Team Chevelle banner

66 door skin, replace?

1K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  Jim_66SS 
#1 ·
so I have a big dent in the door of my '66... Its actually from a horse that got into the storage area (at least 25 years ago).

It pushed in the upper body line 3-4 inches, and even angled the outside door handle.

At the time, I picked up a replacement door (67 Malibu IIRC).


I think there is some light rust forming on the '67 replacement, so I am now considering either another used door, or maybe just replacing the door skin... Figure AMD...



Its getting harder to find quality, OEM parts, and the door structure is fine (gaps were all okay, just the big dent in the middle of the panel)...


So what's the better way to address this?

I am an amature, and worried I may not be able to get the proper contours back on the current door...


Not that it matters, but I am pretty sure the current, dented door is NOT the original door from the car (IIRC, some Lemonwood yellow paint, where my car is Marina Blue).
 
See less See more
#6 ·
pnugene said:
If the 67 door is straight with only surface rust, why not clean it up and use it?
Last time I checked, it was small rust bubbles along the lower edge of the '67 door... IIRC, it was a Malibu door with the trim holes near the lower body line...

As for the door on the car, not original anyway, but rust free, does have "speaker hole" cutout on the inside (no big deal to me). Upper area (where fuzzies attach) seems straight, no bow noticeable...


I haven't really looked to close, to see if I can get something directly behind that dent (hyd jack?) to push the dent out.


BTW, difficult to see, but the dent is NOT directly along that area without the red oxide primer, it crosses that part in a more vertical manner...
 

Attachments

#3 ·
If the 67 door is straight with only surface rust, why not clean it up and use it?
66 and 67 doors are identical, except for the functionality of the latch mechanism.
 
#4 ·
If the 67 door is straight with only surface rust, why not clean it up and use it?
66 and 67 doors are identical, except for the functionality of the latch mechanism.

I h ave heard that 66 doors are not exactly the same as the 67 doors. The knob area for the door lock is different as well as another visiable area. According to Jeff Helms there were 3 differnt doors used in the 66 model year. Make sure you have doors that match. I personally would use the skin, especially if it is a GM product or remove the outer shell of the good 67 door and put that on your 66 inner shell, just like they did at the factory. Is your 67 door a Malibu or a SS door.
 
#7 ·
I added some paint to show the orientation... Main dent is the near-vertical line, line flaring to the rear (going up) is a slight crease/edge that does follow that previous non-red-oxide line...

Half moon top and bottom are minor "creases" at the upper and lower ends...

Half moon toward the front is another high-spot, following along that curve...

While the weatherstrip area seems straight, its actually bowed OUT a little, right near that dent, but no repair was attempted... gap for window is about 1.1" at the vent frame (1.085"), and nearly 1" at the rear of the door... 1.2+/- at that dent spot... so maybe 3/32" out compared to the front...


down inside, not sure why the area is so bent where the fuzzy attaches... I guess the whole door flexed?


Interior with white paint shows where the dents lies... right behind the inner panel, so difficult to reach from the back, except for a dolly in the hand...


Last picture looking down (and the one with the finger) really show how far in the upper body line was pushed... body line at the dent lines up with the upper top line, while in the back behind the door handle, its out 2-3 inches... same for the front portion...


Being the amature I am, and since I will be pulling the doors to have the hinges rebuilt, I am guessing I should just look at finding a replacement... I guess I need to dig out that '67 door and have a look...
 

Attachments

#8 ·
Just an interesting side note (IMO)… The car was originally Marina Blue, I found some signs that it was partially repainted Marina Blue in spots (door interior, etc)… Then someone painted in black... then White with "custom" gold graphics... When I bought it in 1985, the white/gold was faded, with primer spots... Yeah, nearly 20 years old, but still quite a bit of paint work over the years...
 
#9 ·
Since you think the door isn't original and you're not concerned about after market sheetmetal, I would look at re-skinning. That's a pretty big dent to pound out, especially for an amateur. I think it could be re-skinned faster, or try and find another door like you suggested. The passenger door on my 67 has a decent dent in it as well and I've been contemplating the same thing but will probably just re-skin. I haven't done it before, doesnt look too hard to do but maybe everyone just make it look easy haha

Sent from my LM-G710 using Tapatalk
 
#10 ·
I'm really big on saving any original GM sheetmetal, so I'm voting the other way; I would fix that '66 door you have. I've seen panels in much worse shape repaired like new.

If you feel like you can't do it yourself (you probably don't have all the necessary metal working tools), find an older body man in your area who is good at knocking dents out. Let him get it close for you & then do the filler & primer work yourself. Should be 4-6 hours of work for an experienced guy, which shouldn't be more than $350. To me that would be worth every penny
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top