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door to chassis clearance

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fmichaels

fmichaels

Jedi Knight
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ok, so i have one for the books. i am restoring a 67 ah sprite. the body rot on my existing tub is so extensive that rebuilding would be extremely difficult, costly and time consuming. i found a 68 mg tub that is almost rust free. only one problem (now don't laugh too much), the previous owner cut the body in half through the sills and trans tunnel. the cut is pretty clean and for the life of me i don't know why he did it. seems he has other cars in which he did the same. anyway, i am in the process of replacing the floors and rewelding the two parts back together. is there a specific manufacture clearance gap for the door to body? is that gap the same for the sides of the doors as well as the door to sill? thanks in advance
 
Wow. I thought I was in the middle of a major resurection. I can't answer your question- but I sure would like to see a picture of your project!
 
The shut-lines on my Midget 1500 is even(ish) all around.
Sounds like you have a unique opportunity to get things very right( or wrong )indeed. Good Luck! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
 
Maybe you should buy some new sills (rockers) to help with the alignment. What did he cut the car with? Is it a clean even cut? I can't give you any good measurments, because mine has been done in a similar matter. It was that way when I drug it out of the barn. After measuring, I decided that the car was "square" so I just cleaned up the welds and forged onward. Can you get us some pictures?
 
i will get pics since this is kind of strange. i like the idea of replacing the sills. it looks like the car was cut using a torch or saws-all. the lines aren't bad but not sure of material loss. the car has been tackwelded together and the welding isn't that bad but i haven't checked alignment of the doors and with what was done, i don't trust the welding or the alignment. anyone who just wants to give a clearance from their sprite(s) would be a good benchmark. thanks again for advice on my latest hurdle.
 
Personally I would be nervous about the cars structural integrity after being welded back together, is that not a concern?
Anyway, I would think replacing the floor panels with new ones would give you the correct dimension, as well as stiffening the car so the weld doesn't become a hinge!
Simon.
 
looking at this project, i will most likely replace the sills, the floor and i have the ability to replace the tunnel as well. i don't believe there is a question of strength since the tub i had before this was driven for a number of years with significant rot. i would almost venture to say that after the reweld, the car would be stronger. anyway, the plan is set with no turning back. thanks
 
You need to get the specs for the factory measuring points to insure that the wheelbase is not only accurate but square from side to side. Alternately use a plumb bob and mark onto a level concrete floor checking front to rear, side to side. and diagonally.
I once totally restored a TR4 which had been hauled out of a ditch with a cable around the front frame member which did considerable warping. The wheelbase was 1 1/2 inches different side to side and it handled very wierdly turning in one direction. It took a body shop to straighten the frame and shim the body properly. They used a laser guided frame machine.
 
You know that's a very good point. with my existing tub, there was some concern about square since the front end had some accident damage. i will certainly look into the all around dimensions to ensure the tub is square. again i appreciate the comments. i am sure that if we take our time and do the right things, we should have a square tub when we are done. i don't want to be driving with the back end doing something different from the front. thanks
 
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