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  #681  
Old 07-15-2017, 02:58 AM
Bevelhead Bevelhead is offline
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That's an awesome job. Thanks for all the detail
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  #682  
Old 07-15-2017, 05:27 AM
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That has come up well Jack.
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  #683  
Old 07-28-2017, 11:49 AM
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Wow...The stainless looks killer Jack!!
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  #684  
Old 07-29-2017, 08:25 PM
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Jack 1957 Jack 1957 is offline
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I still have a couple things that need to be done in back but I'm going to move on to the doors. I should build the rear bumper and tail lights but I have to make a buck for them and I just don't want to right now. Too hot for sawdust right now.
So, I removed the doors and disassembled them, drilled out the door handle and latch gussets at the rear of the door.

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Next, I removed the interior trim panel retainer strips spot welded along the lower edge of the doors, also the weather seal strips welded just below them in the jamb.

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The doors are banged up a little but they are pretty clean for 68 years old.

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I disassembled the hinges and removed the old bushings then blasted and painted them.

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the upper hinges on both sides had worn through the bushings and started wearing the pins so, along with new bushings, I got new pins for those and reassembled the hinges.

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Since I reshaped the contour of the door jamb when I was working on the quarter panel, I need to reshape the rear edge of the door to match. I started by making a simple contour gauge out of some scrap metal and trimmed it to fit the edge of the door jamb. Then transferred the shape to the doors. That's as far as I got for now.

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  #685  
Old 08-02-2017, 08:48 PM
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Jack 1957 Jack 1957 is offline
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I cut the 2" section out of the upper area of the doors. I'll remove the tops and save them. I won't be able to use them because they won't be wide enough but they'll be helpful in making the new ones.

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Next, I used the template to mark the new shape of the rear edge. I also removed about 8" of the inner door frame in this area because that will also need to be reshaped and replaced. I won't be doing that until after I have the hinges in place because I'll need to reinforce the sheet metal where the hinges will mount to the door and it will be easier to do from the inside if I leave that area open till last.

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Next, I did a lot of measuring (and a little guessing) to try to get the exact location for the hinges. This is a somewhat tricky process. The ultimate goal is to have the upper and lower hinge PINS rotating on the same axis and that axis needs to be as close as possible to vertical. If the two pins are misaligned, the door will not operate correctly or possibly, not at all. It will bind, wear the bushings or if it's way off, it can snap the pins or bend the sheet metal at the hinge mounting points. We don't want any of that.
What makes it worse is that the original hinges are of unequal lengths, the upper is longer reaching to clear the wider top half of the door and door jamb. Also, the jamb width is wider at the top than it is at the bottom so the inward reach of the upper hinge is greater than the lower hinge. And if that's not confusing enough, there isn't a straight line, flat surface, or measurable angle anywhere in sight. The only things I can use are location heights measured vertically from the rocker and inside, I used a plumb line from the upper hinge pin to the lower, then I used the laser on both pins to make sure they were as close to vertical as possible.
This door jamb cut and and alignment process took about 6 hours (Just the right side) and although I'm satisfied with the locations of the hinges, They still need to be countersunk into the jamb and boxed in to restore the structural integrity that I tossed out the window when I cut up this door jamb.

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Last edited by Jack 1957; 08-06-2017 at 08:00 PM.
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  #686  
Old 08-02-2017, 09:40 PM
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Jack, your posts are exceptional.
Your metal work is absolutely beautiful.
Your ability to sort out ideas and convert those into features on the Caddy is incredible.

Thanks for taking us along on this exciting journey building the Roadster.
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  #687  
Old 08-06-2017, 07:42 PM
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Jack 1957 Jack 1957 is offline
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I countersunk the hinge mounting surfaces on the right side and boxed in the cut out areas. Gusset plates from all the jamb edges to the inner quarter and mounted the plates that the inner hinge bolts will connect to. It was difficult welding inside in such tight quarters but I got it. It might have been easier with a stick welder but I didn't have any small gage rod. Anyway, it's done.

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I checked the hinge alignment again and it still looks good. I won't know for sure till I get the door mounted.

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I needed to make the replacement panels for the upper door frames next. This would be a good candidate for flow forming but they are complete mirror images of each other and one die couldn't be reversed to do the other side, meaning I would be spending a lot of time making two single purpose dies.
Scrapping that option, there's no way I could get that curved stair step done in one piece with any degree of accuracy so I made them in two pieces. First, the hem flanges.

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I welded in the hem flanges to help the skin keep its shape till I get the belt attached. I left them long on top so I can trim them to shape after the door is mounted.

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I made the rest of the replacement panel for the right side. I bent the flanges on each side with the bead roller, then used the shrinker/stretcher on the flanges to bring the curves in where they belong. I won't weld these in till after I install the reinforcements in from the inside.
The front of the door frames are a double layer of 18 gage to help hold the weight of the door without flexing or cracking under the heavy load. The rear of the door is only single layer. There's no way a single layer of sheet metal is going to stand up to the weight of this door. Especially after I add another 4 or 5 inches to the front of it. I'll be making a large reinforcement that will cover the back surface of the door frame and the inner face of the frame where the hinges will mount.
This will be easier to install with this open area for access. I can close it up last.

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Last edited by Jack 1957; 08-06-2017 at 08:01 PM.
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  #688  
Old 08-07-2017, 08:10 AM
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Steve Hamilton Steve Hamilton is offline
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Jack
Nice work on the jamb.
I admire your work ethic, almost every day you get something done.
The old story...... how to eat an elephant....... one bite at a time!

Thanks for sharing
Steve
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  #689  
Old 08-11-2017, 04:12 PM
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Gojeep Gojeep is offline
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That has worked out well Jack.
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  #690  
Old 08-12-2017, 10:09 AM
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Jack 1957 Jack 1957 is offline
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...The old story...... how to eat an elephant....... one bite at a time!

Thanks for sharing
Steve[/QUOTE]

One bite at a time, Steve. It's not a big job, it's a series of small jobs.
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