6061 alluminum door panels

[zakt]

cant seem to get any steel door panels for my truck and the rear are custom anyway on the crew.... looks like I will be getting 1/4" thick 6061 alluminum door panels made. Starting to work on the Auto CAD for it now to do some customization....thinking might have some issues with the window crank with the 1/4" thickness ?? maybe some other issues??

Todd

still hoping to get the steel ones while working on this if I cant find any

[Joshpow]

Sounds cool though. Hope to see it work.

[BobbyFord]

Countersink the window cranks
Ball mill some flames on 'em, too.

[Ranchero50]

It would be an interesting project, but pretty expensive by the time you buy the raw material and pay for the mill time. One question is how do you plan on holding the plate? You could predrill the arm rest mounts and use them and the perimeter screw holes to hold the sheet to a backer board that's clamped to the mill table. I would be concerned with the plate lifting during the milling process without some center support. Are they going to be polished of painted? Almost too much shine if polished.

Jamie

[Doug F]

I work in aluminum every day, 3/16 would be far better than 1/4. I would say 1/8" would be your best bet, lighter, easier to cut and won't stick out from the door face. Just did a wall for a lawyer office in 3/16, 96"h x 92"w, it was HEAVY!

[fordamericana]

I would like to see what that looks like upon completion... I imagine it could be pretty nice...