On my 69 SS, my driver side door panel seems to have encountered some water damage at some time and is warped at the bottom. The vinyl is real nice, but the backerboard is where the damage seems to be. Is there any way to remedy this? I hate to replace the original door panels as they are too nice. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks :confused:

Could you attach a sheet of aluminum cut to size under the panel to hold it's shape? The only real way to straighten is probably going to involve getting the board wet again and clamping it flat.(NOTE: The following I HAVE NOT tried on any car parts - but HAVE used to bend and shape thin hardwood veneer)
I'd try two sheets of 3/4" plywood to make a 'sandwich' with the door panel in between. You might have to drill holes in the plywood to allow for the little metal anchor pins that are on the back of door panels. Spray water from a bottle evenly around the damaged area then place between the plywood sheets. You may need to add water several times to get enough absorbed. Cover the plywood next to the wet backer board with plastic sheet so not to transfer moisture to the plywood - and cause it to warp! Cover the good side of the panel with something absorbent - like an old bed sheet or towel. It should be something smooth so that the vinyl does not pickup the partern of the cloth under pressure. Add the top plywood and load up with weight. Several 1 gal. paint cans are good - you don't need tons of pressure... just enough to get the backerboard to cooperate. The idea is to get the moisture to relax the fiberboard and slowly dry out straight. This will take couple days at least - don't rush it. Like I said, I have not done this to a door panel so if you can test on something else similar someway, that would be good. In my experence at bending wood, it takes more water than you might think and it takes lots of TIME.
Good luck!
-Bill

Thanks, I'll try it, it can't hurt