Cheers. Hoping to get both skins on by the weekend then I can crack on with the front arches! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Good luck with them, we found them to be an easier fit than we first anticipated! we're getting ready to move Major to the garage to start on the bodywork - his front arches appear to have surface corrosion only, fingers crossed n all that
I think the lips on our skins need bending over slightly to a right angle as clamping them to the frame causes the skin to bulge out. Shouldn't be too bad though (certainly have dealt with worse). Always feels like I've loads left to do, must keep remembering how much I've achieved already. Best of luck with the bodywork. Think I'll have another fun learning curve on that! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hi James.. Have you done repairs to the rear tubs where they meet the sills.. I've not much idea of how they should look. @Diddymen
Hey mate yes I've repaired that bit already. Annoyingly some of the images early in my thread seem to be broken! Looks like I didn't take that many pics of that area. I bought in a repair from schofields I think. The repair just follows the bottom of the floor then curves down to finish pretty much inline with the sills. I trimmed the repair to fit. Not the best picture. Let me know if you want more pics though and I'll get some tonight. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
A slightly better pic. You can see where it finishes inline with the sill. It's plug welded to the floor flange, the sill flanges and the side of the tub then butt welded to the old tub. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
If you have fitted new sills (or the old ones are still good) there is really only one way they can join as the sill position is 'fixed' by the tophats (and floor recess) and when butted up at the front. The rear tub should then close the position here's a pic of the sliding door side where it meets the rear tub (unfinished at that point, but you get the idea), all the pics of the sill work I think are on pg 6 of my resto thread
Started welding on the O/S door skin tonight and decided to trial fit the door before I completely weld it up. It's looking like I'm going to need to shim the bottom hinge to get it to fit correct; without shims no matter what I do the edge where it lines up with the B pillar hits towards the bottom (you can see it's not right as the top edge where it meets the roof slopes as it approaches the B pillar). What experience have others had with fitting reskinned doors to their van; did you have to shim etc (@Diddymen, @womball, @martinvention + the door whisperer @davidoft)? I suspect the bottom of the a pillar has moved somewhat despite me being careful with the A pillar repairs (the doors never fitted particularly well before I started the resto anyway). Shimming the bottom hinge makes the gap between the door and front panel larger at the bottom so I suspect I'd need to do some filler work to get it perfect unless anyone has some good ideas?
not fitted re-skimmed doors myself does the gap at the top of the door get bigger towards the front of the van, and the bottom of the door at the rear too close to the B pillar? if so, a shim under the bottom hinge might work. but if that kicks out the alignment to the front panel, then it sounds like either the door or the opening isn't square. Worst case, you could weld some arc welding rod to the edge of the door, then grind it to shape to 'true up' the door
looking back over your thread, its unlikely the work you've done on the A post would have caused any problems
as diddy says it sounds like yor door opening is out of square i used the door to make my door piller square before i welded the bottom of the piller up and then fitted the arch but dont worry about the door gap at the front just get it right at the back and top by bending the hinges in to the right place as your going to fit wheel arch to the door and then weld the edge of the front panel to get the right gap at the front hope that helps
I'll try and grab some pictures of it when I'm down there again on Saturday (a few days off as my folks are down to visit). My original description was slightly wrong in that it hits the b pillar towards the top (not the bottom) - but I think you knew what I meant as shimming the bottom hinge would've made it worse if it was the bottom. Yes, I suspect the bottom of the door is somehow out of square so looks like I'll need to either shim or bend the hinges. Struggling with motivation on the van over the last few weeks as I'v been hitting it hard. Think coming at it afresh on Saturday after a few days off might help .
I'd try shimming the bottom hinge first, if you bend them you will have trouble bending back the other way if you go too far. As womball said, get the top and rear of the door fitting nicely, then fit the arch to the shape of the bottom of the door. Its possible it was the front skin that makes it look out of true, and that will be easiest to correct if it really bothers you by building up the edge of the door or the front skin of the door with a bit of weld or welding rod
Yeah I did have to repair the a pillar lip that the front skin hooks round (I did have the door on for reference though). I'll get the top and rear fitting right then look at fettling the front edge a little; quite like the look of diddy's hotrod trick with the welding rod (the gap was quite big along the front in that I could get a finger in it towards the bottom but not the top). Guess I should expect these things with such an old van! Also thanks @womball for mentioning the holes that the rubber/chrome door trim clips into on the new door skins. The size of the holes was fine on ours, but it only had every other hole present so I had to cut the rest out with the dremel. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sorry James, not got around to fitting cab doors yet - I guess I have that potential problem yet to face. Martin
Support braces bonded to the door skin and first door fully welded up! Just need to dress the welds and it’s done. All the hours on the door finally paid off.
Dressed the welds on this cab door and got it trial fitted with the front arch. Not too bad at all. The front gap needs some work but I’ll come back to that when I come to fit the arch.
