I'm still considering doing a top chop and I noticed (probably for the first time) the passenger side door is out of alignment. I can't see an easy way to ajust it without major surgery. Any tips or tricks would be welcome but I and willing to leave it as is and just move on. The drivers door looks fine. Phil
I don't know anything about nothing...but... I would check the cowl mounts first... look like thats whats off
The quarter might need to come down or the cowl near the hinges needs to go up. What shape are the hinges in? You might also be able to pad out the lower hinge, but that would affect the top gap. Has the body been off? Is the frame true, very few are without work. Remove the body bolts on this side and use a small pry bar and lift the body in places and see what helps. Model A's use wood blocks and anti squeak welting on the top of the frame. If your frame is true and all the body mounts are new your body should be fairly set.
As mentioned a shim under the wood block under the A pillar is where most people would start. This is a very common model A issue and has been covered a bunch of times. Do a search for shiming a model A body and you should have some come up. No major surgery required
Thanks everyone, this gives me a place to start from. With Christmas almost here I probably won't get out to the shop till later in the week. Phil
one other thing to check before you dig in... stand at the back and sight the body line to make sure it doesn't go to a V at the door latch...but.... it usually at the cowl...
Had this on a model A. Rear right side body had been shimmed to high. Get underneath and see what blocks have been used
Ive got this same situation on my vicky, actually it's opposite, the rear section is lower, thats why I said that you need to site down the side of the body to make sure....when you site the body you will see if the front is parallel with the rear... just one is higher... or if the cowl is not level with the rear section...keep in mind this all goes together involving the hood... if the cowl is not level and plumb.... the hood gaps will be off.... I've seen where the frame has a sag... and not delt with when the body goes on , can't get the hood and door to line up.... so taking a good look and checking first... this also comes in to play when adding a 32 grille to a model a...just off a little , the eye will catch it even if you don't know what you're looking at... If you look at the bottom left of my door...... the body bottom is lower than the door bottom... the hood lines up fare, but the cowl could come down a 1/4... so what i'm saying, be sure to site the body line to make sure where the adjustment is needed or you will fight door and hood alignment problems...
For me the obvious sign was an inconsistent gap between the splash shields and the bottom of the body.
I still have the Model A I purchased in 1968 and have owned several since. I have been a part of several restorations over the years and have found most cars that I have worked on have frame issues. The biggest area of concern is the drivers side, just in front of the mid crossmember. There is a lot going on in this area including the weight of the driver, clutch and brake pedals, battery and battery box. Combine that with years and years of driving on poor roads in the '30s and '40s and that area of the frame really takes a beating. The last frame I worked on was 3/8" down in this area. We chained all four corners to a Car O liner frame machine and used a hydraulic jack to true the frame. Unless your frame is true, shimming the body can take a lot if work and excessive shimming will be noticed between the body and splash aprons. You don't build a house on a bad foundation! Remember, when the car was built on the assembly line, the body was dropped and bolted to the frame with zero shimming!
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