Passenger Door Alignment

Dennis S., the previous owner, had bagged and tagged 4 shims for the lower passenger door hinge and that is exactly what it needed.  When we moved to the upper hinge we found that it needed adjustment in the other direction.  The only way to do that is to grind away some of the thickness of the hinge and that's what Ty is doing in this picture.  He found my biggest grinder and started to "align" the door.  It turned out very nice.

About a 1/4" in thickness was removed.  Here Ty is using a 6" ruler to locate high spots.

After putting the door on and taking it off several times we ended up with the best fit possible.  All the hinge bolts were tightened and the striker plate was installed.   Now it was time to start working on the body.  The majority of the passenger door fit very well with exception to the area shown below.  In this picture the door is aligned properly, it's the fender that needs work.  The fender was purposely built "fat" when we repaired the A pillar.

After using a  burr grinder to reduce the fender height, the area was masked off then fiberglass was cut so that it would span both the door and the fender.

Resin was applied then worked into the area until everything was saturated.

Several hours later the fiberglass was cut at the door seam then sanded until there was a smooth transition between both pieces.

The same process was used on the side of the fender.

I primered the area but finishing work still needs to occur. 
Compare this picture to the one above.  It's a nice improvement.

Cool Desert Nights is next and this will be the 3rd year our Corvette is entered.  This year we can drive the Corvette so it will be off the trailer during the show.  Should be fun.  Stay tuned for pictures!

Weatherstripping our Doors

Installing weatherstripping on a door can be a very messy job, especially if the door is attached to the car.  Fortunately, our doors are not attached and we know a couple tricks.

The weatherstrip on a 1963 Corvette coupe is glued to the door.  There are no push pins, screws or clips.  We start the process by masking the door where the weatherstrip will go. 

That tape is then bordered by two more rows of masking tape as shown.

The first row of tape is removed then the paint is scuffed with Scotch Brite.

Weatherstrip adhesive is a contact cement that comes in two basic colors, traditional yellow and black.  We chose black because it matches the weatherstripping and it's hardly noticeable against our dark blue doors.

Adhesive was applied between the two rows of tape then allowed to dry for a few seconds.  All of the tape was then removed leaving a clean door with very little mess.

Adhesive was applied to the weatherstripping then the weatherstripping was glued to the door.  If you don't have a helper it's best to install the weatherstripping one section at a time.  It can get very messy.

3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner was used as a final step to wipe down the weatherstripping and the door.  This cleaner does a great job and it won't harm the painted finish.

Both doors are done and they turned out great.  Next we start aligning the doors.