Nice write up!  This is on my to do list.  I hadn't considered eliminating the water shields, but I like the idea a lot.

Thanks for this great step by step post, I've been wanting to eliminate those spring clips.
And a nice clean work area, wish I could find one!

Last edited by BobE (10/12/2020 10:23 AM)

Very nice, informative write-up, and excellent work also. I love this forum.

BB1

Excellent. Thanks!

This is brilliant!

I searched both Amazon and eBay for them.  I happened to find the best deal at the time from an eBay seller.  I just checked that listing and that seller is out of the magnets I bought.

Two things are less than ideal with that listing for magnets.  First, 80 mil is a little thin if you are going to put them into the recesses where the original clip holes are.  1/8th inch (125 mil) would be about ideal.  And the second concern is that the listing does not indicate the strength of these magnets.  The neodymium magnets come in different strengths.  If these are the weaker N35 magnets, I would look for a different magnet.  Since the magnet grade is not listed, I'd have to assume they are the weaker and cheaper N35 grade.

The N52 are crazy strong.  I really think N45 or even N42 would be strong enough in case you find a better deal on these.

This is the write up on the magnets I used on a 1965 door panel. I did this 9 years ago and have taken the panels off numerous times Zero damage at any level. Between the magnets and the door handles nothing moves and easily comes off once you remove the door handles and pulls. There is a link in this write up on the magnets that were very strong and very thin. 
FYI FORD MustangSteve's Ford Mustang Forum » Door Panels and an idea I want to see if anyone else has tried. (boardhost.com)

I love this innovation. I will do this on my car next time door panels get replaced.
Great ideas.

Rufus68 wrote:

Goals:
    -   Have a clean door that does not need water shield goop
    -   Improve the new door panel by strengthening the low quality fiberboard and making it water resistant so to eliminate a separate water shield
    -   Eliminate the clips as a mounting system.  Use neodymium magnets instead
 
Begin by prepping the door.  After removing the old door panel and water shield, clean the door completely of the goop used to attach the old water shield.  I ended up using a small container of diesel fuel and a small brush to do the initial cleaning.  This melted away the old goop pretty quickly.  Next, I wiped the door with WD40 which easily removed the residue left behind by the diesel fuel cleaning.  Last, I degreased the door completely. 
The first thing I installed on the door was a border of neoprene foam weather stripping.  I used 1/4" wide by 1/8” thick.  Here’s a photo of the door with the weather stripping:    

Next, because my magnets were 1.25 inches diameter, I had to install a 1 inch washer under the magnet.  I was then able to install the magnets.  I used 3M grey molding tape to install these to enable me to remove them in the future if I ever need to.(For the passenger door, I have ordered 1 inch by 1/8 inch thick magnets so that I will not need the washers.)  Here are two photos showing first the washers attached, then the magnets attached. 



Preparation of the door panel:
To strengthen and seal the door panel, I first applied a coat of fiberglass resin directly to the door panel fiber board.  This first coat took just over 2 ounces of resin.  Below you can see the passenger panel without resin and the driver’s side panel with the first coat of resin dry. 

Next I applied the fiberglass tape:

Then I applied the second layer of resin to the door panel.  This coat required almost 5 ounces of resin.  Note:  The panel is stronger now but still flexes if you lift it only from the middle.

 Next, I attached strips of sheet metal to the panel to enable the magnets to be used as the mounting system.  I happened to have some old roofing sheet metal so I used it.  I found 5 minute Epoxy glue worked best for gluing the metal to the fiberglass.  I chose JB Weld Clearweld as the glue I used.
Here is the door panel after gluing all the necessary strips:


Now the panel is waterproof, so installing it is simply to place it on the door.  Notice that the magnets hold so securely that vinyl is stretched over the metal mounting points for the arm rest.  This also demonstrates that the strengthened door panel is rigid enough to lay flat even before the arm rest is installed.

Here is a shot of the completed installation:  (Yes,I prefer the ’67 window crank handles over the ’68 style.)

 
I finally have my magnets and door panels and will try to get this later today or next weekend. But as I was thinking about this, another question came to mind.

Is there a reason you didn't lay the metal strips right on the door panel and go over them with the resin and fiberglass tape? 

Doing it that way would save a step and eliminate the risk of the metal separating from the glue. I would think the magnets would plenty strong to hold the panel on even with the thin layer of resin and tape on top of the metal strips.