BobG74

Could use some help on the best way to reduce door gaps. Thanks in advance for any comments. Photos show pass door of 74 t top I want uniform (or close) door gaps before painting. The back side is around 1/8" or less from top to bottom. The front gap is 3/8" at the top to around the middle and <3/16" from middle to bottom. The door hinges feel tight no up/ down movement. Is adding fiberglass to the top half to reduce the 3/8" to around 3/16" the best way to go? To me 3/16 gaps look nice but are they to close? Is 1/4" better?

Could I wrap a piece of fiberglass mat around the front surround? I could remove material from the surround say 2" back and then place fiberglass mat in the undercut area, wrapping the overlap around the edge and onto the back of surround . I think that would get a 1/8" reduction in the gap. Any thoughts on that method?

It looks to me that the material should be added to the front surround and not the door.

Btw Driver door gaps are about the same, gap at top is not quite 3/8"

DUB

3/16" is too close..and a 1/4" is too far. I shoot for .21" Then when I prime an paint and clear it the gaps will close up a little bit more....BUT....if your start at 3/16" and then apply all the primer and paint...you might regret it. This car has flex in it.

AS for the gap at the rear of the door...sand the quarter panel.

YES.,..I would build out the top hood surround at the front of the door with VPA. It can easily handle this and make sure to taper both sides of the edge of the panels WELL so it can get a good bite and grip. Kinda tricky using masking tape to hold the VPA. I do this a lot and the trick is making sure I get my gap cut enough to get sandpaper in there and sand out a new gap. You do understand that the door(s) will have to come off at some point...don't you????...and that you are not just going to be able to spread out the VPA and cut the new gap and call it DONE. That is if you do not care about the inside of the top hood surround area.

DUB

BobG74

DUB
hanks for the council, i needed some serious help with my planning. I will lock on to the .21" gaps, so glad to receive ur advise and benefit from ur experience. I love the idea of VPA vice West system and mat for the door gaps should make the fix easier (I hope). Yes the doors are coming off for prep and painting along with a lot of interior stuff door pnls, kick pnls and dash pnls. No reason that this job shouldn't grow like just about every other corvette project.

Once I have the doors off is my new plan to undercut the surround top surface say 2" back and back side as much as I can get say 1" with say 80 grit disk? Then apply VPA to the outside top surface with masking tape backing it up. Let that set up and then remove tape and skim coat the inside with VPA let set and sand to get close to the .21" put door back on and final out the gaps. Is it ok let the initial outside set up and then apply the inside vpa?

I plan to remove the doors via the 4 bolts x 2 under the inter door access plates and leave the hinge bolted to door frame, is that the right way?

Thanks again, I didn't have anyone handy to brief on my (err ur) door plan so i got wifie out in the garage briefed her. I think she liked it to, but she seemed antsy so I let her go back to her garden party.

BG

Dave Tracy

Looking at the door with the large gap at the top on the front fender side and the thin gap at the top rear fender side, you might want to attempt adjust the door a little first.

BobG74

Thats a great idea, Is it possible to loosen up the bolts and slide the door forward?

bg

540 vette

I adjust the rear door gap to where I want it and then glass in the front gap. I glass the whole gap in and then take a hacksaw blade to make the initial gap and then sand to where I want it.

DUB

YES...the door could be raised a hair...but that will not close the gap. And if the bottom horizontal edge of the door is level with the bottom of the fender...the door is HIGH enough.

I would need a GOOD photo of your doors at the hinge area when you are down on one knee and looking straight at the door so I can see the entire door gap.

I know there are many ways of doing something....BUT...using the VPA ONLY to repair the door gap is VERY DO-ABLE...because that is what I would do and have done countless times. No need to use resin and mat to fix this small gap. TRUST ME...the VPA can handle that and more without failure. And you would want to do this when the doors are on the car...ad not off the car. if you need more info when getting to this repair...PM me and we can talk. I do not feel like typing it out for hours. OR do what you feel will work for you and or use any of the other advice. Entirely your decision.

DUB

BobG74

Dub Thanks Sorry not trying to ware u out I plan on using VPA to close the +1/8" or so of gap. But its always good to consider all the options. I have a lot of prep to do and think I should remove the paint to bare SMC before starting the VPA work. (Bond seams , door gaps and fitting front and rear bumpers) Thanks to all providing input it helped a lot.