Body panel alignment

[Hodson_p_9566]

Greeting all.

I’ve just purchased my latest project car. A 1969 Mk2 Vitesse convertible. It runs and drives but the problems are in the way it has been put back together by previous owner(s). I’ve started with the bonnet as the rear of the wheel arch was misaligned with the front of the sill by at least a couple of inches. The problem was an aluminium radiator with electric fan that had forced the bonnet up and forward. Now that is sorted the bonnet is almost aligned but now it clearly demonstrates the scale of the remaining problems. Neither doors will open or close without binding on the bonnet or rear post. Having pulled the hood up for the first time, I also find that the header rail has a half inch gap in the middle and neither quarterlight will fit under it. I think I need to remove the rear tub and start again. Is there an order with which to put it all back together so the doors fit and hood aligns properly?

[Josef]

Oh dear. Your best bet is to get hold of a copy of the factory workshop manual (reprints are available, via the club shop among other places, and digital copies are lurking around online too) as this details the whole process. It’s a big job I’m afraid, requiring a lot of patience! Unfortunately you may need to replace the hood, or at least try and re seat it as it sounds like your rear tub is too far forward, and looks like your hood frame may be distorted given how it is sitting in the photos  

[Hodson_p_9566]

1 hour ago, Josef said:

Oh dear. Your best bet is to get hold of a copy of the factory workshop manual (reprints are available, via the club shop among other places, and digital copies are lurking around online too) as this details the whole process. It’s a big job I’m afraid, requiring a lot of patience! Unfortunately you may need to replace the hood, or at least try and re seat it as it sounds like your rear tub is too far forward, and looks like your hood frame may be distorted given how it is sitting in the photos  

Thank you Josef. I do have a copy of the workshop manual. It does seem a little silent on whether the roof frame should be inplace before adjusting the tub and doors. My logic suggests it should be in place but how abut in practise? What's the best way?

 

[Gary Flinn]

Welcome to the Joys of Heald/Vitesse Body alignment!

Down load this attached Body Build document and have a read, it will help you understand the processes of how to adjust things correctly.

I'm afraid getting everything to line up properly is never straightforward, especially when the cars been stripped down and repaired.

It can be done to a decent standard with perseverance, just don't expect panel gaps like a modern car, they where never like that from new.  

Good luck with.

Regards

Gary 

 

Triumph Service Training Notes Herald Body.pdf

[Colin Lindsay]

The hood frame will only distort any adjustment, as it pulls the windscreen surround and so the bulkhead backwards when tightened.

On initial construction the bulkhead is fitted to the chassis, the bonnet gapped to that, and the doors to the bonnet. The rear tub is then adjusted to gap the doors correctly before being screwed down. The quarterlights are adjustable on the doors so shouldn't be used as a guide to door fitting, but can be slightly moved afterwards to improve the gaps there.  

I hope I'm writing this to make sense but assuming your bulkhead is correctly positioned, a simple test is to loosen the four body mounting points under each side, two on the bulkhead and two on the rear tub, loosen almost to the ends of the threads, then with the hood down jack the body of the car up using a suitable piece of wood under the treadplate area near the B-post to spread the load and avoid damage. This raises the centre of the body and may open the gaps outward, and thus show any door adjustment available at the B-posts, and it may be a simple job to then shim the body to chassis mounts to keep it in that position if it has improved anything. Be aware that you're fighting against the sills, which are screwed along the underside of both tub and bulkhead, and the line of screws along the centre floor, so possibly loosening or removing these screws will allow for greater movement and then they can be tightened or replaced in the new positions.

You can try it with the doors closed but if you're at the limits of the anti-burst catches they'll prevent too much movement and will require shimming if any permanent fix is made, so see if keeping the doors open allows more movement. It may also be that the body mounts have been overtightened and squashed the rubber mountings, which are often too soft. Canvas reinforced ones are best. It just takes trial and error to determine what needs adjusted or shimmed but it's usually a simple fix.

Adjust the fit of the hood frame only after the body gaps are good.

At least it's not like the Spitfire or GT6, where the sills are welded in place and if body sag has happened during sill replacement, it's a whole different ballgame! Been there!

Edited July 9 by Colin Lindsay
simpler wording!

[Hodson_p_9566]

Thank you for all of your responses. Especially the Service Training Notes booklet. A pure capsule in time. I bet Mr Alf Welsh's film strip training presentations were the highlight of many appentices years.

I'll start stripping the car down to get to the tub retaining bolts and report on progress

Thanks again

[Pete Lewis]

its all do able diy fashion ,but the traing notes dont show the snags of 50 yr old wonky chassis and 50 yr old wonky body ,   a motley selection of large washers cut to make a 'C' so you can add or remove without dropping any bolts 

you can solid pack as much as needed but only one rubber pad at the mount.

most body mount kits never have the right stuff  but a good start  beware prices are very wild 

check out james padocks as  good deal 

my view is the two mounts front of bulkhead have solid ally mounts and the two at the diff Xmember   should also use the same , this ensures the tubs will not manouvre  when out on the road 

the two front mounts have sized holes with little adjustment 

the rear tub can easily go here and there to align gaps so you do need to have some fixed(no rubber ) for the rear tub (    makes sense ) 

Pete 

[Josef]

Ah I was misremembering. I thought the info in that training booklet was also in the manual somewhere.