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From: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
St. Jude '03 thru '24
Door gap problem
The owner was complaining about the door was becoming difficult to open and paint chipping around the edges.
The frame is rotted.
You think the bird cage is in jeopardy?
Last edited by JrRifleCoach; Jun 10, 2021 at 11:40 AM.
It looks to me as though there’s a lift under that car. If you put a convertible midyear on a lift with no convertible top or hardtop on it that door gap will open up just like that on every one of them.
I agree with those recommending a close look at the frame. To have that wide a gap on a hoist and for the body to flex otherwise to where the gap goes away and there is contact - well, something not normal is going on there.
From: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
St. Jude '03 thru '24
There is a floor jack holding up the rear end. And the frame is swiss cheese. You think the bird cage is in jeopardy?
How can he inspect the cage at the base of the jam?
Probably need to get a scope camera and snake in through access holes. They have come a long ways over the years they have gotten a lot better. My recent one is really clear and the only thing I wish it had was a zoom feature for a bit wider view. But just looking under dash up towards the windshield and down along the hinge pillar with a strong flashlight and up under the sills towards the bird cage rocker channel will give you a general idea. Frame rot and bird cage rot are not necessarily mutually inclusive. One may be bad and the other OK. I’m sure I’m not telling you anything you don’t know.
I remember working with someone from back East in the early 80s who told me of a friiend of his with a C2 convertible from the snow belt whose frame completely separated between the rails and the kick ups, snapping the car in two. I don’t remember all the details 40 years later but I want to say his friend was going through an intersection when it happened and was pretty badly injured if not killed.
From: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
St. Jude '03 thru '24
Originally Posted by DansYellow66
Frame rot and bird cage rot are not necessarily mutually inclusive. One may be bad and the other
Actually your statement regarding frame and birdcage (BC) rot not being mutually inclusive is what I was thinking about. With the rear end being held by the door jams and hinges would BC damage be suspect? I'll get a bore scope in there and take some pics and get back.
I would be more inclined to suspect the frame and kick up rotting out. If the lock pillar on the birdcage at the doors rear were rotted out at the sill channel, it would probably show up in some bit of shifting but if the frame was still solid it would probably pick up the load and prevent the rear from dropping down very much. But condition of body mounts might factor in to. I think it’s going to take a good examination to figure out exactly what is going on there.
With the extreme gap showing there, I would be very concerned about the frame and the potential for something like shown below......hopefully we are wrong and its not something catastrophic.
From: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
St. Jude '03 thru '24
The kickups have disintegrated. There are other areas that make this frame unrepairable.
I'm running a camera into the door jam areas to view the rear uprights.
From: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.
St. Jude '03 thru '24
My original question was if you think the bird cage is in jeopardy.
Thanks DansYellow66 for getting to the point. There is still some camera work to be accomplished in the door lock area.
Please note the fibreglass coverup on the inside of the left kickup. And the blob of JB weld on the right side.
WHen I figure how to include a video, theres a great one you cant miss.
Boy, that’s scary. For that car to still have been in one piece, I’m going to venture to say the birdcage is still sound - just hope it hasn’t been tweaked out of dimension from the lack of frame support.
Door gap problem
