Help with door panels
 

Background:
-I thought my car was dead, and had nothing to lose.
-My wife bought me these 8's for my birthday and I wanted to get them in but they wouldn't quite fit behind the stock door panels.
-I want to keep the stock speaker gilles/door panels, as well as the pocket which runs the length of the door panel, starting behind each grille.

They look like a$$ and I want to clean them up, but have no idea where to start. Fiberglassing would work, but sanding in the narrow space would be impossible.
Wonder if I could make a fibreglass (abs?) form, remove it from the panel to sand/shape, then bond it once complete??

Any input is welcome; thanks in advance!

yeouch.

I would start with some 1/8" plastic and cut a strip that arcs around the speaker from under the top of the hole to the bottom. Then tape that all off and lay in fibreglass from the top so that you get something you can pull out and shape. When that is finished, attach it permanently to the door by glassing it from behind and then fill and sand until it blends in. Finish with SEM paint.

It's gonna be tough.

I'm having a tough time sourcing that plastic; even PM hobbycraft doesn't carry it? I bought some .013" thick tin today, to do exactly what you suggested.
Sigh. Wish I had gotten a second opinion of the car before cutting awy with a 4 1/2" angle grinder.

Q- what is SEM paint?

SEM makes, among other things, the paint you use on plastic and vinyl when you need to change the color of something. They have a wide range of colors approximating most factory interior colors. http://semproducts.com/

For the plastic - try a signboard shop or industrial plastic supplier like Industrial Paint and Plastics.

Good info on the SEM paint ! I been looking for this. :)

It's super handy. My vinyl guy only has 3way stretch in black so I use it all the time. Works better on vinyl than plastic IMO but stii effective.