door alignment not quite right,whats the deal?

[oldmanmark]

new channels,hinge posts,oversize pins,braced from the beginning with turnbuckles. only tack welded. i got it lined up ok,gaps are same alround but, at the top of the door where it starts to curve down the gap is noticably wider. what gives with just this area's gap being bigger and rest is ok? body sag? what to do to fix?

[marklee]

that area of a pillar and screen frame normally opens up when the car has been hit in the front........
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[beetlenut]

Is the car off the jacks or supports? Drop it down on its wheels, and let the car settle back down. Installing new channels often has that effect. Also, you could jack an area of the car, to get that area you're talking about, to return to a better fit, and leave it there a few days to warp the body back into shape. The bodies are old and need massaging!

[Teeroy]

And they were not perfect even when new.
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[oldmanmark]

so,this area is a 'pain n butt ' to get aligned ! to reduce the size of the gap i think ill take couple 2x4 on a jack placed under pan with the door curve over the boards sorta. couple pums on jack,see what happens.

[marklee]

take a couple of lumps of 4x2 and place one against top hinge, the other on B pillar at same height.Using portapower or similar body jack push top hinge forward slightly, over jack gently, you may hear a crack as the body moves, dont worry, then release pressure on jack and try door for fit. Be gentle, dont go too far. This will pull the roof pillar down slightly and should pull the body back into line, but only do it with the body on the pan, as much trim and glass in as possible and with the car on its wheels, engine in etc as it would be on the road.Only adjust the doors to "clunk" shut with the seals on and the glass in with the windows closed. It makes the fine tuning of the final fit so much easier...
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[oldmanmark]

if i got this right mpl2438 your basically spreading the door opening by blocking with a piece of 2x4 on top hinge of A pillar,straight across to B pillar and use a jack to spread? yes,that should lower the top a bit to get the gap smaller. is this what you mean? one door at a time?
or do you mean long 2x4's across both A pillars top hinge to top hinge,2x4 across B pillars same height with a jack or something that will push against the said 2x4's thus spreading both door openings same time and reduceing gap? one door at time sounds alot simpler. maybe i overthinks.

[djkeev]

Ok, you've got the dimensions I sent you.

He is talking about pushing the HJ dimension wider. The top hinge to the front of the car.
On the drivers side the HJ measurement is 935mm

By pushing that hinge forward you are pullling down the windshield A Pillar thus decreasing it's arc.

Good thing you are only tack welded at this point. It's going to be a trial and error process and possibly quite frustrating.

Can you post some photos of the gap you are concerned about, give a shot of the entire door closed as well so we can see all the gaps.

Dave
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[marklee]

Oldmanmark, you are right, push the top hinge first then the bottom if any further adjustment is needed, that will indeed bring the a post into line, use the timber as packing to prevent damage to the metal work etc
best regards, good luck,Mark
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[oldmanmark]

ok,thanks much. i being giveing it a shot this weekend mpl2438.

[marklee]

Go Gently......
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[oldmanmark]

djkeev frustrating? is there another way? i had to many family chores come at me this weekend,springtime stuff. couldnt find time. back at it next weekend.

[djkeev]

[Mike Fisher]

[oldmanmark]

its just a matter of time until it will come together. paranoid obsessive compulsives do not know what frustration is,it doesnt exist. just a matter of time untill its fitting is completed. thats the way it is. its this way,not that way. there is no other way.

[marklee]

oldmanmark, just remember these are are old cars and were never built to the same tolerance as new vehicles, in comparison to todays processes the air cooled volksies are almost hand finished...therefore to get better than factory without serious metalwork would be almost impossible.....
I remember working at a LandRover dealer in 1992 and seeing the first model Discoverys come in. The bonnet gaps were horrendous, less than 1/32 inch one side and almost 3/8 inch the other.......
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[oldmanmark]

i fully understand what yur saying. lots of tryng this and that and reaching the point that this is all i can do.... get the gaps as even as can be and good weather seal. its a warped old car. ill let you know when it comes together.