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Dan Ewing · 05-19-2015, 03:58 PM

Uh oh!

Marco's website has an excellent dissertation on roadster door alignment.

However.... here's what your problem most likely stems from. Over a period of time, and this is most common on the driver's side of a roadster, the body gets pulled out at the top. This is usually caused over a period of time by people tending to hoist themselves into the car by grasping the top of the body adjacent to the door opening and pull themselves into the car.

What this does is "stretch" or bend the top outwards a bit. When the door is closed and due to the vertical angle of the body being changed, the door will have a larger gap at the bottom.

How do you correct this?

One of the better ways is to attach a cable from the top of the door near the top iron bracket and to the bottom opposite side with a turnbuckle. Tighten the turn buckle and gently pull the body in a bit. Be very careful and take measurements before and after. Don't get aggressive and buckle the body panel. It is best to have the package tray wood removed. I don't know if this can be accomplished with wood and upholstery still in the car.

If you can do the calcs, it does not take a lot of movement at the top to make a large gap at the bottom of the door.

I would welcome other folks to weigh in on this; Marco, Brent.

05-19-2015, 03:58 PM	#4
Dan Ewing Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Richmond, TX Posts: 35	Re: how do i fix this roadster door problem Uh oh! Marco's website has an excellent dissertation on roadster door alignment. However.... here's what your problem most likely stems from. Over a period of time, and this is most common on the driver's side of a roadster, the body gets pulled out at the top. This is usually caused over a period of time by people tending to hoist themselves into the car by grasping the top of the body adjacent to the door opening and pull themselves into the car. What this does is "stretch" or bend the top outwards a bit. When the door is closed and due to the vertical angle of the body being changed, the door will have a larger gap at the bottom. How do you correct this? One of the better ways is to attach a cable from the top of the door near the top iron bracket and to the bottom opposite side with a turnbuckle. Tighten the turn buckle and gently pull the body in a bit. Be very careful and take measurements before and after. Don't get aggressive and buckle the body panel. It is best to have the package tray wood removed. I don't know if this can be accomplished with wood and upholstery still in the car. If you can do the calcs, it does not take a lot of movement at the top to make a large gap at the bottom of the door. I would welcome other folks to weigh in on this; Marco, Brent.