Joining two halves of glove box door. How?

[JohnK]

I'm working on my dash at the moment. I'm planning to use the glove box body and hinges that I bought from from Alex some time ago, but I want to make my own glove box door out of two layers of material, which will be upholstered in leather to match the dash. I'm thinking that the front layer of the door will be .040 aluminum, and the back layer will be 3/16" high density fiberboard. I'm going to embed these tee nuts (https://www.mcmaster.com/nuts/threaded-inserts/threaded-insert-type~hammer-in/for-use-in~hardwood/installed-length~range~~-8812400607511/) in the fiberboard to accept the fasteners for the hinges. What I'm struggling with is how to attach the two halves after they're upholstered. I know this must be trivially simple, as tons of folks have built their own glove boxes and there's no mention of how this is done in the countless build threads I've scoured, but this simple answer is eluding me at the moment. Are the two halves just glued/epoxied together? How do you get the two halves tightly together to glue them with the leather edges rolled over each half?

Thanks!



https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=148533&d=1622056179

[edwardb]

I've done several with those exact hinges and similar configuration, and this is what has worked well for me. I also used two halves. Always .040 aluminum front with padding. On one I used .081 for the backer. But IMO was too thick and not necessary. Your idea of 3/16" fiberboard is maybe the same IMO. But use what works best. I first covered both halves, with wrap around the edges with the usual pie cuts. Pro tip: Make the pie cuts pretty narrow and pull around in small sections. That way you'll get a good curve with no notches or bumps. I routinely see guys doing these with too wide of pie cuts (for the opening too) and it's really obvious. Doesn't have to be like that. Then I bolt the hinges to the back plate with the nuts and screws below the double thickness of covering. Then glue the two halves together with generous beads of JB Weld and a light coating on the covering. There are probably other adhesives that would work well. But JB Weld is easy to get and has worked for me. The latch through the top of both halves provides alignment plus a mechanical hold in that area. Lightly clamp the rest until the epoxy sets. The result is very solid and I've never had any issues with them in some cases after multiple years. Hope that helps. This picture is from my truck build. So the door is a different profile. But the same idea as on Roadsters I've done.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=114241&d=1568372050

[CraigS]

Another option might be use kydex plastic for the inside piece. It usually has a smooth side and a leather grain side. It comes in two thicknesses. Look here;
http://www.shopdiyholster.com/sheet-stock/
and here;
https://holsterbuilder.com/product-category/kydex/
The edge would lose the leather like surface when you sand it smooth but that might not be too obvious.

[J R Jones]

John, Your last sentence addresses the biggest obstacle: How do you achieve a thin package like Edward's photo with fasteners and bunched leather/vinyl in between the panels?
I fabricated interior panels for a roadster project, with side curtains. I knew water intrusion would be an issue, so rather than cardboard or luan as backing board I bought a sheet of dairy board at Home Depot (big sheet). Dairy board is 0.80-0.90 thick white polyester fiber sheet, smooth on both sides or beaded on one side. It is for washable wall surfaces in food processing or medical. I would consider that material for both panels.
My experience with Tee Nuts is that they have too tall a profile. Tee bolts could have the thin flat head between the layers and you would install nuts to secure the hinges.
These heads are 1/16 thick: https://www.mcmaster.com/bolts/thread-size~10-24/socket-head-profile~ultra-low/

My wrapped and glued vinyl covering is bunched at the corners. It I had to, I might be able to shave it down to one ply to reduce thickness.

My automotive structural adhesive of choice is body shop panel bonder (epoxy) or methacrylate. (220ml kit) More affordable is Loctite EA 9460 epoxy (50ml kit)
jim

[JohnK]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate all the input. I was initially thinking of making a slightly thicker door because the hinges sit behind the formed flange on the glove box opening, so going with a thinner door (e.g., two layers of .040) would result in the door sitting recessed in the opening. I didn't want to cut notches in the flanges to move the hinges forward. However, after looking at it for a bit, I think I've come up with a way to move the hinges forward so I can go with the layup that Paul recommends.

Paul, I'm planning to use the same latch that you've used. Can I ask how you made the catch for that latch? I was thinking of making a catch out of some rod bent into a "U" shape and thread the ends so I can adjust it up/down but the shape of the hook on the latch leads me to believe that it wouldn't latch onto a round rod particularly well. Is that a piece of aluminum angle your'e using for the catch?

[edwardb]

Paul, I'm planning to use the same latch that you've used. Can I ask how you made the catch for that latch? I was thinking of making a catch out of some rod bent into a "U" shape and thread the ends so I can adjust it up/down but the shape of the hook on the latch leads me to believe that it wouldn't latch onto a round rod particularly well. Is that a piece of aluminum angle your'e using for the catch?

Yes, the catches were made from bent flat stock. Aluminum works OK. But I found mild steel a little better and doesn't bend as easily with constant opening and closing. I added a small piece of neoprene on the face of the catch to provide a little tension and not rattle when closed. Takes some fiddling to get the right location. Prototyping with double back tape until you find the right spot works for me. Then bolted to the top of the box.