Marshall V. Daut
Well-known member
I have spent a couple days trying to shim and get the doors aligned in a 1929 Murray Town Sedan that I am restoring. When the body was removed for paint two years ago, I didn't notice any shims when it came off the frame. I don't recall how the doors lined up before unbolting the body to remove the side splash aprons - 25 years ago! While sitting on the frame since then, the front doors sagged like this at the rear. They may have done so after unbolting the body in 1999. I just don't recall how the doors closed back then. I never drove it because it was a rolling death trap from a previous "restoration". So, it sat in storage, out of the elements.
After days of frustrating shimming activity this month, I have achieved lining up the front doors so that the belt lines are also straight across. The minor 1/8" droop in the front doors at the rear can be temporarily removed by lifting upon the back of the door. But no matter what I do, I cannot seem to eliminate the gap across the tops of the doors, even though the belt lines are lined up. Even "springing" the bottom hinge with a screwdriver doesn't help because there is no gap left at the top front of each door. I'm pretty sure once the latches are installed, the front doors will sit correctly inside the openings. It's so close now.
But that's not the main reason for this post. As can be seen from the photos, the belt lines match, but there is a gap all across the top of the doors that no amount of shimming will close up. Even if I could do that, the belt lines would then be all out of alignment. The car had a been a father and son abomination of a restoration. 90% of what they had done was wrong or poorly done. A full wood kit had been installed, which was probably the best thing about this car. Clearly installed by someone else. I noticed many parts had not been installed during that "restoration". I am wondering if something is missing across the tops of the doors or from the metal headliner strip at the top of the doorways that would take up this gap? I know that the interior's windlace will keep most of the passing air and rain from entering the compartment, but this much of a gap between the tops of the doors and the top of the door openings seems extreme.
Is there something missing here to take up the gaps? I see nothing in any vendor catalog that would solve this problem. Very frustrating! Fordors are not my Forte, so I don't know what is missing in these areas above the doors, if anything.
Marshall
After days of frustrating shimming activity this month, I have achieved lining up the front doors so that the belt lines are also straight across. The minor 1/8" droop in the front doors at the rear can be temporarily removed by lifting upon the back of the door. But no matter what I do, I cannot seem to eliminate the gap across the tops of the doors, even though the belt lines are lined up. Even "springing" the bottom hinge with a screwdriver doesn't help because there is no gap left at the top front of each door. I'm pretty sure once the latches are installed, the front doors will sit correctly inside the openings. It's so close now.
But that's not the main reason for this post. As can be seen from the photos, the belt lines match, but there is a gap all across the top of the doors that no amount of shimming will close up. Even if I could do that, the belt lines would then be all out of alignment. The car had a been a father and son abomination of a restoration. 90% of what they had done was wrong or poorly done. A full wood kit had been installed, which was probably the best thing about this car. Clearly installed by someone else. I noticed many parts had not been installed during that "restoration". I am wondering if something is missing across the tops of the doors or from the metal headliner strip at the top of the doorways that would take up this gap? I know that the interior's windlace will keep most of the passing air and rain from entering the compartment, but this much of a gap between the tops of the doors and the top of the door openings seems extreme.
Is there something missing here to take up the gaps? I see nothing in any vendor catalog that would solve this problem. Very frustrating! Fordors are not my Forte, so I don't know what is missing in these areas above the doors, if anything.
Marshall
