The Ford Barn

barnnone51 · 04-18-2020, 04:34 PM

The Roadster is mounted on a frame in the pics. The best I can tell is the lower hinge on the bottom when closing door moves to the rear. Also the lower inside
Bottom is hitting the cowl. I have tightened the hinge and still moves back and forth. So before I screw any thing up is themm.jpg

jj.jpg

ii.jpgre any suggestion on how to correct?

J Franklin · 04-18-2020, 06:03 PM

It looks like something got bent. The hinge needs to work in its engineered plane.

rotorwrench · 04-19-2020, 10:35 AM

If someone flings the door open too hard with no check strap or reverses the car and the door makes contact with something then the hinge can bend.

rocket1 · 04-19-2020, 11:41 AM

I have spoken to old timers that had worked in the auto assembly plants they worked on the vehicles that were pulled off the line because of panel alignment issues.There job was to correct the problem,they used wedges levers and what ever to tweak the panels,you might have a bent hinge or distorted sheet metal,it will be trial and error and a lot of patience,good luck.

CWPASADENA · 04-24-2020, 06:19 PM

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Fitting doors on a roadster is an art, especially if you do not have good straight sheet metal to start with.

From what I can see, It looks like you first need to get the curve of the front edge of the door skin to match the curve of the cowl. It looks like you may have an inner structure problem with the door itself or the outside skin is very miss shaped at the front. Fix any cracks of damage to the inner structure first in order to get some stiffness into the door itself.

After you can get the door to fit in the opening without hinges installed and have the curve of the door match the curve of the cowl, then you can install the hinges and bend the hinges for or aft to get the door gap correct at the cowl. You may have to do some slotting of the holes in the part of the hinge that attaches to the door to be able to move the door in or out a little to get the door flush with the cowl. There may also be problems with the door inner structure that needs to be corrected. You will have the hinges off and on many times before you gat everything where you want it.

Fit the door at the cowl first, then address the rear. This may require shimming the body mountings to get the top of the door to match the top of the body.

In order to get the door to fit the body at the rear where it overlaps, be sure the body structure behind the doors around the top of the cockpit opening is the correct shape and there are no cracks or previously poor repairs. the top of the body at the rear of the door may be pushed in or pulled out, this all needs to be corrected first.

It takes a lot of measuring and correcting. Once everything is the correct shape and solid, if the door still wants to have a big gap to the bottom of the rear of the door, the door itself may have to be "wracked" to make this area fit correctly. Open the door and grab it at the top and bottom rear corners and pull out at the top and push in at the bottom as necessary. A 2x4 block at the top to hold the door from closing hand pushing in at the bottom will also work.

Work with the latches last. Be sure your latches are not all worn out or you will never get the doors to close and latch correctly.

It takes a lot of work but can be done with good results.

Chris W.

04-18-2020, 04:34 PM	#1
barnnone51 Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 84	1930 Roadster Drive door Needs some Help!! The Roadster is mounted on a frame in the pics. The best I can tell is the lower hinge on the bottom when closing door moves to the rear. Also the lower inside Bottom is hitting the cowl. I have tightened the hinge and still moves back and forth. So before I screw any thing up is themm.jpg jj.jpg ii.jpgre any suggestion on how to correct?

04-18-2020, 06:03 PM	#2
J Franklin Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Oregon Posts: 5,959	Re: 1930 Roadster Drive door Needs some Help!! It looks like something got bent. The hinge needs to work in its engineered plane.

04-19-2020, 10:35 AM	#3
rotorwrench Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 16,422	Re: 1930 Roadster Drive door Needs some Help!! If someone flings the door open too hard with no check strap or reverses the car and the door makes contact with something then the hinge can bend.

04-19-2020, 11:41 AM	#4
rocket1 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Midland Park,N.J. Posts: 1,108	Re: 1930 Roadster Drive door Needs some Help!! I have spoken to old timers that had worked in the auto assembly plants they worked on the vehicles that were pulled off the line because of panel alignment issues.There job was to correct the problem,they used wedges levers and what ever to tweak the panels,you might have a bent hinge or distorted sheet metal,it will be trial and error and a lot of patience,good luck.

04-24-2020, 06:19 PM	#5
CWPASADENA Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: PASADENA, CA Posts: 1,882	Re: 1930 Roadster Drive door Needs some Help!! Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) Fitting doors on a roadster is an art, especially if you do not have good straight sheet metal to start with. From what I can see, It looks like you first need to get the curve of the front edge of the door skin to match the curve of the cowl. It looks like you may have an inner structure problem with the door itself or the outside skin is very miss shaped at the front. Fix any cracks of damage to the inner structure first in order to get some stiffness into the door itself. After you can get the door to fit in the opening without hinges installed and have the curve of the door match the curve of the cowl, then you can install the hinges and bend the hinges for or aft to get the door gap correct at the cowl. You may have to do some slotting of the holes in the part of the hinge that attaches to the door to be able to move the door in or out a little to get the door flush with the cowl. There may also be problems with the door inner structure that needs to be corrected. You will have the hinges off and on many times before you gat everything where you want it. Fit the door at the cowl first, then address the rear. This may require shimming the body mountings to get the top of the door to match the top of the body. In order to get the door to fit the body at the rear where it overlaps, be sure the body structure behind the doors around the top of the cockpit opening is the correct shape and there are no cracks or previously poor repairs. the top of the body at the rear of the door may be pushed in or pulled out, this all needs to be corrected first. It takes a lot of measuring and correcting. Once everything is the correct shape and solid, if the door still wants to have a big gap to the bottom of the rear of the door, the door itself may have to be "wracked" to make this area fit correctly. Open the door and grab it at the top and bottom rear corners and pull out at the top and push in at the bottom as necessary. A 2x4 block at the top to hold the door from closing hand pushing in at the bottom will also work. Work with the latches last. Be sure your latches are not all worn out or you will never get the doors to close and latch correctly. It takes a lot of work but can be done with good results. Chris W.