Inlay Style Trunk and Door Panels - Need Help & Ideas

[The WidowMaker]

im going to be starting the interior on the chevelle and need some help figuring out how to build the panels. id like to do an inlay style panel (1st pic below) and have an idea on what id do, but id rather not reinvent the wheel and end up with a longer process on top of it.

my idea is to start with a template of the inlay piece. with this, i can use the router and bushings to cut a hole in a 3/8" piece (the main panel) and cut another piece to inlay out of 1/4". since the 3/8" piece would be cut all the way through, i would need some sort of backer to attach the inlay to with (velcro?). for this, id just use a piece of 1/8" mdf that i would bond to the back of the 3/8. in the end, i would end up with a 1/2" thick piece of mdf with a 3/8" deep cut and a 1/4" piece to inlay in the hole. i thought of starting with a 1/2" piece, but i dont want to route all the inside out to 3/8" deep.

the questions; is there an easier/better/faster way to do this? what gap should i leave between the inlay and the hole? my thought was 1/8" all the way around which would probably end up at 1/16" after putting leather on it. im also thinking that the 1/4" inlay with fabric folded around its edges and back plus the velcro will make it stick out the extra 1/8" to be even with the 3/8" deep cut. is this an accurate assumption? is there something better than the velcro to fasten? what sort of glue should i use that i can spray from a gun? ive read that landau (sp?) is good, but cant find it in anything less than 1 or 5 gallons.

second issue. for the rear shelf i need to build up the depth a little to mount my speakers. they will also be in a cut out section and have an inlay of speaker fabric or some sort of grille over them. since i dont want to run a full sheet thats 1" thick, i want to build up the edges around the inlay and leave the rest of the panel thinner (kind of like second pic). whats the proper way to do this. ive thought about cutting my own mdf in the shape and size i want, but that too is tons of work. hagan street rods sells a foam that will do the same thing (3rd pic), but its expensive and im not sure its the size i want. are there other foams like this? any other suggestions? Clint, Tracy, i'd love your opinions! Thanks!!!

[Charles]

This is what Im working on, maybe this will at least point you in the right direction or give you an idea. I am too building my car in my garage, I dont have deep pockets so sending it to some shop is out of my league. I used construction paper to make my mock-up panels, I also screwed in some pieces of MDF to back the panels onto the trunk perimeter and somehow attach them. I built my sub box first and located my battery and air compressor where they need to go before anything else. I will be using 1/8" MDF for the flat panel in front of the speaker box and "ram board" to make the radius sections. Then, I will be covering all of it with some fiberglass. You can check out my progress on the car audio section. Good luck...

[The WidowMaker]

clint, love your stuff and need to call you about a dash. didnt know you had other options for the trunk and package tray, but my trunk floor is raised and a kit would have to be modified.

here are some of the latest pics. package tray is done and the inserts are cut but not pictured. sub box will be built this next week.

the trunk still needs the inserts cut and i need to finalize the area around the hinges. the idea i had wont work as planned, so i need to either modify or remake the piece. luckily its out of mdf and a patern bit will do the work in 20 minutes.

[diesel25lrs]

Tim,

Very nice work! I plan on doing something very similiar in the near future! If you don't mind me asking- why all the cutouts in the trunk panels? What thickness MDF is in trunk? How are you attaching it to metal?
Thanks,
Josh

[The WidowMaker]

If you don't mind me asking- why all the cutouts in the trunk panels? What thickness MDF is in trunk? How are you attaching it to metal?

i did the cutouts only because i wanted some detail instead of just a flat panel. the inlays will have the same leather material, so im hoping it looks clean and not too busy when done. the goal was to make them the same "style" as clints panels in the first post.

the trunk side panels are 5/8 ultralight mdf. ive gone around the outside and made a cut thats 3/4" wide and 3/8" deep. with all the material removed these weigh less than 1 lb right now. with the addition of the 1/8" i should be around 1.5 lbs.

i ended up making some aluminum brackets and am attaching the panels with velcro. 4 small spots for the sides and 6 for the back. between the velco and tight fit, they dont seem to want to go anywhere.

[diesel25lrs]

Gotcha- Thanks! Keep the pics coming- it will only help us unoriginal thinkers later! lol...

[The WidowMaker]

Gotcha- Thanks! Keep the pics coming- it will only help us unoriginal thinkers later! lol...

no problem. i got your pm and will see about getting some more pics up.

[Doodler]

wow! very impressive!

[The WidowMaker]

damn buddy. looks good! its amazing how long this stuff takes when doing it from scratch. your kit would have been nice.

[The WidowMaker]

more updated pics. i would call the trunk just about done. i plan on making an aluminum "cover" for the trunk latch hole and i need to remount the new back piece. other than that, its ready for material.

a few people have asked about the back cuts that i used to lighten the panels. if i wouldnt have put the detail in the panels, i could have gone with a thin piece and not needed a back cut. id also wait until done mounting before doing the cut if i did them again.

[ChevelleNV]

Wow, Tim those turned out nice...

[diesel25lrs]

Great job! Can't wait to see them covered! Will you put a thin layer of padding under material or just material?

[69bigblock]

how are you attaching the panels to the trunk?

[garickman]

Pretty nice work you're doing there!!

[jtm311]

Nice really nice work! I would love to add that to mine.
John