mattdrummond Posted November 13, 2022 Share Posted November 13, 2022 just wanting to know if any one else has had to slit body work to re-gain gaps and good fit? 1500 spitfire I have had the car about a year and the chap that owned previously had made a bit of a rough job of pretty much all aspects of the car lol!! I am getting to the point now (after having a great summer running around in her!) that i want to sort bits out and paint properly (previos owner had painted with brush ennamel ...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foshi Posted November 13, 2022 Share Posted November 13, 2022 got any pics paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted November 13, 2022 Share Posted November 13, 2022 39 minutes ago, mattdrummond said: just wanting to know if any one else has had to slit body work to re-gain gaps and good fit? 1500 spitfire I have had the car about a year and the chap that owned previously had made a bit of a rough job of pretty much all aspects of the car lol!! I am getting to the point now (after having a great summer running around in her!) that i want to sort bits out and paint properly (previos owner had painted with brush ennamel ...... I have heard of people doing it. And partly I regret not doing it to my spitfire, the drivers door has a large gap at the top, tapering to a correct gap at the bottom. A cut and realign would have been a good idea when I painted the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattdrummond Posted November 13, 2022 Author Share Posted November 13, 2022 I will take some pics of mine when its light, i dont think its just the door gaps i think i may have to re align the a pillars as well! the bottom against sill sticks out and the top of b pillar is tapered etc etc grrrhhhh!! very annoying but i know it will just annoy me for ever if i leave !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky_spit Posted November 13, 2022 Share Posted November 13, 2022 (edited) I did similar about 10 years ago and replaced sills, inner sills, strengthener, and floors , I braced the door-gaps and set to with the grinder and welder. It all went well until I came to weld on the outer sills and realised that there was now a large gap between the bottom of the door skins and the top edge of the outer sill. I thought, never mind, I can adjust that out by moving the bottom door hinges inwards. Wrong!..... I now have gaps between the door bottoms and the sill edge you can get your fingers into and no amount of adjustment will fix it. I have a plan to correct it at some stage and have some new panels and a bit more experience now. I think you will regret it if you don't do it properly 1st time round. There is a line drawing kicking around on the forum (and on Sideways forum) that shows the exact problem, and is useful as a guide to get it right. I'll see if I can find it. Edited November 13, 2022 by sparky_spit 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattdrummond Posted November 15, 2022 Author Share Posted November 15, 2022 On 13/11/2022 at 17:19, mattdrummond said: I will take some pics of mine when its light, i dont think its just the door gaps i think i may have to re align the a pillars as well! the bottom against sill sticks out and the top of b pillar is tapered etc etc grrrhhhh!! very annoying but i know it will just annoy me for ever if i leave !! here are some pics, I had another set of doors to try to see if were different fits but unfortunately just as rubbish!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky_spit Posted November 16, 2022 Share Posted November 16, 2022 Yes, very much like mine, although I think mine are even worse than yours, nor helped by a GRP bonnet which fits where it touches. I'll get round to fixing it one day. I can't find the post, nor diagram that describes and shows the cause of the problem; I seem to have lost it. It was originally posted by JensH? Does anyone have it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattdrummond Posted November 16, 2022 Author Share Posted November 16, 2022 i do believe i may have seen that post somewhere with the drawing, it was something to do with the inner fold sitting half inch away from inner sill.... and it showed a slit cut along the top of sill and a cut somewhere on rear quarter.... i think also i may need to slightly lengthen sill section in front of door just to close gap, as i cant go any further forward cos of top of door butting against a pillar ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannyb Posted November 16, 2022 Share Posted November 16, 2022 I've also been told that if a door is re-Skined it can mishap the door if not done right. I know my drivers door on the spit was done before I took ownership through the history file, and that sticks out a little at the bottom. Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattdrummond Posted November 16, 2022 Author Share Posted November 16, 2022 I can well believe that as well! hence trying the red doors as these both have never been messed with, they actually seem to fit better, but i think its just because the hinge pins are nt as worn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foshi Posted November 16, 2022 Share Posted November 16, 2022 (edited) properly better without doors easier to get in and out, at my age anyhow . not helpful i know Edited November 16, 2022 by foshi 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattdrummond Posted November 16, 2022 Author Share Posted November 16, 2022 hahahahaha yup not a bad shout really, however door is handy for leaning on to get out!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foshi Posted November 16, 2022 Share Posted November 16, 2022 true Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JensH Posted November 16, 2022 Share Posted November 16, 2022 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted November 16, 2022 Share Posted November 16, 2022 Basically, when the sill are done, if the door fit is still good, you have to brace well before chopping out. If not, you have to reset the broken bones and adjust the tub shape to fit the doors. Fitting a factory hard-top helps by fixing the top of the a-pillar. Doors usually hold their shape fairly well during re-skinning unless major frame repairs are needed too. fairly extreme example here https://sideways-technologies.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/7107-chriss-mkiv-basket-case-restored-to-glory/#comments Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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