Ill fitting rumble lid

mrtexas

mrtexas

Well-known member
My 29 roadster must have been put together with a jumble of parts. I've been trying to fit the lid. On the left side I cut the edge as you can see and am re-welding to make it fit. It has a wide gap on the left and a small gap on the right. If I lower the left hinge to close the gap, then the lid is too low near the window. Piece below the lid is original, original hinges and original lid as far as I know.

What can I do about the bottom edge to make the gap better?

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Here is a link for those who can't see the pictures:
http://mrtexascitrus.weebly.com/
 
There is some adjustment in the hinge bolt for and aft.. up and down. Have you tried that? show a photo or two of the upper gap across the lid to upper panel. it's about splitting the differences... sometimes a little movement makes a big difference. I like having someone on the inside to help. Don't forget to have the bumpers on the upper end. Sometimes you have to shave them to get the right level/gap. Shoe us some more pics when you can,
larry s
 
larrys40 said:
There is some adjustment in the hinge bolt for and aft.. up and down. Have you tried that? show a photo or two of the upper gap across the lid to upper panel. it's about splitting the differences... sometimes a little movement makes a big difference.
larry s
Click to expand...

Yes I have been adjusting the hinge bolts. No matter what there is a big gap somewhere!
 
From the picture, it looks like the lower panel is a repro. Put a straight edge across the top to see if it is flat. If it is, then it is a repro. An original panel should be about 1/8"(?) taller in the middle. It should also curve outward at the middle. Repros are straight across in both areas and will mess up the fit.
 
I agree the lower panel looks like a repro, the frown curve is obvious. The lid seems to curve up so I guess it is original. Do you have the original structure behind the repro lower panel? The repro has cheesy piece of sheet metal that you screw the curved inner panel to and no vertical structure or doublers on the 3 screw edges.

I would not change the edge of the lid yet. I had some fit issues that turned out to be the quarter panel. The qtr was pushed in some and that causes the shape of the rumble edge to change considerably. This may not be your problem, but if it is an original lid with original hinges and it does not have major damage then it should be right and your body wrong.

Look from the rear down the side of the qtr panel. The sort of flat area between the upper and lower semi round bumps should be at an outward angle as you go down. On mine the one side was vertical. I corrected it by putting it on the floor and grabbing the ends with my hands and pushing with my foot.

Also keep in mind that you can make the lid be a different shape. There are some factory gas welds in like 4 to 6 places that lock the rumble skin to the frame. If you break these welds then you can adjust the lid to the curves of the body some. This is a 2 person job. One gets the shape right while the other locks it in place inside the car with a welder. This is what has to be done with the repro lids.

Not sure if what I wrote is going to be your problem solver, but some ideas at least.
 
30cabriolet said:
From the picture, it looks like the lower panel is a repro. Put a straight edge across the top to see if it is flat. If it is, then it is a repro. An original panel should be about 1/8"(?) taller in the middle. It should also curve outward at the middle. Repros are straight across in both areas and will mess up the fit.
Click to expand...

Do you have the original structure behind the repro lower panel? yes

Lower panel is original and has a curve. I replaced a repro panel after I found the original.
 
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