I was prompted by Happyjack’s recent comment about his doors not fitting flush to open a topic about getting doors to fit. Be warned that I have no answers but I think that this is a common problem and maybe some answers will emerge.
First; my experience with my FiberFab when I acquired it was that the doors fit poorly, one not closing all the way and the other hard to get open. Causes seemed to be lack of adjustment options for the hinges and latch, body door opening not flat and not matching the door, lots of flex in both the door and body, and several separations between the inner and outer parts of the doors, which seem to be molded in two parts and glassed together. I installed steel backing plates behind the hinge attachment points and filed and fiddled until the doors worked satisfactorily but they still rattle at every bump.
So is solid alignment and closing just impossible with the fiberglass bodywork? Does fiberglass twist and warp constantly? Would more metal bracing solve the problem? Would rebuilding just the doors with more rigid materials solve the problem?
Finally, in my dreams I am imagining some type of replacement metal door frame and body opening frame which would provide the necessary structure with the fiberglass door panel adhered to it. I got the idea from the original “coachwork style” bodybuilding where the panel frame is wood and the sheet metal is formed over it. Would this be possible with modern CNC or 3d printing processes?
Any ideas? 💡