[MARTINSR]

you can not do anything without the body bolted to the frame. you can not straighten the body without the doors on the car. the only way to change the shape of the door opening is to shim one of the 3 mounting point. 2 on the cowl to raise and lower the rear of the door door. b-pillar will raise the door opening to allow the door to come up which will align the rear gap . until the doors align there is no way to install the floor. and yes i have started with field art many times. every car brought to me is a piece of field art. brian, take a look at this fordor . it had the floor hacked out by some bondo jocky trying to do it. all doors were fitted and aligned before the floors went in. and all was done correctly with shims.

http://www.streetrodding.com/index.cfm?f=pics.view&id=322825

You are VERY right that it must be mounted to the STRAIGHT frame. You are absolutly right on all accounts. As I said, I think he has the right idea, just go about it in a different way.

I think one of the most important things when working with this type of car is that all these things are watched throuout the entire build. You can't just "align" the doors and then go to something else like the floors or frame mounting without CONSTANTLY watching the doors fit. And vice versa, you have to be doing it all as one procedure.

Brian

 

[Al]

Well I have been working on it all day. Took all of my bolts out on the one side, and just kind of looked at it to try and figure out just what is wrong. I looked at the lower "B" pillar and saw that it was bent in a little. Long story short. I moved things around, and removed the lower hinge so that I could slide it in some. I also had to move the striker plate in a bit. There is now about 1/4" in the front, and also it starts out at 1/4" at the top in the front. I am doing the shims now on the "B" pillar. I now have a better gap at the door, and it is very easy to close the door. I did take pictures. The first ones will be from this morning. The last was earlier. I will take what I have now after Church tonight.. Al

 

[Al]

Still more..

 

[shine]

shim your cowl untill you get a good straight line on the qrt. if the top gap is closed then shim the b-pillar to " lift" it.

 

[Al]

I took the picture of how the door looks right now. I know I still have shimming to do yet. That spot on the drip rail that doesn't look right is from the other guy again. It had snaped right there, so he used his arc welder to weld it back up. He also used it at the lower edge of the "B" pillar, and the "A" pillar looks like Mr. arc welder was there as well.. It is not like that at all on the passengers side.. That side also needs to be shimmed, but in different locations..

 

[shine]

by that pic your door needs to come up ( shim a-pillar ) pull down with cowl bolt at front and the b pillar also needs shims. that will close the bottom gap and open the top.
as you can see here i use no braces . i just build the car. i set the body on the frame then aligned the doors. then i installed the floor. all done with shims.
most all 35-40 fords had the bottom of the door kicked out. cut the spot weld on the diagonal brace and align the door then spot it back.

 

[Al]

Now tell me if I am right.. The "A" pillar is the one with the hinges on it?? The cowl would be the first bolt spot at the tip of the firewall, and the "B" pillar is where the door catch is..

 

[Al]

by that pic your door needs to come up ( shim a-pillar ) pull down with cowl bolt at front and the b pillar also needs shims. that will close the bottom gap and open the top.
as you can see here i use no braces . i just build the car. i set the body on the frame then aligned the doors. then i installed the floor. all done with shims.
most all 35-40 fords had the bottom of the door kicked out. cut the spot weld on the diagonal brace and align the door then spot it back.

You said to cut the spot weld.. Where is that?? have to remember.. This guy stick welded anything that moved, or didn't move.. I had to drill out the screw in the lower hinge, because he has a tack on the bolts.. Guess he didn't want the hinges to fall off..

 

[Al]

Shine. Do you use the rubber pads??, or washers?? I talked with a Friend tonight. He also has a 37. He is going to send me the measurments for across the door opening, and from the hinges to the b-pillar.. Also.. After I get the doors all set, and locked down.. Do you put the new floor above, or below the old floor??

 

[shine]

you got it. those 3 point are what aligns the body. on rare occasions you may have to shim the rear mounts to raise the rear up with the b-pillar but i've only had to do that once. on the inside of the door there is a diagonal brace . it is spot welded at the bottom. buy cutting it you can twist the door in or out to fit the qrt panel then spot it back. do it last. i use 1/4 in hard rubber for shims .

 

[Al]

Now like in the front. You say to pull it down at the cowl. Should I make that metal to metal?? NO RUBBER PAD?? Then where it has to be built up use a few of the rubber pads??

 

[shine]

you only need a thin pad in front. once you start shimming you'll get the hang of it when you see the body move. after you shim and tighten give the body a good shake to help it move.

 

[Al]

Ok. I will give it a go tomorrow.. Thanks.. Al

 

[Al]

Shine.. Another small question.. On the b-pillar.. Which hole should I shim?? I have bolts now in both of them??

 

[shine]

the forward bolt does not belong. who ever did the work before was a hack.

 

[Al]

Well I was out in the garage since 5:30AM lifting, and putting in those rubber spacers. I have just a thin one under the cowl. I started with 1/4" pad under "A" pillar, then went to 3/8", then to 1/2". Then went back to the 3/8" I have it at now. The back, or "B" pillar I raised 1/4", then 1/2", then I went 3/4" I took pictures. The other side worked out pretty good. Have to do some more work on that, but the body seems to sit better than it did before though I think 3/4" is a bit much.. Shine.. Is the 3/4" of shims way to much??

 

[Al]

and a few more..

 

[Al]

Do you think that it may have been possiable that when he built the floor that he may have just guessed to where the rear sub rail went?? I could feel a little of the old floor under on the passengers side. That side fits. The drivers side had no old floor under it. The sub rail is just stick welded where it is. A friend measured his, and none of his marks hit mine. There are two separate weld marks on the drivers side rail. Like it was either cut, or something, and he stick welded it back together..

 

[Al]

A friend sent me the measurements from his 37 Tudor.. His will be first followed by mine..

HIS MINE

Top Edge= 50 3/4" 50"

3" Down= 51 3/4" 50 3/4"

At Reveal Line= 55 1/4" 53 7/8"

25" down ( latch area)= 55 3/4" 54 1/2"

across the hump= 53" 53"


When I had the 2x4 across the center latch. It fit pretty good. Now how would I keep it that way??

 

[shine]

i would cut the floor loose and set the b pillar right then weld it back. aligning the door is the main thing. most likely it was all rusted away and he just patched it but did not have the door on.