Lining up Guards

[fweddy]

I've been working on fitting my doors, bonnet, apron and guards ('wings' for some of you chaps - but its dain't fly ). The doors and guards are replacements.

I have the doors fitting ok (with some time and effort ) the guards fit pretty much ok and line up with the bonnet not bad but...

The only real problem is that it seems the guards have a tighter curve at the top rear then the doors do - so the doors stick out wider than the guards at the top. The ideal would be to shift the top hinge of the door in further but that is not an option when it comes to door fit .

What are my options here? anyone had this problem? It is worse on the driver's side than the passenger's. (we are talking a few mm on one side and up to ½cm on the other.)

[Willie]

Do you mean that it is not an option to move the door hinge
inwards because it has reached the limit or because it would
mess up the other fits? If it is because the window frame is
stopping it from going in further then the frame can be
'pursuaded' outwards a bit which might help. The only other
suggestion is to remove the rubber door seal and then see
if you can adjust to your satisfaction. If yes, then the flange
on to which the door seal fits can be 'bent' so that there is
the proper clearance all around the door.

[fweddy]

Thanks Willie - It doesn't seem to be an option for the fit of the door because it throws out the bottom rear of the door (flicks it out) and also upsets the front top of the door.

The window frame is not such a problem - well minimal, The rubber door seal is also not the problem (as there is no seal there) The vehicle has been totally stripped and I have the panels partly painted and am fitting them up for doing the finishing coat all mounted.

[rayofleamington]

any change to pack the top of the wing?

[Willie]

I am afraid it sounds as though one or other of your
doors or wings are not to correct pattern? You should
be able to tell by lining up the side stripe mouldings.
If the mouldings are correctly aligned and the bottom of
the wings are at the correct horizontal height, then the
two curves which are giving you problems should obviously
also be level horizontally too. The other possibility is if
your body has had extensive welding done around the
inner front wings and sill areas. I know from bitter experience
that it is easy to get the new sections in slightly awry! This
usually isn't apparent until you try to refit the doors, which
is why they should be left in situ for as long as possible!

[brixtonmorris]

youve got a poor patient wing. find a better fitting wing, that lines up with the original shaped door. there is a few of those cheap wings about. there no good and cant be corrected. there are also poor rear wings that dont fit below the bumper line. they can be corrected with a welder and a pair of tin snips.

[fweddy]

Ray Your line of thought is excactly where I'm heading myself. The only problem here is that it is going to make the line up with the bonnet wrong. Currently the gap with the bonnet is slightly wider at the rear and getting narrower as it nears the front. packing the back of the guard (wing) will worsen this unless the front was done too - which will in turn make the fit of the front apron wrong. :S

Willie Side stripe moldings?? We are talking a pickup here so there is no side stripe on the bonnet, but the door is lining up at the rear for the 'hip' line - the curve is smooth for the round of the 'bulge' which is half on the guard and half on the door. The A post has had welding done but this in monir and should not effect the guard but may do the door a tad maybe. On the drivers side the whole area in the middle of the A pillar and the firewall (bulkhead) has been worked (pre ownership accident I think) But that doesn't explain the other side.

Brixton I don't think I have a copy wing. These are from a vehicle and being here in New Zealand - the chance of having a copy is very slim expecially as it has already been used!

I'm going to get a panel beater to put his eye over it. Any see what else we find. Keep ideas coming tho.

[brixtonmorris]

these wing were made about ten years ago. they were made internationaly and distributed world wide. why would you car be out of shape. the top bolt hole in the corner and the door pillar are fixed datums which are difficult to get wrong. what are you going to do cut the car to make a wing fit. get a nother wing and stop wasting you time. sorry 25 years of rebulding and exporting minors. good luck. trust the car not the fake wings
being in nz and being used before have nothing to do with it and has your door skin or bolt holes suddernly lost there shape. regards

[brixtonmorris]

ps ive seen it many times, if you pack it you get a gap along the join with inner wing. "half inch packing". if you fill it you will end up with a huge pack of filler, loosing th thin edge of metal. if you use a half inch washer youll get wheel spray passing up through the gar. its so easy to get a new wing that fits.

[Dizzi141]

Whats the guards?

[edd]

Whats the guards?

('wings' for some of you chaps - but its dain't fly ).

I asume anway as ive never heard them called this before.

Edd

[Kevin]

Wings are often refferred to as guards overseas the same as bumpers are often called fenders ( which over here is a guitar ) and the bonnet is often called the hood ( part of a duffle coat over here )
There are probably loads of others.

[Cam]

Yes, there is a conversion list in the Haynes manual I think (from memory..... so maybe not!)

[rayofleamington]

Re packing the wing away from the body at the rear - yes it will cause the gap to the bonnet to be uneven. That's not great but it is less obviuos than it is on some cars, as there is normally a large gap to start with. The bonnet gap at the front of the wing can be altered by setting the inner wings a bit further in/out where they bolt to the radiator support panel (whatever people want to call it.... )
Some of the gap acan be taken up by 'adjusting' the mating flange, so the main packing can be done just on the rear edge by the doorpost. I've seen a lot of wings where the wing was too shallow in this area, so if you do go for a replacement, it's not a guarantee it will be better (unless you know a source of good ones).
It is also common to see the bottom rear corner of the door sticking out where the door hinges were lined up with the wing.

anyway, you know the options

[brixtonmorris]

ray those wings have made me so angry, particularly if one paints the wing in anticipation of the car arriving. the front wings have to little metal on the curve top rear, sometimes they stick out past the front valance by a mile, and those rear have a bad shape by the bumper iron.. i cant belive that our friend in new zealand fweedy,s car rotted away or so badly repaired up in that top corner.that area always seems a good datum over all these years. only a side impact looses that position. i am sure he will be ok with another wing.

[fweddy]

Wings are often refferred to as guards overseas

You are on to it Kevin! But we don't do fenders, hoods, trunks etc - no! we are much too British for that. I guess we Kiwis just didn't think those Brit cars could fly - and really they guard from mud etc - don't they?

these wing were made about ten years ago. they were made internationaly and distributed world wide

Its a possibility then brixton - but I personally still count the chances as being slim knowing some of the kiwi post production history and other kiwi traits.

i cant belive that our friend in new zealand fweedy,s car rotted away or so badly repaired up in that top corner.

why would you car be out of shape.

You are right Brixton - there is no rot here - infact I've been surprised at the rot some Brit ones have. Type of projects we here might consider parts machines. But with mine I suspect there has been an impact in this area - When I got the vehicle the drivers door had been repaired and the A post was slightly damaged also the firewall (bulkhead) had a slight detectable blemish. The top bolt hole area was not vertical but bent under. I think it may have been repaired at some stage - fairly well too but it is showing up now with this fitting.


Last night I did a trial fit with it packed out a bit - fits perfect everywhere except that bonnet gap now. I've yet to see excatly how much I can now get from the grille assembly at the front. If I pull out the bonnet at the rear I can make it fit ok but it won't stay of course - and it pulls the other side across too. What is the likelyhood of extending the bonnet crossmember to push it out to fit ok - Of course I'd rather not touch the bonnet as its not its fault but it appears to be the way of having a nice finish since everything else is fitting ok.

That only leaves the gap between the inner and outer guard like you say Brixton. Its not too big tho. I need to consider the top rear - I don't want muck getting in that gap and piling up around the A pillar. Also the top, but I think the Body Sealant which normally is in the top gap should be sufficent for the bit extra. Fortunatly we are only talking of 5mm packing not half inch which is helping.

[Kevin]

I guess we Kiwis just didn't think those Brit cars could fly - and really they guard from mud etc - don't they?

Good reply Fweddy but over here they dont guard from mud they just collect it.

[fweddy]

over here they dont guard from mud they just collect it.

hmm - yeah ours do too but imagine where that collection would be if there were no guards!!!

[brixtonmorris]

scott increasing the bonet /hood bar will only tip the hood side lip up. it wont increase the width of the hood.