Door skins

**defenderbilby** · 9th January 2007, 10:58 PM

G'day,

I have started on the County doors and they are worse than I first thought.
I want to keep the lift up handle style and went to price new doors. Very expensive.
I could repair the steel frames and after painting apply a plastic paint to prevent contact with the aluminium shell.
I asked BMI in Sydney and they have no listing for door skins.
I have a restoration manual (Haynes) which talks about reskinning doors.
Second hand county doors will all more than likely have some alu. rot due to the way they were made.
Can you buy door skins in Australia?
Thanks,

David.

**abaddonxi** · 9th January 2007, 11:10 PM

I've seen door skins for sale on ebay a year ago or so, so they must be around.

I'd love to know how the reskinning business works. I'm imagining that you've got a big sheet of cut aluminium, maybe with half-bent edges that you have to beat over your door frame.

Sounds like a bugger to get a neat finish, especially around those inset door handles.

Now if that is all it is, how hard would it be to get a metal cutting and bending place to do the skins up for you. The curve below the window might be a bit of a pain, but it doesn't look like rocket science.

Paddock spares also has a listing for skins that they unfortunately won't mail.

Cheers
Simon

**defenderbilby** · 9th January 2007, 11:23 PM

The skins are exact. Less likely to have wrinkles in the aluminium when applied to the frame.
To have it made will probably be just as expensive as buying skins already made.

**chazza** · 10th January 2007, 11:29 AM

When my Disco was damaged by a kangaroo, the panel beater replaced two door skins- so if they are available for a Disco I would be surprised if they are not for your County. Try the after-market places like British Parts in Perth.

Fitting a skin is not hard, but having someone who has done it before to help would be ideal. You will need some body seam sealer, rather than paint, to separate the two metals; a hammer and dolly; and a flat workbench with an old blanket on it.

Find a helper from a car club perhaps,
cheers Charlie

**loanrangie** · 10th January 2007, 12:58 PM

I once removed a door skin off my 2dr rangie straightened and refitted to the door frame, what a bstrd of a job that is, very hard to get a nice finish. At least fender/ county skins and mostly flat.

**LandyAndy** · 10th January 2007, 05:31 PM

Hi David
Any sheetmetal worker should be able to make newies,problem is Landies arent actually made of alum,its birmabright,an alloy.Normal alum sheetmetal will be nowhere near as hard as the landy sheetmetal.
Andrew

**isuzurover** · 10th January 2007, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by LandyAndy

Hi David
Any sheetmetal worker should be able to make newies,problem is Landies arent actually made of alum,its birmabright,an alloy.Normal alum sheetmetal will be nowhere near as hard as the landy sheetmetal.
Andrew

Landies are made from aluminium alloy, same as everything else we call aluminium. Almost all aluminium is an alloy of different metals (pure Al is VERY soft) and comes in a huge range of different types, heat treatments and curface finishes. Birmabright is just a trade name for 5251 grade aluminium - mostly magnesium as alloying agent. 5052 (commonly called marine grade Aluminium) is very similar and is readily available in thin sheets.

I have removed, repaired and refitted a bunch of series door skins without problems. 110 skins are much more difficult as the blue bonding them to the frame is a lot stronger - but still possible.

If pre-formed skins cannot be found, it would be possible to use sheet alloy - or defender skins (modified to have the correct hole for the handle). The problem is, that forming the handle hole properly requires a die/former to do properly. The former can be made from wood, but is time consuming to get right, and if paying a panelbeater would be $$$.

A mate of mine made all the skins for his S1 hybrid by hand from sheet alloy, including the handle holes.

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