47-59 door alignment to front panel

[FAKKY]

So dealing with this. I have tried every which way to loosten the door pilelr hinges and get better alignment - but dont think its making any difference.

I *think* since its aligned better at the bottom (talking about panel sticking out depth wide not necessarily teh distance between panels) - I need to shim the rear most top corner of the front panel.

This make sense ? To push the top of the front panel out more to align better with the door.

Any other thoughts ?

Do I need to take off the entire panel to shim - or can just squeeze shims in there after losstening a few of the bolts at rear?

[FAKKY]

pic

[mr48chev]

I may be wrong but on the TF trucks I'd have to believe that you get the door gap perfect the back and then fit the cowl panel and fender to the door.

[mrbuck]

Mr48 is correct. Fit your door to the cab on the latch side first then adjust the fender to match the door. You should have some play in the top fender mount bolt, for in-out adjustments

[FAKKY]

thanks - that seemed to be the ticket.

[mr48chev]

Worse case to get it perfect you might have to add some material to the back end of the cowl cover or the back end of the fender. That's pretty common in the high end shops to achieve perfecton.

[dsraven]

there is a youtube on the task force cab to front clip alignment. maybe google that, it is by old man fixing stuff, or check this link.
https://m.roadkillcustoms.com/1955-5...nel-alignment/
basically, get the doors to fit the cab on the top, bottom and rear of the door openings. then install the front clip and shim the rad support and front cab mounts to get things in the same plane and parallel to the frame, then adjust the cab in a rotational way (in relation the frame, pivotting on the driver's side front mounting bolt) so the gap between the hood and the cowl is correct. remember, these were work trucks when built so body gaps were not high on the priority list when going down the assembly line. also, a door from one truck, even if it fit like a glove, may not fit another truck even if it was the next truck on the assembly line. I have a couple of sets of doors and fenders and none fit the same. the one set of fenders is visibly different at the door gap area.

[dsraven]

also, lots of guys weld tig rod to the back edge of the fender to get the gaps right. thething with a tight gap is that if there happens to be a flex issue and somebody opens the door during this, you will lose paint.
I recommend to get the cab mounts in good shape or replaced. get the rad support mounts in good shape or replaced, then work on the fitment. otherwise the fitment is gonna change all the time and you will be chasing the gaps till your head hurts.
the cab sits on rubber at the raer and sits solidly on the frame at the front, with shims as required. the rad support sits on rubber with shims as required. the cab is adjustable for height at the front and slightly for rotation using the driver's side forward cab mount bolt as the pivot point. get the cab solidly boltyed down, fit the doors to the cab, then install the front clip and fit the fenders to the cab, using shims under the rad support mounts and or forward cab mounts to get things lined up parallel to the frame, then rotate the cab as requirted to get the hood gap correct.
yup, sounds easy. it's more trouble than you would think though, especially if the parts are mismatched over the years or are aftermarket. there are lots of guys who have sliced panels to get gaps to fit, or welded on tig wire to and edge to tighten a gap, or ground off and edge and then welded that closed when the gap is too tight. some panels, like fenders may not have the same contour as the door, or vice versa.

[NWA58]

Not to pick on anyone, but I ran across this beautiful newly painted truck a couple of years ago and as I got closer I began to notice gap issues. It was raining and I could see both rubber and daylight through the closed door, so it would have to be prone getting wet and wind noise. It really looked like someone had painted new or mismatched sheet metal and then ran into issues when assembling.

The doors and forward pieces are tough to get right on these and taking time to pre-fit everything is critical before spending $ on paint. Lots of modifications were needed on mine to get it right, including the door edges, fender edges, cowl and rocker. This red truck shows all of the trouble spots.

[_Ogre]

these trucks shipped from the factory with big door gaps. the cabs are not very rigid either, if you plan on driving it, leave them a bit loose or risk chipped paint.

[dsraven]

yeah, if you look at how the mounts for the sheet metal are engineered you would leave the gaps a bit loose. it is like a seesaw. the rear of the cab sits on rubber, the middle is sitting directly on the frame with shims, the rad support sits on rubber. so, the front cab mounts are the pivot point for the seesaw. it is always a good idea to ensure the rubbers are new or in good shape and also the sheet metal that supports the mounts is in good shape. I have seen a lot of rebuilds where the owner doesn't really know what to do with a certain area of rust so it gets overlooked in favor of chrome, tires, stereo or other stuff that can be bought and bolted on. it's always best to get the foundation right and skimp on accy until you can afford them. it's not like you can just drive around with a rotted out cab mount, you can without a stereo though.