Adjusting door shut lines

[1969Mk3Spitfire]

Another project on my list.....................

The car has had a full body off, bare metal restoration but final reassembly was done in haste (for good reason).  The door shut lines aren't pretty.

I've attached a picture of the A post hinges.  It looks like the door locks and striker plates are all equally accessible so I'm hoping that someone has written an "adjusting door shut lines for dummies" guide?  Is it a DIY job or best given to an old-school body shop for a day?

Many thanks in advance.

[Colin Lindsay]

The doors will adjust up and forwards as required, and you can pack the hinges out to move the edge outwards if required. Just loosen the hinge bolts and slide as required, but you'll probably need help as it's a difficult one-man job.

This is assuming your sills are fitted correctly as the car can sag in the middle thereby closing up the door gaps beyond easy adjustment. If that's the case your windows usually don't wind fully up before they hit the screen pillars. Been there!

 

[NonMember]

As Colin said, lots of adjustment by slackening the bolts. You can even move the doors in and out a bit with the bolts attaching the hinges to the door, although the pesky countersunk cross-head one that you can't see in the photo is inaccessible unless the door is opened beyond the normal stay limit.

The other thing that often prevents Spitfire door gaps being any good on "full bare-metal rebuild" cars is if the sills are fitted too far inward. It's an easy mistake to make if you're not doing it often (and, indeed, my Spitfire suffers exactly that problem).

[Badwolf]

I appear to have the same problem along with the door gaps not being braced when the sills were replaced with the body off the chassis.

[Mjit]

Generally you're looking at endless loosening/jiggling/tightening/testing/swearing/repeating, until either you get it spot on or, more likely, you get it close-enough and have more fear that the next jiggle will make it worse rather than better.

[Badwolf]

On my driver's door, it fits nicely at the B post top and A post top and bottom. Sticks out about 1cm at the base of the B post. Apart from major surgery all I can do is bend the door (which was suggested on my thread) or live with it. I suppost that I could skim out the bottom of the rear wing with filler but there are enough bodges on the car that I am trying to get rid of without adding more.

[Colin Lindsay]

2 minutes ago, Badwolf said:

On my driver's door, it fits nicely at the B post top and A post top and bottom. Sticks out about 1cm at the base of the B post. Apart from major surgery all I can do is bend the door (which was suggested on my thread) or live with it. I suppost that I could skim out the bottom of the rear wing with filler but there are enough bodges on the car that I am trying to get rid of without adding more.

That may be the fault of the sills, if they were added since the car was originally built. I've seen a few like that, where the sill has not been the proper profile to sit flush. I don't think bending or warping the door will help any, but I could be pleasantly surprised!

[Badwolf]

Colin - Yes, refresh your memory part way down this page...

https://forum.tssc.org.uk/topic/2623-back-to-the-bonnet-nose-to-tail-1972-spitfire-mkiv-restoration-upgrades/?page=22

This was how it was done - passenger side....

Strange because I thought that the sills were done off the chassis, but there you go.  No gap bracing, no checking shut lines with the door before welding up.  I didn't have a clue at the time and neither did the person that did it!!

Leaving me with this after the driver's side had been done....

Ok (ish) at the top (don't be fooled by the reflection on the paint), but badly out at the bottom.

Any ideas would be gratefully considered apart from putting on new sills and realigning the rear wing!!!

[Colin Lindsay]

How does it look against the front wing? Can the door be tilted on the hinges?

You either adjust the rear wing, or the door - that's the choice!! Door will probably be easiest - says I, a complete novice bodyworker!! - but can it be shimmed anywhere? Post a photo of the whole side if you can so that we can gauge the fit against the other areas. 

Any chance of obtaining another door and checking the fit of that?

[Badwolf]

Colin - Difficult to check some stuff at the moment. There is no point in me trying to line up the door to the bonnet until I get the steel bonnet sorted and fitted. There is too much play in the grp one.  I don't have a spare door... sorry. There is probably adjustment in the door but at three points it fits fairly well but the B post base is where it sticks out the worst. The rear wing was replaced, along with new sill and sill inner. This is where I feel that the damage has been done. The whole structure is solid and apart from bending the door along its length as Pete spoke of last year, I don't see any way of sorting it without major surgery. Just clutching at straws for some new ideas, but I will probably just have to live with it. You will notice that the bottom  section of the bodywork is painted black.....to hide the sticking out door.