FAQ for door skin install.

[sevt_chevelle]

I was asked to do a FAQ on door skin installment so here it is...Eric

I have no idea how to do this, so Ill just do it how I want I finally got around to this. Please let me know if I need more information or photos on any areas or make changes...Eric

theres the whole album
http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2096451486

The first step in replacing a door skin is to remove a large section of the skin. I do this because of several reasons. One it allows me to check the door shell and door intrusion beam for damage. If the beam is bent or damaged the door is JUNK plain and simple, its a safety issue.
I use an air hammer with a panel cutter bit, it makes for short work of that sheetmetal. Another reason I do is because many door skins are glued in place. I find that when you remove a large section of skin you can remove the remeinder much easier.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942950173

The door is now removed for the car. To remove the skin from the door you need to grind away the hem area of the skin. The hem is the part of the skin that is folded over. A grinder with 36 grit will make quick work that hem. When you start to see the hem splitting like shown in the pictures, move to the next spot. You want to move the grinder back and forth over the hem, never stopping.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942950171
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942950170

Once the skin is off the door shell I like to reinstall the door back onto the car. Doing so allows you to check the fit of the shell to the surrounding parts of the car. The flange on the shell where the skin lays should be almost flush with the surrounding parts. If not you need to adjust the shell and or the flange for proper fit. Adjusting the shell and flange NOW is very easy because the shell has little strength without that skin. You can bend and tweak that shell to do anything you want. Tweaking and bending with the skin on is very hard and you are likely to dent or crease the skin.
So correct any misfitment now.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942950172

In the picture you can see the perfect gap and equal spacing of the flange on the shell to the surround parts. Once again the flange should be almost flush with the surrounding parts.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942950114

This picture shows an area of the shell that does not fit right to the surrounding parts. Notice how the gap gets bigger as you view from top to bottom. If you installed the skin, the body lines would not match up properly. The newly skinned door would appear to be sucked in at the bottom and not flush, the body line would also be lower when view from the side.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942950109

In order to fix this fitment issue I will push the lower portion of the shell out. I use a dead blow or rubber mallet to gently push the shell outwards. If you just bend the flange, the flange will be at the wrong angle and the skin will not sit and look right on the shell. This type of fitment issue the shell needs to corrected NOT the flange.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942950109
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942950010

The lower area after the corrective repair. The flange sits almost flush and the body lines now match up.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949981

The tools used to fold over the skin. The red body hammer is what I prefer to use. The black hammer is called a door skin hammer and most commonly used. I just prefer the feel of the red one over the black one, both work just fine. When using hand held body hammers you need to use a heavy large steel dolly with several curves or shapes one being flat. The reason for a heavy steel dolly is that it holds the skin tight, not allowing it to bounce on the shell. It basically supports skin while you are hammering the door skin over.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942950093
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949953


The door is now off the car again and ready for the install. The flange is ground with 50 grit for the adhesive. Most adhesive makers want a rough "tooth" for the adhesive.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3950378442

The adhesive that I use is metal bonding adhesive. I prefer the large panel adhesive because it has a longer work time. Shown in the picture is 3M's 8115 metal bonding adhesive. This adhesive will be applied on the flange that is ground with 50 grit. Run a thin bead over the flange then spread it out covering the complete flange and all bare metal. Also shown is a seam sealer product that I use for an anti flutter. Anti flutter is what provides support for the skin. The antiflutter is applied to any door beams to support the metal in the middle of the door.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3950378836

Adhesive applied to the flange also notice the gray antiflutter on the door beam.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3950378835
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949946

The door skin is now layed in place over the shell. To aid in folding the skin over I like to lighty sand the edge of the skin. Doing so removes a very light amount of metal allowing it to fold over easier. I normally use something like 120 or 180. Do not go crazy on this step!
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949894

Just some clamps to help hold the skin in place during the hammering process. Always use some wood paint sticks to protect the metal from the vise grips, if not you will dent it.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949882

I use an air hammer and rubber dolly to fold over the skin edge. I do this because its faster and produces a better finish. But the hand held hammers and steel dolly shown earlier work just as fine. Sometimes I still need to finish the final folding of the skin with a body hammer and steel dolly.
I dont suggest the air hammer method to someone who has never done a door skin, just a picture of the tools that I use.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949866

It was hard to hold a hammer, camara and take pictures all at once so I did alittle drawing You want to hold the dolly tight agaisnt the outer part of the skin. The body hammer will lightly hit the skin folding it over ever so gently.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942938087

Picture of the flange after 1 or 2 passes. Notice the flange is not folded over up by the dolly, but below the dolly is lighty folded. At this point the fold is around 70 degrees. You want to fold the skin is small stages. If you try and force the fold in 1 or 2 stages will you dent/crease the door skin requiring more work and probably body filler to correct. If you fold the skin over in stages like shown in the above drawing you will get a perfect factory appearing job.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949828
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3950378837

Another view of skin folded over at around 70 degrees
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949799

This picture shows the area right under the dolly almost folded over, its probably around the 30 degree mark.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949707

Once the entire skin is folded over to around 30 degrees and NOT completely over, reinstall the door to the car. Doing this allows you to adjust the fitment of the door skin. You can shift the skin around on the shell to get the lines to fit right. You will also be able to make any last minute adjustments to the door shell to get the proper fit, as the skin is not completely in place.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949787

Checking the body lines for correct fit.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949727
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949714

Once the skin is lined up, open the door, do NOT remove the door just open it up. Now finish folding the skin edge over in a few spots. This will "tack" the skin in place not allowing it to move. Now remove the door and finish folding the skin edge over.

Picture of the skin folded over
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949679

With the skin folded over I like to lightly smooth out the backside or the side that recieved the hammering, with some 60 grit on an angle grinder. I use a small 2in rolec disc. The idea is to smooth out the metal to remove any hammer marks that might be in the metal. Hammer marks appear because the hammer was struck the metal at the wrong angle and left a small mark, no big deal. The 60 grit will easily remove any marks.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949657
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3950378659
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3950377292

Once you are done with 60 grit, its a good idea to run a piece of 180 grit over the metal to remove those 60 grit scratches.

The door skin is almost done. Pictures of the outer portion. Notice that there are no dents or distorntion in the metal from the hammering. This is because of several things. 1. Because the use of a steel dolly held tight against the skin. 2. Folding the skin over in small stages instead of 1 or 2 large stages. This door skin will need NO BODY FILLER.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949654
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949615
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949592
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949425

The last step in doing a bondo free door skin. Take a large sander or grinder with a 8in pad with 120 to 180 grit. This will remove any small waves in the metal from the hammering, basically you are smoothing the metal out, nothing major but yet still a big step in the process. A 6in DA sander set in grinder mode will also work, but the larger pad from the grinder works better due to working more surface area at once.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949426
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949424

The door is painted and installed for the last time on the car! This skin was so smooth that it is 100% free of body filler and 100% free primer surfacer! It needed no buildable primer or blocking to make straight. It was simply sealed with 1 coat of sealer then sprayed directly with paint over that.
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949345
http://www.imagestation.com/4325757/3942949290