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TR4/4A TR4A door gaps again?

karls59tr

Obi Wan
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Can anyone tell me what size the gap is between the door and the B post? I realize that this may have varied even right from the factory and also there might be body sag from the body over time. Would it be say3/8" at the top and maybe 1/4 at the bottom? Is it possible to do a minor amount of adjustment at the hinges to alter the gap?
 
In the UK we aim for a 3/16in gap between the edge of the rear-wing and the edge of the door, that is to say the gap you see when you look at the car side on when its done.

We do the same at the front but you have the watch the swage line as the door swings. Maybe a bit more that 3/16 is needed to clear here.

Fit the glass and adjust the hinges so it runs right against the screen frame and Surrey backlight if using one.
Fit the locks and make them work.

You cannot easily correct it later if these things dont work out.
 
On our TR4A the front gap of both doors is 3/16". The rear door gap is 3/16" on the passenger door (right side for the folks across the pond) and 1/4" on the drivers door. None of the gaps vary from top to bottom. None of the doors have ever been removed from the car.
 
I started with a complete basket case. The whole tub was pieced back together and is not perfect.

This is very hard to photograph:
 

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Is there anything you can do short of major surgery or fabrication if the gap is too big? if you push the front fender back it doesn't match with the hood, you can't push the rear up to far, the extension where it bolts down the side hits the bodywork it bolts too, so stuck there too.
 
The two ways to fix the gaps perfectly are:

1. lead-loading the edges, pro-restorers often do this
2. re-skin the doors

Now we come to stuff that does not mess with the paint-job that may help a bit.

A common problem is the gap being bigger at the top of the rear edge of the door. Raising the back of the tub by packing between the tub and the chassis may help this.

Gaps at the front edge of the door seem a bit less obvious than the rear edge. So moving the door back may help.
But the LOCKs still have to work!
 
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