Door panel tool

Abstract

An apparatus and method for rapidly and safely installing a door panel over an automobile door frame includes a rectangular solid body that is preferably formed of a polyethylene plastic. The body includes a nose portion that has a recessed area. The recessed area has a tapered plane that is used to progressively urge the panel around a lip of the frame when the body is impacted, such as by an air impact hammer. The body has an opposite end distally disposed from the nose that includes a cylindrical recess which is adapted to receive a shaft therein, the shaft being adapted for use with the air impact hammer. A fin extends from the nose portion at an angle with respect to the shaft and is used to prevent the tool from rolling into the panel during installation. In use a first pass around the perimeter of the panel is made with the tool close to normal to initially set the panel in position around the lip. A second pass is then made at more of an angle to complete the crimp of the panel fully around the lip.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . (canceled)  
     
     
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         10 . (canceled)  
     
     
         11 . A method for installing a door panel over a frame of an automobile door consisting of the steps of: 
 (a) placing said panel over said frame;    (b) disposing a door panel tool that includes a body, said body formed of a plastic material and including a generally rectangular cubic structure and having a nose portion and an opposite end, and wherein said body includes a recessed area that includes a tapered plane, and wherein said tapered plane is adapted to progressively urge an edge of said door panel around said lip sufficient to secure said door panel thereto when said tool is impacted and moved along a perimeter of said panel; and    (c) impacting said tool while simultaneously moving said tool along said perimeter of said panel.    
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11  including the additional step of impacting said tool while simultaneously moving said tool along said perimeter for a second pass around said perimeter.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11  including the additional step of impacting said tool while simultaneously moving said tool along said perimeter a plurality of times sufficient to fully set said panel onto said frame.  
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11  including the additional step of attaching said tool to an air actuated impact hammer prior to the step of impacting said tool while simultaneously moving said tool along said perimeter of said panel.  
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11  including the additional step of providing a cylindrical recess in said opposite end of said tool, and of inserting a first end of a shaft in said cylindrical recess.  
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15  including the step of impacting an opposite second end of said shaft.  
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  including the step of inserting said opposite second end of said shaft in an air actuated impact hammer prior to the step of impacting an opposite second end of said shaft.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11  including the step of providing a fin on said tool that extends from said nose portion sufficient to prevent said tool from creasing said panel during use of said tool.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  including the step of providing a frontal plane and two oppositely angled sides that converge on said frontal plane and of disposing said fin from one of said two oppositely angled sides of said tool.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  including the step of providing a primary plane in said recessed area and wherein a bottom plane of said fin is included in said primary plane.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20  including the step of providing a planar frontal portion and a second pair of oppositely angled sides that extend from said planar frontal portion toward said opposite end sufficient to form an opening on each side of said body and wherein said primary plane extends along one face of said opening on each side of said body.