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Re: Door Fitment...

To: DrMayf <drmayf@teknett.com>
Subject: Re: Door Fitment...
From: Steve Laifman <SLaifman@socal.rr.com>
Date: Sat, 02 Nov 2002 12:45:49 -0800
A Modest Proposal:  :-)

Mayf,

When the Mad Hatter complained to the March Hare that the pocket watch 
he had repaired was not working, the March Hare replied: "I just cannot 
understand that! I used the VERY best butter, you know." :-D

It seems like you are trying to get the sag effect cured by chopping on 
the perfectly good doors and hinges.

How about a "modest proposal"?

The sag is in the chassis, which is not flat any longer, bringing the 
door openings together at the top.  Have you considered that you would 
not want to be in a car with a weakened and defective frame structure at 
record speed - even if the doors had been butchered to fit?

Two other alternates:

1) Place a load spreading wood beam under the chassis at the door 
position, and jack it up until the sag is gone, then weld additional 
support structure on the chassis to return it to it's original flatness, 
and strength.  A body shop with a frame machine can be used to clamp the 
chassis, apply hydraulic forces, and return all points to their original 
position.  This would include any diagonal distortion as well. Wouldn't 
want one wheel ahead of the other?

2) As above, but weld the doors in place as structural reinforcement 
that is stiffer in ALL directions than the original.  If you still need 
a driver's door to open (for rules or entry/exit), then only do the 
passenger side.  Huge help over stock.

Steve

DrMayf wrote:

>Boys and girls of all ages...as you know I am building the world's fastest
>Sunbeam from a rust bucket  S5 Alpine. And what do rust bucket cars
>do...well, the sag. And when they sag, the doors do not fit. It appears that
>I need to collapse the hinges on both door to get even a modicum of fit. So
>any ideas as to how to do this? The doors are off as I speak...so do I just
>heat the hinges and pound the dickens out of them until I get it where it
>needs to be? Thoughts?  Oh, and forcing the parts like the hinge attachment
>back into shape is no longere an option...hinges it it...
>
>TIA
>
>mayf, the door challenged red necked ignorant desert rat in Pahrump...
>
>  
>

-- 

Steve Laifman
Editor
http://www.TigersUnited.com

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