Applying Tinbender's wisdom (pics!)...

Here's what I did this weekend, putting the doors on the '38, aligning all the gaps, trying to get the body straight, so I can weld in the reinforcements before I cut the floors out to replace!

Before:
Notice the gap at the top of the rear door's bigger...


And the front of that door is higher than the front door...not good.


The gap between the front and rear is HUGE, and again, the front is a little lower than the back. Something that not even these captivating graphics can hide!

After...
p***enger side, smooovvvv gaps, alla way 'round...

I get by with a little help from my hydraulic friends!
How many hydraulic aids are holding this thing in alignment?

Fooled ya! The Porta-power's on the inside, pushing the back quarters up!


Next weekend, hopefully, better alignment on the driver's side, then weld a bunch of triangulated things in place!!!
Steve

 

I would suggest a shim under the front body mount..

 

Looks good Steve. Keep us posted on the rest of the job. One more tip,I don't know if I mentioned it before, but I align the doors with the strikers removed. That way the latches don't fool you into thinking the fit is right when it's not.

 

Guessing...the shim under the front body mount would push up the cowl, so line up the front door with the rear, true?

Sneaky strikeplates, faking me off! Gotcha, I'll pull'em this weekend.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[ QUOTE ]
Guessing...the shim under the front body mount would push up the cowl, so line up the front door with the rear, true?

Sneaky strikeplates, faking me off! Gotcha, I'll pull'em this weekend.

Thanks,
Steve

[/ QUOTE ]

Yea,
I was thinking shim up the rear of the trunk before reading that post, which would achieve the same thing.
Could also put a kink in the roof too, if gone too far.

 

I see what you're saying...shimming at the rear (or something akin to that, as I've cut the trunk floor out already, which may be contributing), would raise up the entire rear, reducing the gap at the top of the rear door.

So, it's looking to you guys like the car is sagging at the front and back? How appropos...like a frown.

I may try making this a running dialogue, if anybody wants...I think it might be good information to tweak the body and see what happens to the gaps...

Thanks,
Steve

 

Doesn't matter how you get your fit, as long as you get it and keep it during the floor / rocker work. I've never found shims to be very effective on a closed car of "later" vintage. I generally do them off the frame anyway. Last full floor and rockers I did was a 36 ford cabrolet. I jacked the body around, got my fit, built my braces, pulled the body, did all the floor & rockers, droped it back on the frame, fit nice.

 

This is Soooo much more fun than aligning kitchen cabinets, isn't it!

 

You gotta love a place where a '38 is 'later vintage'!!!

I'll probably keep it on the frame, as I bolted it down at the cowl and the rear seatback. Cowl's solid enough to trust till next step, and I've already done the rear seat area...they're good reference points, and that'll let me make sure I'm putting the braces in the right places for frame mount, seatbelt mounts, etc.

I hear ya...I like woodworking too, but, man, I spent about three hours planing and cutting notches in some drawers I built a few weeks back for the TV armoire...much as I liked how they turned out, it's not near as 'tingly' as results on the sled!