i have got a mini project on the go at the moment and i have not done alot of restoration work, im only 22 and dont have a lot of experience, so i thought i would get a mini and start with that, i have got to replace the whole front end and a couple of floor pans.
as iv stripped it all down i have noticed that in where the door hinges are needs done as well, iv stripped it all down and bought hadrian pannels.
now here is where the problems begin and im startin to struggle
iv lined up the panels that has the door hinghe holes in them and i have lightly tacked them on the car, i have gone to fit the door and the door closes but sits tight against the top,
do you think i have put the pannels in slightly the wrong place or do you think the cheap pannels are not 100% accurate with the dilled holes.
is there anything else i should be thinking about while i am putting these pannels on
yeah its just tight at the top at the front, and looking at the back of the door the gap between the door and the rear quarter its a bigger gap at the bottom than at the top,
if i shim the hinges would it not either make the door tighter at the top or more of an angle?
do you think i would be better making slots where the holes are drilled in the new pannels so i can adjust the front of the door further down to straighten it up or would that be considered a rough way to do it
Wouldn’t want to use slots alone. Sounds like you do need to move the holes though as it’s tight at the top front, but you’ll also need to shim the bottom hinge to level it out.
I’d be tempted to slot the holes, get it in the right place and then weld a plate from inside the wheel arch with the holes in the right place. Should make the door a bit stronger too, stop idiots who lean on your doors ruining the panel I’d also want to get it nice and sealed up in the arch though or it’ll rot like compost =)
Please be advised I’ve not done the above paragraph, so use your own noggin to decide on your action plan!
that sounds like a good plan to the plates on the inner arch with proper holes, that would make it a good bit stronger like u say. il have to do a nice tidy job tho cause its the flip front thats going on it so everyone will be able to see what iv done haha.
il maybe put it all together first and have a think before i start doing the slots, dont want to end up jumping both feet first and makin a mess of the hole thing.
do you think spot welding would be good enough for in there or would i be better doing a continuous weld for strenth?
As long as you get enough spot weld’s it’d be strong enough (we’re talking about the plate right?) but you’d have to seal it well with seam sealer etc. You could probably get away with stitch welding thick washers onto it, that’d make the job easiest.
So you slot the holes, line the door up and wham a penny washer then a nut on the stud and tighten, double check the fit then weld the washer (not the nut!) onto the panel. Disassemble, paint and refit later!
No probs I like a bit of problem solving! Click my controls up top. There’s a link in the menu on the left for signature and one for avatar settings, if the upload doesn’t work use photobucket to host the images
