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TR6 TR6 - any tips for lining up panels?

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I

ichthos

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I have seen what door gaps should look like at British car shows; mine are not even close. The frame is not bent, and yet no matter what I do, the gaps are uneven between the doors and body. The spacing between the windows and wind shield are not even either. I have spend many hours trying to use all adjustments with no luck. At one of the local car shows one guy was telling me I need to work with the spacers between the frame and body-not really sure how that works. I am not opposed to welding, since I do plan on painting my car at a later date, but I don't want to make permanent changes that I will be sorry for later. Do any of you have tips on closing the up gaps in panels?
Kevin
 

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Do you have the original fenders on the car or are they replacements, that could be your problem? Are there any packings behind the hinges? The front gap looks to be wide , and the rear very tight, Can the front fender be pulled back some, the same for the rear? Body shims will open or close the gap more at the top or bottom depending if you added more or removed some. I would check the front and rear fenders to see how they fit. The door gaps on many TR6s seems to be a bit wide anyway, mine included. On my TR3 I'm trying for an even 1/8"gap. The best thing about your pictures is they don't show any body sag from a weak frame.
 
Get a few cases of beer on ice and a comfortable chair to rest in after you spend a lot of hours chasing the elusive dream of even panel alignment on a TR6. (or any early British car, less Aston Martin & RR)
 
there is quite a bit of adjustment you can make by loosening the door hinges, if you loosen the bolts on the door portion you can slide the door towards the front fenders or toward the rear, when you loosen the the bolts that attach the hinges to the body of the car you can move the front of the door in and out to get it to line up with the front fender. You can get some rubber sanding blockes at the local auto paint store and use then as shims to hold the door while you tighten the bolts back up

Hondo
 
The passenger side looks ok to me. I have the same poor fit of the passenger window to the wind screen.

The alignment of the driver's side shows the rear of the door to have dropped. This can be caused by many things. Often over looked is worn out door hinges.

Using the passenger side as a reference, see how much you can lift the doors when slightly open. Usually the driver's side will show more movement, because it is typically used more then the passenger's side.

Depending on the amount of droop, you can adjust it out by repositioning the hinges, or in the worse case, you will need new hinges.

Once you start adjusting the door, be patient, I think flying a helicopter is easier the panel adjusting.

How about an up date on the engine build.
 
The hinges were a problem initially, so I bought some new ones. I can position the driver side door correctly, but then I can't roll up the window all the way, as it hits at the top of the window frame. You can't see it very well, but no matter how you position the door, there would be and uneven gap. I have adjusted the windows as far as I can. I may end up taking the window frame off to check and see if it is bent this summer. The one thing I do have on my side right now is that I will be repainting it at some time. One problem I have is that this car was in boxes when I bought it. I am going to try shims behind the doors and see if that helps.

As far as the engine, that is a whole story in itself. I ended up using parts from both engines. My big problem is trusting professionals to do the job correctly. It seems like the more people I had to deal with, the more problems I had with poor workmanship. Luckily someone on the forum referred me to an excellent mechanic and machine shop only about an hour away. The bottom line is I am finally driving again!
 
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