Door Gaps
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 150
Likes: 0
From: Pecatonica IL
Door Gaps
I will be putting the new motor in next weekend. Then preping for paint. What concerns me is the gaps in the front of the doors. My shop manual just says .1875", but I have just over .375" at the top and .187" at the bottom. The gap at the back, where the strikers are at, are perfect. I have looked at the underside of the lip near the hood springs, but can't see how the whole front end can be lowered. I have asked a few people "familiar" with c-3's, and they say its normal due to vettes being "as close to hand made" as you can get.
I really don't like it, but am not sure what my options are. Both sides of the car are the same. There has been damage at sometime on the drivers side fender well as I have found bondo or something that was not finished off on the underside at the top of the well.
Any suggestions, or should I just live with it???
I really don't like it, but am not sure what my options are. Both sides of the car are the same. There has been damage at sometime on the drivers side fender well as I have found bondo or something that was not finished off on the underside at the top of the well.
Any suggestions, or should I just live with it???
Racer
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 352
Likes: 11
From: Glendale AZ
A suggestion I got
Since you are preping for paint you may want to sand away some fiberglass to arrive at a uniform gap. That would continue the "corvettes are hand made" tradition also.
I really believe it is like trying to get the 3 legged chair level. Body mounts, door hinges, spacers, striker plates, shims etc.
Unless the door just doesn't follow the contours of the car at all, sanding the gaps is a viable option in my opinion.
David
I really believe it is like trying to get the 3 legged chair level. Body mounts, door hinges, spacers, striker plates, shims etc.
Unless the door just doesn't follow the contours of the car at all, sanding the gaps is a viable option in my opinion.
David
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 150
Likes: 0
From: Pecatonica IL
Originally Posted by pdgourno
Since you are preping for paint you may want to sand away some fiberglass to arrive at a uniform gap. That would continue the "corvettes are hand made" tradition also.
I really believe it is like trying to get the 3 legged chair level. Body mounts, door hinges, spacers, striker plates, shims etc.
Unless the door just doesn't follow the contours of the car at all, sanding the gaps is a viable option in my opinion.
David
I really believe it is like trying to get the 3 legged chair level. Body mounts, door hinges, spacers, striker plates, shims etc.
Unless the door just doesn't follow the contours of the car at all, sanding the gaps is a viable option in my opinion.
David
Thanks! I thought of that to, but I don't like the idea of a 3/8" gap all the way down, unless I try to split the difference between the front and back of the door. Sounds like a lot of frustration and beer drinkin waiting to happen.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,426
Likes: 1
From: VetteMOD
St. Jude Donor '05-'07
It's possible that the front clip was removed previously. The area where the tops of the fenders are bonded to the cowl was probably not cleaned up correctly and the new clip re-bonded. The extra thickness of old bonding material will do what you have described. Unfortunately I am not sure of the "fix" to this but I will be interested in this thread as I am facing the same problem.
I don't like the idea of "cutting in" the door gaps (where filler is built up in the large gaps and sanded to proper width). However, I see a lot of people do it.
I don't like the idea of "cutting in" the door gaps (where filler is built up in the large gaps and sanded to proper width). However, I see a lot of people do it.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 286
Likes: 1
From: Mesa az
Sand back the top to bare glass and do a "repair", extending the edge to fill the gap. If there is no other damage, no weak frame, no other mis-alignment, then simply fill the gap. If you really want the "original" look do a "bad" job filling the gap, but my vote is to make it the same on both sides, and front to back. Remember the door can be adjusted for the best fit.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 2,116
Likes: 156
From: Mid West
Cruise-In III Veteran
Had the same problem on my 76 .... nice quality back in the 70's. You could fit your finger thru the gap at the top while the bottom was dead on to factory spec's.
Here's how I repaired it. Feather the rear edge of the fender back about 1 inch from the edge. Apply 1 layer of fiber glass cloth to the front of the fender (the area you feathered back) and have it stick out into the opening and put another layer on the back side of the fender. Then apply "Tiger Hair" (body filler with cut fiber glass strands) to build the fender up and shape it. The glass strands will help give it strength. Then once you have the fender built up to the correct shape, fill in the minor pits and other imperfections with a thinner body filler. This is a PITA, but can be done with ALOT of patience. By the way, it is definitely worth the effort.... huge improvement in the looks of the car.
I have to admit mine didn't come out perfect and the fenders still have a few minor pits that will be fixed on the next paint job (probably next spring), but it was still a huge step in the right direction. Good luck .
http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c3/greatwhite/
Here's how I repaired it. Feather the rear edge of the fender back about 1 inch from the edge. Apply 1 layer of fiber glass cloth to the front of the fender (the area you feathered back) and have it stick out into the opening and put another layer on the back side of the fender. Then apply "Tiger Hair" (body filler with cut fiber glass strands) to build the fender up and shape it. The glass strands will help give it strength. Then once you have the fender built up to the correct shape, fill in the minor pits and other imperfections with a thinner body filler. This is a PITA, but can be done with ALOT of patience. By the way, it is definitely worth the effort.... huge improvement in the looks of the car.
I have to admit mine didn't come out perfect and the fenders still have a few minor pits that will be fixed on the next paint job (probably next spring), but it was still a huge step in the right direction. Good luck
.http://temp.corvetteforum.net/c3/greatwhite/
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,836
Likes: 9
From: Rushsylvania Ohio
Radiator core support at the bottom where it mounts to the frame. Put a few shims between the frame bracket and the bottom of the core support. This will lift the front end up and close the door gaps at the top of the doors. All the vendors sell the shims. This is what they are for. Also make sure all your body mount bushings are in good shape.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,168
Likes: 17
From: Iowa
Radiator core support at the bottom where it mounts to the frame. Put a few shims between the frame bracket and the bottom of the core support. This will lift the front end up and close the door gaps at the top of the doors. All the vendors sell the shims. This is what they are for. Also make sure all your body mount bushings are in good shape.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,836
Likes: 9
From: Rushsylvania Ohio
It may be bonded but it for sure is not rigid. Have you tried it? There is alot more movement there than most would think. If there was not, there would be no need for the core support, which is mounted to the front of the body, to be mounted to the frame at all. Now I am not talking about alot of movement, but even an 1/8" will make a big difference in the door gaps. Try it sometime.
