[Gus Smith]

Hello there

I have had a good search around and I cannot find a good thread regarding re-aligning door pillars when they have rusted and and being repared. I currently am at the stage of trying to align the door in the aperture (was correct before) and I am having little luck in find a good place to weld the bottom of the repair panel to the heater channel.

I can get the door to hang squarely in the aperture with the striker plate taking a lot of the weight of the back of the door, but it obviously sags when opened as the bottom of the A post is not welded.

I had planned on closing the door using the striker and making it sit (using the swage line for reference) a few MM higher than normal. Then tacking in the A post from the inside and trying for fit, then grinding out and repeating if nessesary. I would make it sit a few MM to high to allow for slight flex in the body and hinges etc when the weight of the door is released.

How does everyone else do it? Does this seem like a good method?

My car has had the channels replaced but the alignment of the door in the aperture was good and all of the gaps were very even. It even had that slight "clunk" like you hear in the ads of the period (with the quarterlight open of course )

Many thanks and I look forward to your replies!

 

[RAS]

Well I'm in the 'brace it first' camp....where you make sure the gap is right first, brace it, do the repairs and take the braces out once the repairs are done.... on this forum I was virtually accused of being a halfwit for that approach.

 

[Gus Smith]

Well I'm in the 'brace it first' camp....where you make sure the gap is right first, brace it, do the repairs and take the braces out once the repairs are done.... on this forum I was virtually accused of being a halfwit for that approach.

So what? You were called a fuckwit because you braced it first?

I read a thread on door alignment (not after door pillar work) by a well respected man called Peter and he said there was no real need as the door aperture can be easily changed after doing work like heater channels.

 

[RAS]

So what? You were called a fuckwit because you braced it first?

I read a thread on door alignment (not after door pillar work) by a well respected man called Peter and he said there was no real need as the door aperture can be easily changed after doing work like heater channels.

Well then "easily change your door aperture" then.

 

[Mr.Whippy]

I used Hooky's door pillar bottoms and Hooky's door alignment tool.

With those, plus Peter's measurement for the door aperture, I achieved pretty good results.

In general - align as you see fit and tack weld only. Then fit everything and only if you're happy with the fit then fully weld. Otherwise, if it takes 15 times of breaking the tack welds, re aligning and trying again then so be it.

Take your time, the only things made in a hurry are babies.

Dave.

 

[toony1uk]

i found this for you if any help

Then for the passenger door i decided to have a go at my own way of doing things and i would reccomend it to anyone as it worked a treat!

Firstly i removed the brace first, then opened the door about 1", got the jack under the edge of the door and jacked it up until it was just slightly too high (helps with the door open just an inch or less to judge the correct gap) then i tacked it..

Checked it and it was bang on, i think having it jacked up 2 or 3mm too much allows for some droppage which lets face it when you have chopped off 6" of the shell you are bound to get some as the original strength is just not there anymore. So the i welded that up..

]

 

[Gus Smith]

That is great!


I thought about the jack method but though that using the striker plate as support would be good enough but for pure adjustability ill use my trolley jack and a piece of wood!

Great photos BTW, really helped. And yes My plan was to out a few tacks in at first so that it it was out by a few MM then I could just get the 1mm cutting disk on there on there and cause no really damage to the channel of door pillar.


Thank you very much Mr Whippy and Tonny1uk for the (helpful) reply!

Will

 

[Johnser]

hello again!

before you use the door as a reference, double check the hinges havent been over opened and bent. Of course it doesnt really matter if the door sits in there right and thats the only door you're likely to use, but if you decide to change it for a straight one one day.....

 

[Gus Smith]

hello again!

before you use the door as a reference, double check the hinges havent been over opened and bent. Of course it doesnt really matter if the door sits in there right and thats the only door you're likely to use, but if you decide to change it for a straight one one day.....

Hi Gareth!

The doors are fine and are original to the car so I have no plan on changing them as they are pretty solid! They not not seem to have been blown open or left to open to far as the hingers are good and the inner panel is also straight, making the door sit squarely!

Cheers!

Will

 

[Johnser]

Hi Gareth!

The doors are fine and are original to the car so I have no plan on changing them as they are pretty solid! They not not seem to have been blown open or left to open to far as the hingers are good and the inner panel is also straight, making the door sit squarely!

Cheers!

Will

nice one, thats ok then

my drivers door was so haggard it'd go past 90^