Copy and Photography by Jim Batie

Introduction
Have interior upgrades in traditional magazines left you wondering how a novice could possibly accomplish such a project? Instead of making suggestions or simply showing you how one interior element or another might add a certain look, in this article FordMuscle is going to perform a "real-world" door panel upgrade. And yes, when we say "real-world" we're talking about using junkyard parts.

In a two-part series, we'll demonstrate how we added a modern appeal to a vintage Ford's door panels. The model of our early Ford is not critical and if you decide to undertake a similar project, neither is yours. The critical step is to find a donor vehicle whose door panels can, with some fabrication, accommodate the design of your project car's doors. In our case, we modernized the door panels in a 1972 Ranchero with door panels from a 1995 Thunderbird. Our specific project also required the inclusion of power windows and power locks, an additional challenge FordMuscle was proud to document.

Before Getting Started
We cannot overstate the importance of planning ahead before embarking on a custom interior upgrade. Before acquiring the 1995 Thunderbird door panels, we spent hours measuring and re-measuring our Ranchero's door dimensions as well as the door panel dimensions of potential donor vehicles. Over the course of a week or more we made several trips to the wrecking yard and back to the shop while planning and looking for complications. Here's what we did...

This is the original panel on our 1972 Ranchero. The mid-70's two-door originally came with a standard or a sport door panel. The sport door panels were already a nice design, but we wanted something different.		Initially, these panels from a 1979 Thunderbird appeared perfect since they included switches for power accessories and a provision for mounting a driver side remote mirror control. Unfortunately, they were uncomfortable and not quite appealing enough for the undertaking.
This pair of 1995 Thunderbird panels offered a dramatic update in style that would make the conversion well worth the effort. These panels offered an armrest that flows into a smooth door-pull, a nicely molded panel housing the switches, and a contoured area at the front for extra knee room. It was obvious that these panels would require a lot of work to adapt.		We needed to create a base for the new panel to attach. We chose a 1/8" thick piece of Luann (that's the stuff that looks like plywood). Using the OEM door panel shown in caption one, we simply placed it on the Luann and marked its outline with a black marker. By cutting the board with a saber saw we now had a lower section ready to use. We used the upper section of a standard Gran Torino door panel (the stamped metal rusty piece) to accommodate the curve on the top of the door.
Before we could begin trial fitment of the Luann, it was necessary to remove the manually operated window regulator and its protruding window crankshaft. Additionally, we had to remove the stock mechanism for the inside door release handle.		Now that the inner door was free from obstructions, it was time to attach the stamped donor sheet metal to the Luann base. The lower section was clamped to the door in its proper position. The sheet metal piece was then installed in its correct position and the two were attached to each other with several pop rivets.
Several of the access holes in the inner door frame were traced to the inside of the Luann board. Once removed, the access holes were rough-cut and traced to the board for the other door panel.		In addition to a sabre saw, we used a hole saw and grinder to resize and enlarge the access holes several times as the project continued. We eventually eliminated most of the center of the Luann backing panel.
Later model Fords use a stepped edge around the outer perimeter of the door, where the panels mount. As a result, the donor panels have extra depth to them when compared to early Ford panels. The excess that was designed to fit over the step in the Thunderbird door frame was trimmed to allow the panel to mount flush to the new backing panel.		Here is the excess we removed. Trimming the door panel was also necessary to provide adequate space between the seat and the door panel. Small holes were drilled as a means to mark from the inside of the door panel flush with the inner surface. These holes were then connected with a marker and a straight edge. The material was trimmed off to the high side, allowing for fitment.
We were now ready to temporarily attach the Thunderbird panel to our fabricated backing panel. This was done using several screws and rivets. We used existing holes and located others where they would be hidden or covered.		Once properly fitted to the door, the panels were temporarily attached using two sheet metal screws. We could now attempt to close the door and see just how much trimming would be needed to allow the new panel to fit against the dash. Unfortunately, the door would barely close half way.