Is there a common material that you can find at a DIY or art store, etc., that can be used to make panels like on the hatch bottom, etc? It should be thin, yet stiff enough to not flex much if you touch it and not crush when you attach with screws.

thx

MDF or masonite. Glue some black vinyl over it. sweet.

It will have to be 0.60 inch (2mm) thick for lightness. I've never seen anything thinner than 1/4 inch (6mm). So I will stop at the art & craft store to see what they have. there.

Look for birch ply or lite ply at a hobby store, it will be expencive but you can get it down to 1/64" thick. Or look at www.balsausa.com 12" X 48" is the largest they sell but their prices will be much less than a hobby shop. Lite ply is made from Popular and is available in 1/8", birch goes down to 1/64".

I haven't seen any thin ply anyware in the car, which is why I was asking.

So I bought some heavy card from a place that makes picture frames. They called it "3X board".

on the thin plywood-use glue only, staples will go through your upholstery!

Will

I don't remember what te panels were like. Did the vinyl wrap around the edges or just end flush. Wrapping is harder to do, of course, but doable, with enough time.

Will--

I would never use staples since they would show. Even the screws have the decorative washers.

Custom auto upholstery shops use a very heavy cardboard type material. I've used it with success. Quite inexpensive, too.

I was thinking of having an upholstery shop apply the vinyl. IMO, they don't seem very excited by just a simple (cheap) job like gluing a little vinyl to a piece of cardboard.

Masonite is thin. about 3mm. Dont know is it has another name in the USA. Dark brown particle board type stuff.

Or you could use a sheet pf acrylic plastic.

Chipboard is what is originally used-a thinner version of OSB with more resin/glue, and paper remnants instead of 1/2 chewed wood.

The board was covered in a 1/8" sheet of foam cut to fit one side and glued, then sprayed with glue, wrapped in vinyl, with staples through the back.

Will

Masonite is thin. about 3mm. Dont know is it has another name in the USA. Dark brown particle board type stuff.

Camo, it's called Masonite in the U.S. as well. Lot's of things are made of masonite. As you know, it's thin and much stronger than heavy cardboard.