i started fabbing up the jambs for the telstar this past weekend,, building the bottom and rear vertical jamb was a breeze, but i'm trying to figure out the best way to build the front vertical section (where the door hinges will go)....i'm thinking of fabbing up something in the style of a 53-56 f-100, but not necessarily that heavy,,i don't think i need something that heavy because the doors will be basically "half doors" and won't weigh a hell of a lot,,,but something similar with a pocket in the jamb for the hinge to go into,,,my other thought was to modify the stock jamb and just move the stock hinges closer together..... i'd appreciate any advice/guidance from anyone that has done this type of thing before,,,,, i can kinda picture what i want, but i'm finding it very difficult to convey it in words.. here's a picture of what i've gotten done before (sorry for the total **** picture,,,i forgot my camera and took a photo of a photo from my cell phone,,lol) here's a picture of the whole car so you can see what i mean by "half door"...
Hey Jim, What ever design you come up with for your A Post jam, make sure it's well tied to the cowl. I'd probably even go as far as to tie both of the A Posts together via a cross bar running behind the dash panel. This would prevent the all too dreaded "Cowl-Shake" so common on drop tops. It would really **** to have the Telstar shake like a big girls **** when driven over a pot hole or RR tracks. A strong cowl/A Post design will also insure that the doors stay in alignment. That the hinges must swing in the same axis is a no brainer, and be ninety degrees from the rocker plane so the door shell will clear the opening can be worked without too much headache. I'd pick your hinges and latch and design your A Post & door shell around them. Some small box tubing tacked together, made from your measurements and drawings ,will work out whether your design will work. Once you've proven the math will work, you can scale up the material or go with sheet metal box construction. I like the round tube and top hat method, as used by many sports cars from the fifties, as it's light and easy to work and change design direction as necessary. Probably none of the above comes as an eye opener, or is much help, but maybe something to think about? " That which can be ***erted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence ''
What do you think about using parts from an existing car and just taking sections out to make it fit your opening?? Seems like (at least in my minds eye) it would work easily and you could still get the seals for that car that would work.
x2 If you do this the engineering is allready done, all you have to do is match the fender contour and brace it well and maybe conectt both jambs together like another poster sugested.
that's basically what i had in mind when i was talking about using the shoebox jamb.... might work, just trying to get a feel for how others may have done this job
I made some for my '34, but I basically just copied what was originally wood. Mine are simple compared to what you have to deal with, but maybe some help? I don't have pics right now (phone) but I think there are some in my build thread ( link at the bottom.) Good luck! I really like your project.
yeah i was gunna say i made mine all integral on the steel out of my 26. but its a bit easier when its straight RHS. i even went so lazy as to half recess the A model hinges and just straight up welded them in. they're only repo hinges anyway but yeah def no help in this situation i guess.
What I can tell you is what is in the cars that are being built presently. I know and see everyday how the inner structures of cars are welded together and the sub ***embly's and parts that make up the whole car are pieced together to make them strong. Like suggested, whatever you do, reinforce and tie that into not only the cowl, but I would suggest do a few weld throughs to the front pillar outer behind the fender and the door opening, and even into the rocker if you can get to it. You could use something like c channel or cut open box channel to accomplish the reinforcment, and then add your attachment points to that to hold the hinges so you can adjust them properly. Its not as hard as it seems, but it does require some thought. If want pm me and I will try to explain more.
A good way to make up door jams if it's a one off project is to make up some 90 Deg. pieces the lenght you want and then use a shrinker and stretcher to get the shapes you want. Then weld the edges together to make up the steps in the jam. Sometimes I'll use 3 or 4 90's to make up the shape for the inside of the door. Takes time but it works. The Old Tinbasher
I did long L channels and used the shrinker/stretcher to get the shape I wanted and welded it over some square tube. Worked pretty well. Don't forget the weatherstrip!
I think using parts from another car would be the easiest way. The F100 hings are nice as well as the late 50`s GM cars. Much the same as the F100.Trying to get the geometry right on the swing would be the biggest problem. Me I would also use part of the door that housed the hinges.This will make the mounting of the hings easier.I would build it so I had the front part of the door frame swing then build a door frame from that.
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