Can anybody direct me to a thread dealing with building door jambs and doors? The doors I have are just skins. No luck hunting for doors. Could use tips for both ends of door - A and B pillar lowers as well as inner door construction. Thanks
Unfortunately I can't even get to it until probably spring. My daughter and family moved down here from Alaska and my garage is packed from floor to rafters with their stuff. If you can picture simply outer skin (rust rot on the edges, even) with absolutely no inner support - that's what I'm working with for doors and about the same for jambs. It will need to be a total fab job (inner door support AND jambs), which is why I'm hoping there might be something out there I can use a a guide.
this might do you some good. It is a tech thread from a couple of years ago. The car is a 51 Fleetline but I am sure a lot of it will pertain to what you are doing. We built the entire door structure, hinges, bulkheads and hinge buckets. There are a lot more pics of what we did if you want to see them. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/suicide-doors-from-scratch-sure-you-can.451530/
Would this car have had a wooden frame work for the skins to be attached to? If so, are you friendly to the idea of using wood? Tim
Among other things you will need a sheet metal brake, mig welder, shrinker/stretcher, original hinges, latches and door seals, air and manual cutting tools. Can you find a parts car to pirate for these parts or use for patterns?
From what I've researched I'm sure there was a wooden structure, although no sign of it remains. Unfortunately no parts cars or other doors are showing up in my extensive searches over the past several months. I'll give that link a try, hrm2k. Thanks
You might try on the AACA forum. There may be somebody over there that has patterns or a car that they could measure. Is there a group here on the HAMB called termites and bow ties? Maybe one of those people could help.
I really don't want to sound like a stick in the mud, but I'm not so sure you understand the gravity of the size of the project your dealing with. Your going to need to do more then just the door posts & the door hinges. You will need to build an entire body structure, either from wood or from metal. You have a lot of work ahead of you. I hope you have some serious metal working skills and equipment, or have someone close to you that does and is willing to teach you. If this is a first ever project, I might suggest you set this one a side for a while and start with a much more simple project until you get some experience. Auto body structure a tough battle when you have to learn everything all at once. What you looking at is a challenge for someone with skills, equipment, and experience, it will be a huge undertaking for someone new to the game. I've seen way too many new guys start major projects and never get them done, they get discouraged and quit the hobby. The thread listed above shows how to do the door hinges on the posts & on the door, but look at the background of the pictures. See all that shiny metal? All of that is in your future, before you get to hanging the doors. Gene
A lot of wood was used in the 36 doors. This was the last year for major wood structure in GM products. Hinges, latches and window mechanism were all mounted to the wood structure. It may be easier to modify doors from a 36, sedan , or a door from a Olds, Buick or other GM product. Hinges, latches and belt line may match up. A wood kit for the 36 doors would be a good place to start and give you some idea to what is involved . If you do find doors , chances are they will need the wood replaced anyway.
http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/fisher/3536fbsm/index.html This should be a big help................ Jeff
try this place https://www.google.com/?gfe_rd=ssl&ei=YUFVVt_DCoOr-AWslIPQDQ#q=allmetalshaping lots of cool stuff to learn there
'36 was a split year for chevy bodies...early ones had wooden inner structures in the doors and jambs but late 36s had metal ...at least metal doors. I believe if it was me, I'd search out a pair of late 36 coupe doors and that'll get you a leg up on how the hinges and jambs are supposed to be constructed.
You may find some information and pictures in here http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/fisher/3536fbsm/index.html
Thanks for all the input, guys. Maybe I am in over my head. Guess I'll keep looking for some usable doors.
I don't know your skills but don't give up before you start. I would think you are not restoring the car so that will give you some leeway in what you do. I would start with some box tube 1"X1" or so and you would have to bend it with a slight curve to match the "overall contore" of the side of the car. Then box the top and bottom of that to make a frame. next you will need a flange to match the exact shape of the door skin. you should be able to make that with sheet metal, may need a shrinker-streatcher to do that. Then weld the flanges to the box tube and attach the skin. I'm sure that someone here can come up with a better way but That's what I would try, remember I have not see what you have. My main point is don't get discourged, and remember, if you can get a vison of how to tackle the job you can do it.
Agree, don't give up. Educate yourself and arm with skills and knowledge. That Chevy IS a big project but you can work up to the major stuff. Maybe even try bartering/trading skills with someone....
It kind of sounds like you may be on the newer side of the game. Do your research and put together a well thought out plan BEFORE starting anything. Break the project up into small obtainable tasks. Go slow, take a ton of pictures, ask a ton of questions and be willing to take the advice that is given. This is going to be a long commitment so pictures and notes will be invaluable. Oh yeah, keep as much of it together as you can. You'd be surprised how easily you forget how the simplest things go back together after several years (it's also worth more down the line in one piece if you have to pass it along). Good Luck!
I feel your pain . Mines a colonial pickup based on a sedan. I got lucky and found a pair of sedan steel inner door frames which with some minor tweaking will fit , then I'll fit my outer skins to them. If the A pillar of the coupe and sedan is the same, sedan doors may be a good starting point for you too, if coupe ones can't be found. My wooden frame hinges weren't a direct fit but I've modified them to suit. I also got the B pillar out of the sedan. It's just a sheet metal covering over timber, but at least I have a factory pressing for aesthetics that I can place over something structural. Good luck
And when you need a slight curve placed in 1X1 square tubing, set the tubing on two 4X4 wood blocks spaced far enough apart so that you can use your weight to stand on the tubing to gently coax the tubing to the desired curve. It can be done. All the wood in my Model T body (avatar) has been replaced with square tubing, some of it shaped using the above mentioned method.
With a decent hammer form you can make the inner door structure, and door jambs. With some ingenuity you can make anything you want. Everyone doing this crap has been in over their head. Some quit, some swim.
This guy is dealing with some of the same issues you are looking at. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/37-chevy-truck-hot-rod-build.994424/
Vintage, you might appreciate this gents work! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...7-model-t-28-29-a-pickup.732731/#post-8139601
While I didn't build the door skins I did remake all of the inner structure of my '34 pickup. Unfortunately a lot of the pictures don't show in my build thread since the format change. There are a couple in my albums though if you are interested. Don't give up. If you want it bad enough you will get it done one way or another. Cheers! Mike
As you can see in my avatar a 33 chev 3 window and a 34 chev pu ,both full of wood hence my name wood remover !!!
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