Technical Need advice of how to correct the door gap.

As I dont want a noticeable mismatch I make a foam board template of the passengers side. This helped me visualize where the metal has to move and how fast. Seems like the front of the roof is what has to move. No need to push the cowl forward as that's where it went when as soon as it was allowed to.

 

I think my last idea is the best I think. I would cut the roof skin free at the eyebrow(dashed line) and let the metal go where it wants to go. If it moves up even to the rear section I'll weld in a filler panel in the roof the fabricate the door jamb to fit the roof. I can reshape the jamb by cutting some relief cuts in the bottom then fabricate new metal to fill the gaps. Does anyone have a pic of the cross section of the roof framing/upper door jamb? I'd like to study it to figure out how best to make the bends. I'll practice with paper untill my back is better deciding which bends I can do in the brake and which ones I can tip in the bead roller.

 

Looking back at some previous posts and man is that upper door jamb supremely messed up and beyond salvaging.

 

Noticed this old repair and the bottom of the A-pillar. Thinking of taking out 1/4" out of the rocker to reduce the door gap. I'll be doing repairs in this area anyway.

 

The exact same principles apply on car doors as well. Since your hinges are swapped then I’d be checking the bevel of your door frames at the front

 

I'm gonna throw this at the wall and see if it sticks, with you and the rest of us cheering you on

Suppose you make another 'big' cut in the roof, somewhere ahead of the really mullered up area, then see if it gives you a smaller area in which to make corrections. It's possible that some of the original shapes are still within but hard to detect based on the current injury. In case I'm not saying what I'm seeing, if you were to remove from the original insert edge the whole side, fit it to the existing cut you made as close as possible, then have a more simple place to fab and fill in so you end up with what you need. No relief cuts, maybe, less piecing in, perhaps? You're there, I'm not, and my hope is that you see in 3D what I might be seeing on a 'puter screen. I'm all about less fab work when you can "get there from here" easier. I'm kinda lazy like that.

 

Do you mean :
1) remove the roof skin only from insert to eyebrow ?
2) cut at the roof skin and jamb and reposition?
3) cut through the roof skin and jamb to the insert creating a wedge?

 

Theres several inches of buggered metal here. A horrible filler patch and some mutilated jamb. I'd like to replace this horror as I'll be reminded of its presence everytime I get in and out. Maybe I can find a donor roof section to make it easier. The roof skin at the eyebrow is also ruined. Bad welds and wavy as my short hairs.

 

Did that car come from Michigan?
I’ve seen that work before.

 

I dont think so. It's not rusty enough . Bad work can be had everywhere blind men can own tools.

 

I know a guy...

 

Add a 1/4 in rod inside the top where you have the welding rod in that pict, that one add will straighten out most of your door top opening probs. put the tops back on the doors and lean them in at the top to make them fit, cut the square tubing in the fabric top opening just where its out of line, line up things with square tube and clamps and weld a piece of square tubing where you cut the piece out, beat on it, marglass the jams and put it together, the cars' an old beat up custom, beat it up, throw some running gear in it and beat around town in primer or flat paint.

 

Not to be a dick but, "yes..."

Ok, what that was really meant to do is change your personal focus since you're there. Sometimes the human instinct gets in the way of our problem solving. Get so knotted up on the fucked up you miss the forest for the trees. A time or 10 I've been there, looking at it all wrong, dreading the worst, etc. Then one morning you walk in and go "Fuck! Why didn't I see that before?" Also, doing the easy side 1st might get you there faster or help get the horror cobwebs cleared. I recently got my knickers in a twist about a nasty push on an aluminum 1/4 panel of a very pricey car. The pushed out area was directly over a main wood support post and absolutely no room for a tool of any kind. I'd look at it, sweat about having to do a couple days of wood work just to do 2 hrs of hammer/dolly work. Then I just said fuck it and grabbed my homemade leaf spring slapper bar, zeroed in on the worst of it and slapped the taste out of it's mouth. Then I went on to slide-smack it a bit and damn if it didn't start to flatten out and go back in shape. 8-10 inches both sides were also buggered but I could get to those parts. Along the way I worried it would get too brittle so I did some really backyard 'annealing' to soften it up with a mapp gas torch. I don't know what made me try it but I figured I couldn't make it any worse. I was quite pleased with the final result and 2 coats of poly prime will have it mint. And get this, it's gonna be black (!). Since I can't help in person I just felt a change of thought might help from afar. If I'm outta line you can tell me to fuck off, I can take it

 

How dare you help me at my request! Why that's absolutely bold and brazen. I wish I had read it before I went into the garage. There only but so many John Wayne & Clint Eastwood westerns I guy can watch in a row . I agree with you . Many times I've stepped away from a problem only for the solution to come to me. All help is welcomed especially from those with experience.

 

Had to do something other than watch TV. I thought the skin was under stress and cutting it free of the eyebrow would show this but it didn't so that means it isn't. Since nothing moved so it's not as complicated as I thought. I now believe it's as simple as a crooked chop. Next I'll make a relief cut at the back of the windshield to lift the roof up slightly. I removed a portion of the roof frame to analyze. I'm sure I can fabricate what I need. I think it was the FoMoCo Kid that rebuilt his roof frame piece by piece. It wont be as nice but it'll be strong

 

Here's the roof frame for anyone who is curious as to its construction. This section has had too much carnage imposed on it to be left in place. The other side only requires a couple inches replaced. I'll pick it apart. Will have make it a few more pieces and weld them together but the end result will be the same. Also gonna try to make a whole new roof skin for this side to i can have full access for welding. If not I'll patch the original.

 

Carnage is a fitting description....

 

Way above my skill. All I can do is offer hope and encouragement.

Keep us posted.

thanks,

jim

 

Pictures, pictures, get out of here and go fix your car, it's pretty simple stuff to do. Theres' a Lincoln on here the guy made all the top, jams, everything from scratch take a look at that and go to it.
JW

 

Seems simple when you have the skills to pull it off . As soon as I'm back in action I will wrap this up. Work is not as simple for some as it it for others with me being part of the some.

 

There’s nothing easy about getting a 35/6 chop right ,,,, starting of with a good body, a stock body is hard enough. Straighten out a botched chop is way beyond what’s considered easy. From what I’ve seen in this thread you’re going to pull this off and have something at the end to be proud of.

 

hard enough to fix the damage from Mother Nature...super hard to fix the damage from the last "mother _______" that worked on it.

 

Feeling better today. I can actually pick up something off the floor without my balls feeling like their in a vise. Made my relief cuts. Lifted up the roof and used some washers as spacers to hold the shape. Seems pretty close now. My goal is to fabricate the white shaded area in the english wheel. For the edge at the eyebrow I'll use a rounded die in the bead roller with a soft lower wheel to get the tight radius. Some 3/16" rod welded to the edge should give me a smooth straight round line . Now to locate some 18ga cold rolled sheet. My local shops dont carry 18ga cold.

 

Go Man, now you're getting after it and making good progress.

 

My back is better so I put in a few minutes today. Working more on my 49 Panhead than the 5W. I jacked up the roof and welded up my relief cuts. I filled the relief cuts with 1/8 & 3/16" rod and bar. Came out pretty even I think. Step by step.

 

Back at it finally. Started framing out the door after going through several complete car builds here on the HAMB. I realized that I'll never get improve if I dont try so I stopped psych'ing myself out and started bending test strips. I used one of those vise press brakes to make the inside door brace. Used the bead roller with flanging dies to make the step in the top of the door then the tipping die to bend up the outter edge. Had to use the tipping die as the bend isn't straight. All welded in and started fitting the outter skin. One big and one small patch left. Only a couple hours work but I've been putting it off for weeks because I doubted my skills. Not that my skills are anything to brag about but I'm learning .

 

There's a learning process with every skill we develop! Keep it up and you will get better with every piece you make!

 

You learn by doing, you are going to make mistakes but learn from them. Just try not to make the same mistake. I just got thru building some seat mounts for a electric wheel chair. The 3 that's Third time is a charm. I am 77 and still makes mistakes but they are a lot fewer from when I started at 13.
Remember your fear of messing up holds you back some times. Just Tack every thing till you get it when you get it where you want. Some times I use Clecots ,some time I use little self drilling screws. When you get this built you will have a unique skill set that others wish they had. Also try butt welding two test panels together and see how much schrinkage you get, scribe some marks on the table with them butted together before you weld the compare after you weld. Trust me they will shrink in length.
Remember to build from the bottom up. I am following you Frank

 

That’s pretty much my philosophy of life. Trying to make only new mistakes.



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Pecking away. Got the door back together. A couple more welds tomorrow then on to the roof framing.