[Roadsters] Body panel alignment

[Gary and Cindy Ault]

Steve,

I know you have one response to the contrary, but I don't understand how the 
presence or absence of the weatherstrips could/should affect panel 
alignment.  Take the doors, for example.  You want the door gaps to be as 
even as you can get them (Remember, your dealing with '60s vintage Japanese 
quality), and you want the outer surface to align with the rear of the front 
fender and the rear quarter.  That alignment is determined by the positions 
of the hinges and door striker.  Line everything up without the 
weatherstrip, and then the weatherstrip will compress as needed to allow the 
doors and trunk to close.

When my '66 was redone, the shop aligned the panels without the 
weatherstrips in place.  The old ones were gone, and I never gave them the 
new ones to work with.  Note that I used factory door seals, so it was very 
difficult to close the doors when I first put the weatherstrips in place.  I 
glued them on, then taped them in place, closed the doors (with difficulty), 
and left the doors closed for several days.  Over time (weeks, not months) 
the weatherstrips compressed to the point where the doors now close with a 
gentle push.  I did bend the lip to which the door weatherstrip mounts in a 
little at the front corner.

Gary

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Harvey" <stebharvey at ameritech.net>
To: <datsun-roadsters at autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, December 05, 2009 6:44 AM
Subject: [Roadsters] Body panel alignment


> Group,
>
>
>
> This question is for anyone who's done a full body off restoration. I have
> epoxy primer on the entire body and have mounted  the doors, hood, fenders
> and trunk back on the body so I can get everything properly aligned before 
> I
> tap out small dents and apply body filler. How do I get these items 
> aligned
> without having to install all of the rubber gaskets and rubber bumpers or
> must I install the rubber as well to get the correct alignment? If that's
> the case, I will have to glue in the rubber for now and then remove it 
> after
> the body work is finished and apply the base coat and clear coat. There 
> must
> be a better way to get the alignment correct without using the rubber at
> this point. Any help is appreciated.
>
>
>
> Steve Harvey
>
> Milwaukee
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