Door Alignment

[Colonel Biggs]

Now that I have put about 500 miles on the '31 Roadster since the restoration, it is time to align the doors (again). The driver's side sags about 1/8 of an inch, so I am hoping that a shim at the body block near the middle cross member will do the trick.

The top, rear corner of both doors sits out about 1/4" from the body; the bottom rear corner on both sides is out about 5/16". Can this be adjusted by re-aligning the hinges, or is that a fool's game? What is the ideal distance between he door and the body? The alignment of the vertical edges of the door lines with the body (front and rear) are fine.

Gordon Biggar
Houston, Texas

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Start by giving me an exact measurement between the tabs that the top irons attach to. Then send me an e-mail and we'll talk.

[glenn in camino]

Door sag is usually corrected by adding another shim to the second bolt under the cowl, thereby tilting the cowl slightly forward and raising the rear of the door.

[Roadster62]

Sounds like there are known dimentions to build to, not just eyeball engineering. Bob

Originally Posted by BRENT in 10-uh-C

Start by giving me an exact measurement between the tabs that the top irons attach to. Then send me an e-mail and we'll talk.

[Marco Tahtaras]

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Originally Posted by Roadster62

Sounds like there are known dimentions to build to, not just eyeball engineering. Bob

I wish it were that simple. No, even originally there was some shimming done. Jigs certainly controlled the body shapes in a manner we can't replicate today in part due to lack of information. With that said, I'd call it "basic geometry".