I'm having an issue with my doors sagging. The car is super solid so I never thought rust would be the issue. The floors, front cross member and so on are all rock solid. I started looking and realized that behind the kick panels at the bottom of the A pillar is rusted allowing it to flex and sag. Has anyone else had this issue? I looked and can not find a pre made patch panel. If anyone has thoughts let me know. If anyone has a parts car and they are willing to cut some pieces out let me know.
You car's grill is awsome! Man, maybe you should strip everything in that area to try and access the problem as a whole. My doors didnt sagg and when I got at redoing the interior I found some nasty stuff. Dis***emble, clean and evaluate. Then go from there. In order to weld something in you'll have to get to healthy metal and likely that will demand for a larger piece(s) to be cut out. You can always fab your own patches. It is not that hard. Good luck and keep us updated
If anyone has donor pieces, try Owens Salvage in Texas. Good people to deal with. Take a picture of what you need, bring it into Paint and circle what you need and email it to them. owenssalvage@arn.net
Welcome from Mustang, OK. I am also building a 55 Customline. I also have a sagging door issue, but I am hoping mine is due to worn pins. Crossing my fingers.
that area is not just 2 pieces it is a major structural area where several pieces are attached.and boxed.by removing the fender you will be able to see what I mean the cowl the rocker the floor pan etc converge in that area.you will need to remove the fender to attempt repair so not a waste of time.good luck but bear in mind it will not be easy if done properly plan and brace to keep from making things worse when cutting away problem area.
I figured it would be a pain. I'm doing a suspension swap right now. when that is done I'll pull the fender, shim and brace the door and see where I'm at. Might as well do it now while I'm doing the suspension and brakes, fuel system, cooling system, and interior. I don't know how I drove my projects as daily drivers when I was younger. Glad I don't need this one to get to work. I've been hoping to find someone with a 55 or 56 parts car local. hopefully I can sell off some if the extras to compensate for the expenses. I will have a lot of left overs.
I have a good set if hinges if it's just pins on yours. I can see the A pillar flex on mine. I picked up a set just in case.
Mine lines up fine on the body line, but the last 2 inches is sort of drags on the rocker. I can feel a little play, but it's not enough to see. That's why I am hoping a set of bushings will make it right. I just did the disc brake conversion and Aerostar spring swap on mine.
Mine you have to lift up on the handle to close them. The last few inches drag on the rockers. I have new scuff plates but don't want to install them until this is fixed. I can see the metal flex where the hinge is mounted. I took the kick panels out and found rot at the base where they meet the floor. By the way what did you use for a booster and master on your brake swap. I'm doing aerostar coils and Lincoln Versailles spindles.
Look around for parts on eBay, sometimes the sellers have a whole donor car sitting that they pick parts from.
Well... I figured it out. The hinges at the a pillar were flexing because there were bolts missing. Inside the pocket that the hinges go into there is a bolt in the back. I guess the prior owner didn't put them back and I didn't know they were hidden in there. I took the doors off the parts car and had a moment of clarity. Sure am glad I'm not going to have to do major surgery.
The Jalopy Journal
