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TR2/3/3A ?????Early TR3 door fitting problem ?????

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mallard

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Has any body seen this problem before? There must have been a change in the doors along the way. My doors are the ones without the holes for the handles. If you look at the pictures you will see where the door latch mounts the one on the left is lower than the one on the right.

left door 3 3/4" from the bottom
Right door 4 1/8"

I'm glad I found this now while fitting everything. Not sure how I can correct it without getting another door, or cutting and welding. The door on the left is correct for the car. It's a shame because I have 3 right side doors the are not correct. Does anybody have the door I need? I can trade with you with a rust free door, or I could purchase.
 

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These cars were all hand made. Have you test fitted the doors with the latching parts to make sure it won't fit. It's not unheard of to find variances like that, although it likely is from a different range of builds.
If it is wrong, and you can't find another door, it doesn't look to be impossible to modify to match.
Good catch either way. It would have been awful to find after paint.
 
Banjo that's how I found the problem, the latch and the plate will not line up. It's at least an 1/4" off. The door lines up fine with the trim line and the top so I know it's not an alignment problem. Yes I'm glad I found the problem now, just another setback with trying to get the car painted before the summer heat returns.
 
I have a 57 TR3 dissasembled in the garage and the holes above the captured nut plate are the round type as the door to the left in your photo. Too bad you weren't looking for 3a doors, I have extras of those (brass and steel hinge).
 
So, um, I have a question.
These door fit and worked before you tore it down for rework?
Or are these "located elsewhere" dors?
 
TS148110

The door I need is the one on the left, 3 3/4" from the bottom of the door to rectangle opening.

I purchased the car as a stalled restoration. Many of the parts were not on the car. The doors were installed but the striker plates were not. The car came with extra fenders and doors. This is one of the many hidden problems with cars in this condition.
 
You say you have three right hand doors, which are all incorrect. Assuming you do not also have three left hand doors, it sounds to me like the previous owner found the problem and was trying to find a door that fix.

I'm surprised one of the experts has not chimed in as to when the change occurred.

Good luck with your search. Keep us posted.
 
mallard said:
TS148110

The door I need is the one on the left, 3 3/4" from the bottom of the door to rectangle opening.

I purchased the car as a stalled restoration. Many of the parts were not on the car. The doors were installed but the striker plates were not. The car came with extra fenders and doors. This is one of the many hidden problems with cars in this condition.
Click to expand...

Hi Mallard,

"TS148110"?? Is that a typo? Would it be "TS1481LO" or "TS14811" or "????". My `57 Small Mouth is "TS21162L" for example with "No Ext. Door Handles". According to Bill Piggott Book; The (1st.) `57TR3 was "TS14999L" & The (last) `57TR3 was "TS22013". Then in `57 came the 1st. `57TR3A starting at "TS22014".

(1st) There were never 6 digits to a VIN or Commission # even up to a "TR3B".

(2nd) Do you have a "Small Mouth" or "Large Mouth" Apron on the car? "Small Mouths had No Ext. Door Handles / Large Mouths did".

So; With this info, What do you have?

Russ
 
All I can think of is they might have slightly changed the latch height when introducing door handles for the TR3A. Is there any evidence of door handle holes being filled in, or perhaps an early TR3A door reskinned with a TR3 pressing ?.

If not I'm on the wrong bus and it's most likely a mystery lost in time.

Viv.
 
Check to see if the body shell is correct,first. Measure the door striker holes and see if they are the same on both sides. If they are then you have a monkeyed up door problem. If the shell differs one side to the other{it probably doesnt} then you have a real bag of worms.Body shell was clipped with wrong parts? I hope not.Looking at the two doors,they are not the same[oval adjustment holes and round adjustment holes.Im not sure if the holes differed ,but it would make sense if a change occured at #60001.I never heard of a specific example stating this,but lots of body stuff was changed.If you find a real early TR3 or possibly TR2 short door,your problem might be solved.Working on TRs pre#60000 body shells can be lots of fun. Check you TS#. It's not correct
 
Keith-

I have a couple of earlier TR3A doors in storage and I'll check the striker locations. They are handled though so would only be donors for the innards and need reskinning. I don't think a post 60000 door is feasible since the bottom shape of the inner door changed completely (squared versus rounded).

Randy
 
John_Malinick said:
Measure the door striker holes and see if they are the same on both sides. If they are then you have a monkeyed up door problem.
Click to expand...

I agree. (Mine, post outside handles, measure about 4 7/8 from the sill top to the enter of the striker). On mine, the striker is very close to the center of the indent on the b post. Check further the position of the plates inside the doors that the latch screws to. It looks from your pictures like the screw holes for these are off by much less than the cutouts. The cutouts on my spare doors are quite crude but pretty much in the position or your wrong doors. I can find no variation in the b post throughout production (at least post short door) though maybe I've missed something; so it seems unlikely that the position of the latch would have changed.
Hope I'm wrong here but I think I'd be looking at ways to modify the existing door.
Tom
 
Sorry about the vin # TS14810LO my mistake. It is a small mouth car made in Dec of 1956
 
Both B posts measure the about the same 4 7/8" left door, and 4 3/4" right door to the center of the striker. They are also in the center of the indent on the B post. I don't think any of the doors were reskined. If I measure from the bottom of door, not the outer skin to the center of the latch button it measures left 4 3/8 right 4 5/8. My problem is in the doors not the B post which is somewhat good news. The only repair I can think of is to cut out and lower the latch area and weld it back in place. It's not that bad of a job just time consuming.
 
mallard said:
Both B posts measure the about the same 4 7/8" left door, and 4 3/4" right door to the center of the striker. They are also in the center of the indent on the B post. I don't think any of the doors were reskined. If I measure from the bottom of door, not the outer skin to the center of the latch button it measures left 4 3/8 right 4 5/8. My problem is in the doors not the B post which is somewhat good news. The only repair I can think of is to cut out and lower the latch area and weld it back in place. It's not that bad of a job just time consuming.
Click to expand...

Well, that's reasonably good news. Also, on at least one of my doors, three of the spot welds that hold the mounting plate for the latch, are visible from the outside with a fourth probable. Of course, I'm only guessing that there are four. It looks like one could drill those out, re-drill the mounting holes, move the bracket and alter the slot with minimal damage and disruption. I know the spotwelds often disappear when things get refinished but an alternative just in case. Probably quicker to do it your way but a lot of fairing and finishing, which I try to avoid.
Tom
Tom
 
It might be the camera angle, but it looks to me like the cut outs are not the same size and that the bolt patterns are not that much different, at least not an inch and perhaps even workable. What do the bolt patterns measure at center to center of each hole from the top or bottom of the door?
Steve
 
I have 2 pairs of PRE-TS60000 doors. All are short doors, with holes for outside handles. All measure between 4 to 4-1/8" to the cut out. All have 4 round holes for the latch screws -I notice your picture on the left has elongated holes.
 
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