Well I'm working hard to try to get the body fab work done so I can start getting this thing into paint finally. The front doors of my sedan were skins only, so I had to fab up a rear door-jamb, and all the bracing to get them done. I made a new rear door-jamb with some 1/8" plate that I cut to fit the contour of the door. My bearclaw latches also will mount to this. Then I fabbed up the misc bracing needed to make it all rigid. I made the hortizonal bracing out of 2" wide c-channel(1/8" wall), and drilled it with holes to dress it up. Then I used some roll-bar corner gussets to make it all rigid. I originally planned on adding a narrower hortizonal brace in between the top & bottom ones, and somehow tying them together to make it all rigid. But I'm amazed how rigid it is as it sits. I don't want to overbuild it, so I'll give it some thought. I guess considering that it was nailed to wood supports originally its gotta already be better then it was. Though it still has some finish work to go, it opens, closes, & latches perfectly, with no flex at all. So once I finish it up, it should be real solid, and still light weight. Tomorrow I'll get the other door to the same point, and start the finish work on them too maybe. My original plan was to fab some bead-rolled door panels to fit between the upper & lower hortizonal bracing. I may skip that and leave the doors bare, but I'm not sure about that yet. Heres some pics as it sits though
Those doors look great! I think I'd have trouble covering that work up with inside skins---too neat. Do the centers of the doors try to oilcan? or stay pretty rigid.Keep up the good work---will look for more updates.
Thanks junkman, i appreciate. Actually, the doors just as they sit are amazingly rigid, no oil-canning or flexing at all. Like I said above, I originally planned to add a smaller, middle horizonal brace in between the upper and lower braces, and tie them together somehow. But now I'm not sure if it needs all that, I don't want to over-engineer it. I guess I'll get the other side to the same point and think it over. I may well leave the door panels off, and leave as-is. I kinda like the stripped-down bare-bones look
Great job keep it up. With all the time you will save not having to build door panels you can drill a bunch of holes in some metal for me to put in my doors.
man, that sedan yer buildin is very inspiring...i think that leavin the doors alone is a great idea////looks like a killer place fer some stripes or somekinda paint too me!!! breeder
Thanks a ton Muttley, and you talked me into it Today I almost finished the passenger side, and played with the side I almost finished yesterday. Its plenty sturdy. I tried to flex the door and get it out of alignment and couldn't. I mean, I didn't stand on the door edge, but I gave it WAY more abuse then it should ever see, and it did fine. So tomorrow I'll wrap up the other door and call it good. Thanks again for the kind words everybody, I appreciate!
Ha thats right you have the same doors don't you? Have you done(or had to do)anything to frame up your doors yet on the tub? The hardest part was making the template for the new rear door jamb, but I saved it, so if you need to do the same, I'll be glad to get it to you if it would help out
I have my original jambs, but thanks for the offer. My doors are almost done I think. The biggest problem I have had so far on my doors is that they are only 2" thick because that is how wide the top rail is. I will post pics when they are more done but that goes without saying.
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