons. It will add thickness to the floor, and youll want to build the panels accordingly, and youll want the carpet to pass underneath the panels. The door panels, I always do last. Even though they are the funnest part of an interior to do, if you do them last there is less of a risk of scuffing them up taking tools in and out of the car/truck.

 

[kristkustoms]

Is the tax ID number for an upholstery related business? Miami was pretty damn picky when I first signed up with them. There was no initial buy in, but on the application, I had to give them like 3 industry related businesses that I deal with. When I first started my business, I couldnt get an account with them for some of these reasons. They recently changed names (Used to be Miami Rubber), so maybe they re-structured.

Give them a call, there phone number is at their site

www.miamicorp.com

 

[kristkustoms]

Hmm, thats not the way i would construct the headliner, but i wouldnt try and join the pieces together, you would basically be creating a sort of dome with squared off edges, if that makes sense. This would make it hard to cover. I would try and make one main headliner board over head, two door frame panels like you have above the doors, and one (maybe two) back wrap around pieces (split at back window if need be.

Start with the main head liner board, cover and put it in the truck. Then have the other three or four pieces overlap the main head board a little. This way, every piece you are covering is a 2D shape, unlike the 3d "dome" you were trying to create. 2D shapes are very easy to cover, while 3D shapes require alot of stretching and some materials wont stretch that much.

Like i said this isnt the way i do my headliners (mine involve minor sewing) so this is the first idea that popped into my head.

 

[kristkustoms]

Yeah, since i first wrote that message a year and a half ago, i found out Miami was just reselling PVC plastic sheets. Ive been getting them from a local plastic supplier for over a year now at the same price Shannon is getting.