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Re: bad door

To: bricklin@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: bad door
From: "John T. Blair" <jblair@exis.net>
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1999 17:21:12 -0400
At 10:08 PM 9/27/99 -0700, George Iluk wrote:
>John
>       Got the template thru Corel Draw  - but it came out on a 8" by 11"
>sheet of paper at 3/4 size and not the full scale -so I don't know if I
>did something wrong or not.

I just brought the image up in Adobe Photoshop.  If your Corel Draw will let
you resize the drawing, check the width.  The actual picture I have is 608
pixels wide, by 963 pixels tall and 72 pixels per inch.  You may have to
adjust you image slightly.

>
>Let me pick your brain or any one else out there
>1) I take the door skin off
>
>2) Do I take the glass out - then

That might not be a bad idea, as it will lighten the door, and reduce the
chances of the glass getting broken!  This is also a good time to look at
how well the glass is attached to the rail.  You might want to have it 
reattaached by a glass shop at this time.


>3) Buy the actual template ,fit it to the door ,rebend the door  How I'm
>not sure and then clamp it and weld it and put the door parts together?

Cut out the template, trace it onto a piece of cardboard or stiff paper like
dividers or something.  Check the template for fit.  If it looks like it will
fit, then proceed to cut one out of metal.  It's easier to make any changes
to the cardboard one then the metal one.

No try to adjust the door, by bending it and or loosening the hinge screws
for best fit.  If you've loosened the hinges, besure they are tight before
trying to bend the door. When I've been at Terry's shop, I've seen him wrap
a brick in a piece of rug, place it on the roof and close the door, then 
press or pull on the door to bend it.  Again check for fit.  Once you have 
the best fit, place the metal brace in position and clamp it with vicegrips,
C clamps, or anything you might have.  Now tack weld the brace in, in several 
spots.  Check the door fit again.  If necessary bend the door somemore - it 
will be harder to bend now with the brace tacked in place. 

When the door has the best fit, finish welding the brace in place.  Use a
stich weld NOT a continuous bead so you don't warp the edge of the door.
Now grind the weld if necessary, and do any remaining body work
(streightening)
out of the lip edge on the door.

>A) Does every Bricklin ever made go thru this  my car is a 75  # 1749.

Probably not.  Most people don't have the brace template, and don't know
how to fix the door.  But every Bricklin WILL need it done at some point 
in time.

>B) Should I disconect the air door system immediately and only raise the
>door by hand ?

Yes!

>C) Out of curiosity does Bob hoffman do this kind of work as I don't
>hear much about him but he is still around 1200 miles away and Terry is
>about 1700 miles away

Yes he does.  There are several other things that can and should be done,
or at least checked at this point.  I believe Terry told me it takes him
almost 40 hours to rehab a door.  While it is a long ways to either of the
shops, and it will probably cost in the neighborhood of $1,200 per door to
have it rebuild, you might want to either drive the car to one of their
shops, and fly home, them fly back to get the car when it's finished, or
simply have it trucked to either shop - about $1,000 and then fly in to
pick the car up and drive it home.

Hope this helps

John

John T. Blair  WA4OHZ          email:  jblair@exis.net
Va. Beach, Va                  Phone:  (757) 495-8229

              48 TR1800    65 Morgan 4/4 Series V (B1109)
71 Saab Sonett III (71500840)    75 Bricklin SV1 (0887)    77 Spitfire

Morgan: www.team.net/www/morgan 
Bricklin: www.bricklin.org



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