Aftermarket door issue

[jimmyleetn]

So several years ago I purchased AMD premium doors 73-76 to cut down when I did the convertible conversion on my blazer. I'm well out of the return window now and finally got to hang both of them. Both appear fit okay. The passenger is pretty good, the driver is a real pain but it's in there. I'll have to slot hinges to get the body lines right, but my current issue is it appears that the driver's door is bowed out where the belt line is. Looks to be about 1/16 to 3/32 based off the template I made so I could compare the two sides. I tried to take a picture of it. It's just hard to photograph. My question is can I bend this back in? If so, how? I have no frame of reference other than assuming that the passenger door is actually correct in its curvature. A follow-up question would be should I just scrap this door and buy another? Not my first choice because they are really expensive but I'm getting tired of fighting this thing. I know I'm going to have to do a bunch of seam work to set the gaps. The body is square and straight. I've measured it 100 ways from Sunday. It's all the doors. A final question would be am I worried about nothing? It's one of those things when you look at it in person you can tell they're different if you really look at them.

 

[Blue85]

I would worry about the glass tracking right in that, or the seal not touching in the middle. Is it just the outer skin of the door, so the window gap is wider in the middle? I don't know how to fix it other than try pushing on it with something. You might inquire at a local body shop. They could probably fix it for you as well, but just a couple hours of labor might buy another door.

 

[jimmyleetn]

I would worry about the glass tracking right in that, or the seal not touching in the middle. Is it just the outer skin of the door, so the window gap is wider in the middle? I don't know how to fix it other than try pushing on it with something. You might inquire at a local body shop. They could probably fix it for you as well, but just a couple hours of labor might buy another door.

You know, I hadn't even thought of checking the inner skin. I had thought of the glass not tracking. I didn't really notice it until we hung the doors and I stood behind the truck and looked down the bed rail. It looks really wonky from that angle., but hard to photograph.

That door has so many flaws. Metal is solid and OE gauge, but the bottom seam has a 1/8in frown across most of the door I'll have to fill to fix. The A pillar needs a whack with a block of wood and I will have to work the front and rear seams too. It also sits 1/4in below the body line so I'm really gonna slot the hinges. The gamble I run if buy a new one is that it's got its own series of flaws I have to figure out.

 

[jimmyleetn]

Ok so I measured the inner skin and compared the two sides and the they have the exact same curvature, which tells me it's all in the outer skin. I measured the window gap in three places on each side and got interesting measurements.

Driver side was 1 3/16 in the back, 1 5/8 in the center, and 1 1/8 in the front.
Passenger side was 1 1/8 in the back, 1 7/16 in the center, 1 1/8in the front.

It would appear it's out at least 1/8 maybe up to 3/16 at the peak of the bow assuming the passenger door is correctly stamped.

 

[nvrenuf]

Disclaimer: I’m not a body guy at all.

That said, couldn’t you just push on the top 3”-4” of the outer skin to bend it back close to the correct position?

I know it’s not made right but if you’re stuck with those doors that seems like it’s worth a try. Even if it makes them wavy, etc you still have to fix them.

 

[Blue85]

That's the tough thing. It *sounds* like the outer skin needs shrinking, which requires a shrinking hammer, or cutting, etc., but if the whole door could be stretched/bent longer, that *could* take up the excess.

I'm not sure what you have to lose by experimenting (assuming it won't work as-is), but I agree that educated guesses (SWAG) are better at this point than random internet advice (WAG).

 

[tRustyK5]

I just went through this exact BS with China doors. Passenger side was fine, easy 8/10 IMO. Driver's was so bad I yanked it and found some OE doors on marketplace and am working with those.

 

[jimmyleetn]

Disclaimer: I’m not a body guy at all.

That said, couldn’t you just push on the top 3”-4” of the outer skin to bend it back close to the correct position?

I know it’s not made right but if you’re stuck with those doors that seems like it’s worth a try. Even if it makes them wavy, etc you still have to fix them.

That's the tough thing. It *sounds* like the outer skin needs shrinking, which requires a shrinking hammer, or cutting, etc., but if the whole door could be stretched/bent longer, that *could* take up the excess.

I'm not sure what you have to lose by experimenting (assuming it won't work as-is), but I agree that educated guesses (SWAG) are better at this point than random internet advice (WAG).

I just went through this exact BS with China doors. Passenger side was fine, easy 8/10 IMO. Driver's was so bad I yanked it and found some OE doors on marketplace and am working with those.

I am at the point where I think I'll just get the passenger side done since I think I have the skills to get it right and then I can mock up the fender and rad support. I have concerns about fitment of the rad support since I'm swapping my '88 to 73-80 front end. I am gonna wait for now on the driver door. Since it's a full convertible now, finding good donor doors is near impossible and NOS would be cool but hard to find and expensive. I do have two body men that I may have look at it. I just wonder how many hours I'll have in it and if it's worth the time if I do it, or if the money I'll have to pay the paint shop do it when I send it to paint jail is a better trade than getting another repop.

 

[tRustyK5]

You can use regular doors for a full convertible. If you have your OE doors you were replacing you can use them as a pattern, and scavenge the convertible specific door guts. Really not that hard...