Technical such a disappointing model A day

So I've finally got back to getting something done on the model A.

A quick catch up, built a floor structure matched to frame, welded cowl to floor structure making sure it was square in all directions to floor structure.

Put structure on frame and cowl measured good, installed doors to cowl and the doors were flat with floor structure so Win !!

Then put rear body section on and nothing fits. The body is so twisted and the right door opening/quarter panel is bowed back right in the middle of the opening. So with the door hung the top is almost touching, the bottom of the door is over lapping the quarter about an 1/8" and the middle? 3/16" door gap.

Yes I've moved the body section back and flush mounting my doors

Now the drivers side fits perfect, a solid fat 1/8" door gap front and rear (quarter & cowl). I've got perfect body lines on the drivers and the passenger not so much. Even showing a small twist from the front to rear of roof lines.

Squared from top of cowl back to top of door openings, squared from lower corner of quarter & door opening to opposite top of quarter and door opening.

Height of body set to body lines at door openings and at the rear of the side Windows and they are within a 1/16" and like stated above the fit sucks.

It acts like the car got hit on the right front, drove frame and cowl back driving door into quarter and pushing the roof up at the rear and I'd guess it sat that way for along time.

So hours of moving, jacking, spot welding, cutting welds, moving, 're measuring and moving some more. 5 hrs for about an hours worth of progress.

Here some pics, first floor truss to frame, cowl welded on and then body sitting on frame.

 

If it had to be done, That part is done,and those hrs are in the past now
Congrats on the progress

 

Yep, it's rewarding to see results that are positive, but sometimes even more rewarding to know you're making it better and getting it right, however frustrating it seems.

 

What, building a car from scratch isn't fun? Keep going, you'll be fine . . .

 

That Sedan is gonna FLY with a big-inch Dodge in it.

Where abouts in Kansas are you? My wife is from Olathe.

Glenn

 

Sadly its at dead stand still, i hate to say i have not done much to it at this point. Got some done on the radiator shell but the body nothing...

I need some body measurements to go any further. Again its had body damage so i dont know where the true angles are.

I've gotten disappointed and had to walk away for awhile. But i do need to get back on it or it will never get done and now i have a 3 yr old grandson who wants to go riding in it ! Lol

Glenn im straight south over an hr away.

 

Is it just me but isn't the door of a model A supposed to overlap on to the quarter panel on the backside and have a decent gap on the front edge at the cowl?

 

Yeah they actually do overlap but i lengthened the opening to flush my doors.

With them overlapping is what caused the bow backwards into the quarter. The door latch actually pushed back in that area pushing the inner structure and sheet metal straight back towards rear tire while moving quarter inward.

Im guessing 3/8" back at latch area and a good 1/2" in, but without measurements its all guess work.