Chassis 85517 Number 17 356 Convertible D

[JTR70]

For coupe to Roadster skin transition all I'll need is about the last 2 inch strip of it. The crown curvature of the repro skin was always a problem in through here as it was very flat and almost just folded over in this area.; it didn't match the body contour at all. On a positive note this feature will now be the factory contour.
To preserve as much of the old skin as I could I decided on an angled cut which elmintated the higher rot and more of the old damage that was soldered over at the back.
Going to fold in a quick flange and make my own lower repair section.
I do have a new one from Stodard but the flange is too narrow compared to how it was originally done so I'll replicate the factory width as I did before.
Bottom flange folded in an clampaed on for a quick mock up. A long way from making the final trim line as the rest of the skin has to mounted on the frame then to the car to locate its best adjusted position then I have dial in the 3mm gap with this new flange all simulatinously. A lot to do...
Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

Skin trial fitment:
Initial skin fitment to the frame then onto the car.
Just a jumping off point. Lots of fine tuning and adjustment to go.
This upper corner has to be lifted out into alignment so there is some needed changes to the flange.
Opposite problem as with the other skin; this one runs a little too long into this corner so some trimming back needed .
The rest of this run fortunately is fine for some lead solder to get it the rest of the way in. BTW: slowly wire wheeling away all the previous paints job through the years. I've counted at least 4 different colors and needless to say its on there thick! More later

Thanks for stopping by!
Justin

[JTR70]

Skin cap:
Cap cut free from the old skin and dialing it in with the new skin.
The profile of the original has a nice sweeping profile where as the repop was basically flat in profile shape. You can see the filler I was having to use to try and achieve some of this profile after the fact. On a positive note that old factory skin will now be supplying this profile that was lacking.
Section clamped to my table to gradually bring in a little more of that needed profile shape.
Much better profile shape that carries on with this factory line. Cap is mocked up here with the door glass channels to ensure clearance and am just about ready to commit to the final cut line so I can tack these two together but I had to confirm one more thing before I made this leap.
The existing side spear holes are making the final adjustment with the skin on its new door frame all the more critical once again. Door handle hole has to come out centered with them so I had to make sure the skin was in its absolute best adjusted and final position before I could make my final cut line on that upper cap.

[JTR70]

Side spear mock up:
My straight edge wasn't giving me an accurate enough picture of where the door handle actually was in relation to the spears so a full mock was needed.
Sure glad I did it because once the door handle went on it was clearly too low.
I could almost cheat it at the front but there was no faking it at the back.

The skin had to come about 4MM's to center everything out.
Skin moved upward with handle now centered with the existing spear location. Now I'm ready to make my final cut line so I can begin tacking this cap on.

[JTR70]

skin cap installed:
Commitment time; final trimming. I of course removed the excess from the repro side.
Tacked! Dismounting and disassembling this door next to clamp the skin to my table for final welding.
Clamped with final welding complete.
Door reassembled and remounted for a test fit. A lot of metal finishing yet to go on that weld joint but its at least installed and in the right spot.
Now that door and upper part of new skin are all dialed in with the car I can now move onto the bottom patch repair section. Setting its gap and final trim line next.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[Phil Planck]

Tedious work Justin. Looking good.

[JTR70]

Thanks again Phil, Very tedious...

[JTR70]

Lower repair section:
Added the vertical flange and closed both of them up just enough to allow the frame to slide in for trial fitments.
Always a crap shoot as to whether I'll get a clean edge line on a span this long without a proper bending brake but the gods where smiling on me this time around.
Trial fitments to begin dialing it in for a 3mm gap.
Profile shaping the corner to the body for a uniform gap all the while allowing it to slide back enough to get the vertical gap close.
Getting close but the panel still needs to come back a touch more.

[JTR70]

Once its mounted to the frame for the final time I'll run a bead over this opening.
Gaps and corner profile all set here with everything mocked up once again to finalize my trim line. As you can see I still need to rebuild the edge of skin above this section but it will be one of my last repairs once the door is reassembled for the final time.
Have my paints sticks in position for that 3mm gap and am now ready to lock in this position with some set screws.
Set screwed into final position.
Door will be disassembled again so I can etch my cut line from behind so the excess can be removed from the repair section side. This next... Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

Lower repair section installed:
ready to etch in my final cut line...commitment time once again.
Final trim complete. Skin and lower section clamped to the table and tack welding from the center outward.

Entire run tacked but not ready to fully weld it up yet. I'm going to reassemble the door (again) and make doubly sure nothing changed on me like the lower gap.
Door reassembled (again) and test fitted to the car. So far so good, the lower gap runs a touch wider than 3mm's at the moment but once I squeeze that lower flange tight at the end its going to get a little longer which should come out just about right. Again, so much tougher and trickier building a closing panel to fit the car versus building the car around a finished closing panel.
General contour and shape shows lots of promise with the rest of the car. We'll see what happens after all the welding is done. Door coming off and back apart (again) to finish welding up this looong joint.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[JTR70]

Right door final assembly.
Lower weld run complete and am just about done finish grinding the joint.
Both upper and lower joints fully finished
Very long runs to both weld and dress; glad to have these behind me. Now onto cleaning up the remaining surface rust for some epoxy sealer and a top coat of black.
Both inner surfaces prepped and now behind a top coat. At long last this door is finally ready to go back together for the last time.

Quick look inside of what this newly assembled door will look like. No obvious weld joint is what I was after. Onto rebuilding the front and rear edges now.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[Phil Planck]

Well done Justin.

[JTR70]

Thanks a lot Phil! A ways yet to go but its at least going to work out this time...I hope.

[JTR70]

Front leading edge work:
Cut the upper leading edge free allowing me to move it back to create a gap. Have a little more material yet to remove.
Fortunately I don't have to adjust the entire leading edge. Only have to go just past the turn there.

Charted out in MM's as to where and how far back it needed to go to achieve a nice raw gap that will only need minimal amounts of solder for a final gap.
Wasn't just dealing with the gap width but also some height discrepancies right at the side spears. I tried a shim but it threw the rest of the door out before this area got even close. Not only do I want to keep the fillers here thin but I have to as the forward mounting clip won't reach deep enough to engage if the solder is too thick.
Adding in my filler strips to raise that center profile and also locking in my final gap position on this leading edge.

Thanks for looking!
Justin

[Scott B]

Long tiring back bending work but you have really nicely advanced the door in a short period of time. Such a beautiful job on the long weld run with no distortion. I am definitely watching a “master class” session here.

[JTR70]

Thanks a lot Scott! Just feeling my along just like you're doing.

[roy mawbey]

Justin what a door story, I am just amazed at your progress. The thought pattern to consider the side spears and the welding let alone the forming of the repair sections is really a very skilled job. I know I have said it before on this forum, but the forming and replacement of the bottom 6 inches or so of the door skin on my car in the 70's was the only thing that has ever made tears come to my eyes on any car repair. After welding the very long run and taking such care doing this using gas, I can still see myself and the job and still have the welding torch to imagine the frustration I felt , regarding the deformation of a perfectly formed piece of steel, taking place before my very eyes.
I know now of course gas, was not the answer for my un-skilled hands but, back then had no other option. Surprising the result is still okay to look after I filled the areas with lead and resprayed the car. BUT.. my drivers door does weigh more than the still original passenger side door!


Well done indeed such close gaps!

Roy

[JTR70]

I appreciate it Roy! The side spear check is one of those hard lessons learned over the years that you can never assume its all going to fall into place as it should as a matter of fact it rarely if ever does and if you don't make sure before you commit you'll be throwing tools across the shop in frustration after the fact. Been there and done that once too often. I can't think of anything scarier than gas welding through the flats of a door skin. My hats off to you but again just like the rest of us you just have to work with the tools you've got available at a given time. Your repair still holds so you must have done something right. thanks again! Justin

[JTR70]

Front leading edge reshape complete:
Paper template to backfill the big holes.
New section welded in along with the rest of the run giving my raw gap that is now ready for some solder to take it the rest of the way.
Here is about all the solder that's going to be required to create a 3mm gap.
Entire forward edge is now set. Dismounting the door next so I can begin final welding along its inner flange.
Started at the bottom. Welded up the corner to create the final shape that will be steel.