CAD drawing for Rear Cargo Door panel?

[Jeff Blake]

Well, aluminum is going to be a lot cheaper. I can't decide between AL or stainless. Since you plan on painting it, Al makes more sense. I don't know whether I want to bother with paint.

Do your size measurements match mine?

I can't find any online cut to size aluminum vendors that do rounded corners.

 

[fishEH]

Good grief. Man up, buy an angle grinder and cut the aluminum. It seriously cuts very easily, even rounded corners.

Well, aluminum is going to be a lot cheaper. I can't decide between AL or stainless. Since you plan on painting it, Al makes more sense. I don't know whether I want to bother with paint.

Do your size measurements match mine?

I can't find any online cut to size aluminum vendors that do rounded corners.

 

[DiscoPhoto]

Good grief. Man up, buy an angle grinder and cut the aluminum. It seriously cuts very easily, even rounded corners.

This is true... I hand-cut my SG skid plate with an angle grinder, after several confidence drinks. Came out nearly perfect

 

[Tugela]

Do your size measurements match mine?

Jeff, I haven't removed my stock panel yet - I am accumulating tools and raw materials for this project but the implementation is postponed until January (my wife scheduled a house painting project over Christmas, so fun work time has become boring work time).

I also chose aluminum mainly because of the weight savings and ease of working with it. By the time my new door panel is laden with stove, recovery gear, fire extinguisher, plus larger-than-stock spare on the outside, I won't mind a little weight savings on the door where I can get it. Hence I'm ditching the subwoofer and using aluminum. The Disco door hinges are stout but no need to burden them excessively.

I borrowed an angle grinder from a friend and already have my rivnut tool so after picking up a few more materials I'll be ready to go.

 

[fishEH]

Every man needs an angle grinder. Used mine to clean up a cast iron skillet last night!

 

[Jeff Blake]

Alright alright. Just trying to keep my tool footprint small. For the $1 per corner or whatever I thought it made sense to just have it done right. However that steel panel is actually $114 + $45 shipping. Ouch.

Since I plan on fabbing side panels to replace the rear lower trim, it probably makes sense to buy a standard 4x8 sheet of aluminum to use for the rear and sides. That way I can paint to a consistent color. Stay tuned... I'll look into a 20V grinder. I don't have the luxury of consistent AC power. I have B+D 20V MAX tools but unfortunately they don't make an angle grinder. Porter+cable looks good enough

 

[1920SF]

I am happy with my Milwaukee cordless angle grinder, have a couple extra 19v batteries and it does quite well all things considered.

 

[Jeff Blake]

Another potential good find.

Insulating rubber coated brass rivet nuts.

https://www.mcmaster.com/#93495a310/=15kzand

Does anyone have any parts/hardware suppliers they recommend with a good online browser? Mcmaster is obviously good. Or even like a catalog to help educate on options? It's fascinating being able to browse all the different options and learning how one piece of hardware may work better than another. Versus browsing Amazon for "1/4-20 rivet nuts" ... all the different options don't really come to surface (e.g. insulating rubber versions)

 

[Tugela]

Just trying to keep my tool footprint small... I don't have the luxury of consistent AC power.

Seattle has several tool lending libraries if you don't want to purchase your own:

http://addoreseattle.com/seattles-tool-libraries/

Home Depot also rents them.

Where do you live in Seattle that doesn't have consistent AC power?

 

[Jeff Blake]

Thanks for the resources. I'm moving down the coast to SD in the coming months and will likely be living in an apartment in the city.

 

[Tugela]

Nice. Trading the Cascadian Subduction Zone for the San Andreas Fault? SD is looking pretty good right now...yesterday we had 8 hours and 25 minutes of daylight.

 

[Jeff Blake]

Haha. Yeup. I've had enough of this weather. I finished rebuilding my engine with top hats a couple weeks ago (autosport in Ballard put the liners in. Mostly happy. There was a snafu and they forgot to put the orings in, had to redo everything) and am waiting on some half decent weather so I can put her back in. Too dark, wet, and cold.

 

[Jeff Blake]

After removing the plastic rivets (PITA, but a 90 degree small pick works well. Lost one of course in the only truly blind hole, but got lucky with a reverse shopvac to blow it out) the holes are 5/16" so the available rivet is #6-32. Thats a bit small of a screw I think... so maybe i'll just drill out the holes to 1/2"

 

[fishEH]

After removing the plastic rivets (PITA, but a 90 degree small pick works well. Lost one of course in the only truly blind hole, but got lucky with a reverse shopvac to blow it out) the holes are 5/16" so the available rivet is #6-32. Thats a bit small of a screw I think... so maybe i'll just drill out the holes to 1/2"

Too small for what? Won't you end up having about a dozen screws holding it on? That should be plenty I would think.

 

[Jeff Blake]

20 actually. Yeah, probably. I think 1/4" is a good standard to use throughout. I'll be using rivet nuts everywhere throughout the truck now that I've gutted my headliner and all (most) of the trim.

Pulled the trigger on gas springs

10 lbs 12"
http://www.go2marine.com/product/38...shock-lift-fits-10mm-ball-ends.html1643896124

And brackets
http://www.go2marine.com/product/387957F/sea-dog-90deg-gas-lift-mount.html1025549393

Plus $5 off sitewide coupon. ~$65 total

Working on the rest of the hardware. Will go into seattle next week to OnlineMetals and TapPlastics for the Aluminum sheet and starboard.

 

[fishEH]

Are you familiar with Expedition Portal? :ack:

 

[Jeff Blake]

Are you familiar with Expedition Portal? :ack:

Yeah. Why?

Sticking to 1/4-20 rivnuts for everything was a fantasy. The gas mounts, piano hinge, et al all use different screws.

I'm hinking t-nuts instead of rivnuts to mount the hinge into the HDPE so it doesn't crack. Definitely a lot more to this project than I thought. Would be nice to do countersunk flat head screws for the panel, but I've never done that before so may KISS with rounded socket cap screws. Black oxide for all the hardware as I plan to paint the aluminum black-ish, and the table sandstone/off-white (stock color)

 

[latarheel]

I've had that stainless panel on backorder with Columbia since April 2016. They take your $ upfront and still haven't delivered product waiting on a subcontractor I'm told.

 

[fishEH]

I've had that stainless panel on backorder with Columbia since April 2016. They take your $ upfront and still haven't delivered product waiting on a subcontractor I'm told.

April!!! F that. I would have told them to pound sand and gotten my money back.

 

[latarheel]

when I suggested doing just that, I was told I would "lose my place in line"