So I have this 56 Ford Sedan Delivery that I am trying to finish the body work on. It is like 95% done except for a couple of points. Biggest hang up in the rear door gl*** does not fit the rear door pinch weld that holds the rubber gasket. On the bottom in the center there is about 1/4 gap. When I pulled the gl*** the rubber gasket had split because of the gap. Have not been able to find anyone who will tackle this small of a job. Everyone want to do full restos. I made a template to match the gl*** and when laid on the door you can see the gap. See enclosed pics. Any idea how to go about closing that gap? Thanks
If the door is the correct shape and its just the the pinch weld is pushed in a little I'd be trying to work the pinch weld probably with an adjustable wrench to lever it back into position. Or maybe a wide flat mouthed welding clamp. Hammer and dolly too perhaps, but I'd guess the main movement would come from the wrench. Work slowly and progressively. Chris
The pinch weld is not bent or anything, Just looks like it is in the wrong alignment. This car has had a ton of odd things that do not add up. Must have been a friday car. The inside of the door has at some time been cut out and rewelded back in. Do not know if that caused the shift or not. I am thinking the inside of the door needs to be cut and the pinch weld pushed out to match the gl*** but have no idea how to do that.
Is the door itself the wrong shape? You’d be amazed some of the factory procedures for getting door gaps right in the 50s/60s, if you saw them you’d think Bubba was at it.
The only reason to cut out then re-install the inner structure of the door is to fix crash damage or to do rust repair. To fix this mess you either need to find someone who really knows their stuff or find a replacement door. Best of luck with your project.
I think I would try m***aging the flange outward a bit with a hammer and dolly. Hard to tell, but it appears the flange needs to move outward? Here's a crude idea of what I'm thinking:
If the dolly and hammer don’t do it . Slice the inner panel , hammer and dolly into correct shape reweld and work the panel . My 2 cents , some thing to think about when a panel is dented , as denting a pop can it goes in , in the dent and out around the dent , some of the channel needs to go out and some needs to be moved into alignment to be correct .
How about getting a wagon window frame and cutting the bent opening out and welding that one in? Should be the same gl***...
Thanks for the reply's. I am guessing something happened to the door at some point. May not even be the correct door. I say that because the 55/56 license plate holder is not from a 55/56. Mounting holes do not match up. May have been from a earlier car. Anyway have laid the gl*** on it and it matches up the same as the template I made. Lies against the pinch weld all the way around except for the gap on the bottom. I am leaning toward the slice the inner, m***age the pinch weld to correct shape then fill in the gap on the inside. Just do not know if capable as my welding is not all that great. If I slice on the inside how far from the pinch weld would you slice it? To close and then the reweld would interfere with the rubber gasket. Too far then be hard to m***age the pinch weld out.
If you cut it as you say I'd suggest the when you've finished m***aging it to shape you then cut some more such that a patch can be inserted, say minimum width 1/2", fettled so there are zero gaps (see below too though). It shouldn't be too hard to find someone who can use a tig welder and they should have it zipped up in short order. The small weld won't interfere with the seal or will require only minimal sanding. The welding will take minutes if the prep and perfect patch has been done beforehand. Patches much less than about 1/2" wide can be quite tricky to weld especially if trying to minimise the heat input. I suppose it depends on the width of the cut after m***aging, its at least the width of a cutoff wheel, or .8mm cutting disc, preferably. I've filled gaps using tig rods either hammered flatter, or sanded down, to fit. I expect that if you just did the cut / m***age and then just mig the gap the heat could distort everything putting you further back from where you are now. Chris
Metal has to match the gl***. So as suggested by others, you need to cut the inner panel and get the pinch weld to be in proper location. Then do whatever needed to put the inner back together.
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