North Yorkshire Sprint FHC Rebuild

Post by: **ldtjohn** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 7:03 pm

Ian Hope you don't mind me breaking in to your conversation. When you say "cut and shut" could you let me know what exactly you mean as my doors are a bit out of the body down at the bottom. By the way I have a friend up the road from me who has an s4 with the same problem and we hope to get together to try sort it out

any advice welcome as you have been there and done it!!!

John B

Post by: **collins_dan** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 7:34 pm

If you go back through the pictures on the post, you will see it. Basically, you cut the bottom of the door apart, remove a thin sliver, then put the door back on with tape protruding out, you push the bottom of the door in, until the fit is right, then tape it, take the door off and you know where to fiberglass it back together. Dan

Post by: **silverlink** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 10:38 pm

Dan's pretty well got it however when I made enquires on how to do it I was told the following. Make sure your doors close ok and seal, with a marker pen draw a line along the bottom of each door level with lower part of body & up the side towards the door locks/catches. Remove doors and measure from outside of door to where the line is, this then tells you how much needs taking out of bottom of door. You then cut this amount out of the middle of bottom of door and then re-glass over the cut.
Take a look at my photos from Mon March 3rd you can see the cuts in bottom of doors.
Ian

Post by: **robertverhey** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 10:44 pm

I'm assuming this needs to be done with the door rubbers in place, yes? My door shut lines were fine before I dismantled, but that was with no rubbers fitted. I guess my other question is, to what extent are the shut lines affected by the type or profile of rubbers in use? Is I possible to overdo it, only to have a later rubber replacement make the door line recessed?

Post by: **Bud English** » Sat Mar 22, 2014 12:30 am

Ian- Any idea what product they are using for "the gel resin sealer"? I keep hearing references to it's use here and there, but no specifics.

Post by: **silverlink** » Sat Mar 22, 2014 9:34 am

Hi Robert,
You need to fit the door rubbers it fact you need everything put back together as if it was as original. Once doors are fitted and close as they should you then mark up underneath the doors so that when you remove them you have a line which will show how far out the doors are. You then have to remove this amount from middle of door bottom. I would think a jigsaw would be best for this. You then need to bring the two sides back together and re-glass.
Incidentally I found out many years ago when I was struggling to get door rubbers that would fit that my original ones were the same as the BMC Austin/Morris 1100. I eventually found a dealer in Scotland that had some and would you believe they were the same!!!
Hi Bud,
To be honest I've never heard of the Gel Resin Sealer before its just what Mick at SMS has told me he has used, you could email them and ask I'm sure they'll be able to tell you. Paul who does the spraying is a registered adviser with Club Lotus.
Thanks
Ian

Post by: **jimj** » Sat Mar 22, 2014 9:56 am

Yes I did just that without removing the doors, just the locks and window frames. Measured twice and cut once, I glassed the outer and inner skins back together and filled the, somewhat jagged gap. Chipsaway just repainted the rear and bottom edges of the doors and I`m well pleased. I left the car at a pal`s in Portugal in December and, for various reasons, can`t collect the car until May. Knowing I am missing the car he sent this pic. yesterday which shows the rather good (I think) door fit.
Jim

Post by: **jimj** » Sat Mar 22, 2014 10:07 am

One of the "various reasons" I can`t collect the car until May is that we`re doing this; http://www.classiccarjourneys.co.uk/201 ... itinerary/
We went with this company to India in 2008 driving Hindustan Ambassadors, essentially 1950s Morris Oxford, and it was just the best holiday ever. It`s not cheap, we`ve been saving up, but probably cheaper than getting an extra 20bhp from a twincam at 7500rpm, which, in a road car, wouldn`t make it more fun anyway, in my opinion.
I get great pleasure re-living motoring events by writing up a tongue in cheek report which I`ll probably blight elan.net with, by posting it in a few weeks time.
Jim