40 Ford convertible top & door alignment

L

Leo64

Junior Member
My 40 Ford convertible top seems to be pulling on the front cowl thus when the top is up and latched securely the top of both doors is being pulled inward so that there is no door gap. I have just spent considerable $$$ on having the body completely re-done (removal of all fiberglass patches and new paint) and a new top installed. Prior to the body work the tops of both doors were not in alignment (i.e. poor gaps and not uniform) and now the door alignment seems to be even worse! Any advise on how to correct this situation would be greatly appreciated.
 
I always advise folks to have the top in place before doing the final alignment of the doors. A properly installed top will pull on the cowl which (as you now know) will effect the door gaps.
If the doors were gapped correctly prior to the top installation, then your only real alternative at this time is to shim the body with the top "up" to regain the proper door alignment.
 
What Kube said and also what sort of shims or cusions are between the body and frame ? The best I remember on my convertible it has some rubber coated steel shims unlike the rubber cushions used on the closed cars,the convertible is mounted more rigid to the frame to limit movement.
 
The doors were properly gapped and had very good alignment top to bottom with the top off. Currently the car is having some driveline work, and we have observed that when the car is jacked up under the door on either side that the alignment seems to correct itself - with the top left up. Then when the jack is lowered and weight is again placed on the wheels, the door alignment closes in. We will attempt re-shimming of the body with the top up to gain the correct door alignment with weight on the wheels. Thank you for the advise!
 
I will need to have the body shop where the car is now at look at the current shims to see what is there and if needed replace them with stell shims you recommend for the convertibles. Thank you for the input/advise here!
 
What if you left the top up got it good and wet and let it dry,would this let it loosen some ?
 
The new top is not unduly tight, a snug fit and latches quite easily, so I do not believe it is the canvas that is the problem. It is either the top's frame or the body sitting onto the frame of the car itself that needs adjusting - shimming - that seems to be causing the door alignment problem. I'll follow up on Kube's advise and have the shop where it is at look at "shimming" the body with the frame.
 
If the doors fit before the top was installed and now do not, it has to be the top. Perhaps it is not too taut but even a properly installed top will pull the cowl back.
I don't care to shim the body once the paint, etc. is completed so I "test fit" a top and shim the body accordingly.

I really doubt the top mechanism is the culprit.
I still feel strongly that your particular remady is shimming the body.
 
so the question becomes.. did convertibles in fact have unique shims? and are said shims available? in the aftermarket?

and if this is true.. from what times (years?) did ford have shims unique to converts?
 
Never mind trying the shimming bit just yet, the top of the cowl is being pulled back by the top when they are connected .Check the front cowl mount to see if the bolts on each side are tight ,also check the mounts to see if the bottom of the mount is pulled ,rusted out or just appear thin .pull the bolt ,Make a plate of 3/16 steel drill the hole in it cut it to fit in the mount and put the two bolts back in and tighten them up. I think you will find a difference .You can also adjust the top rails ahead I think.Hope this helps John.
 
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