Just a quick question. I have to fit two new doors for my 69 traveller as the original ones are a bit past it. I havn't ordered them yet so I have no idea what they look like when the arrive, but I was wondering basically how to fit them correctly to the car ?
I have the original doors still obviously to use as templates for holes etc, but do the doors come pre drilled or do I have to drill new holes for the hinges etc and if so what is the best way to do this to ensure I don't mess it up ?
Also, how do you get the original door mechanism off the old door and onto the new one ??
I havn't come to this stage yet as I'am still getting the varnish off the wood and sanding it down prior to dutch oiling it all and then fitting new window channels all round, but the doors are on the list.
Ive not done this yet, and havent done this before, however I but am planning to mine and have read up on a few articles. Dont know if any of these thoughts will be of use...?
I bought a 2nd hand pair of doors for £50, they come up on ebay fairly rgulary but youd need to be sure they are solid / rot free. Im in the process of stripping the varnish and swapping the aluminium panels from my existing doors. The good thing about this is that the glass stays in and this provides good rigidity (door joints less likely to move sideways if you see what I mean). Im using Nitromors varnish remover and a scraper to get the main part of the old varnish off then a cabinet scaper to get a good finish. I will then give them 4 / 5 coats of clear Cuprinol preservative and then the 2 pack Burgess sealer and varnish (I got this from ESM). I will then redrill new pilot holes for the screws (Ash is pretty hard timber) then screw the aly panels on with some Dum Dum to seal the joint.
Regarding the refit, I will remove all rubber seals from the opening on the car rub down / cuprinol / varnish as per doors, then to the fitting.
Ive read that standing them in place with shims to get the best gaps is the start. You'll need to have a load of shims and keep experimenting till youre happy with "as even" gaps all round so they look as square and even as possible. I anticipate that I will need to plug the existing boltholes for the hinges, but will wait just in case the old ones just happen to line up (some hope!), I will turn some Ash dowels and Cascamite (glue) them in place if necessary. I would offer up the hinges and mark where the holes are required - drill and bolt them up loosely to enable a bit of "hinge jiggling" required to ensure they open / close smoothly.
I'll reuse my existing lock assembly from my existing doors and was planning to disassemble carefully (noting what goes where - take a few piccies on the digital camera to assist) and refit the same way. You'll need to take care with this as I dont think you can buy replacement locking assembly. Ive bought new door rubbers to glue in place to complete the job.
Anyhow - that s what Ive been thinking in regard doing my doors - time will tell how well it'll go - good luck with yours - and be sure to post some updates as to how it goes!.
