Blocking Tapered Panels

Leonard1

Leonard1

Professional Amateur
How do you guys block "tapered" doors? I think you can see the area I'm talking about in the attached pic:
DSC00017.jpg

I've been using a couple of paint sticks vertically on the taper part of the panel to sand this area. It's supposed to be a gradual taper to the fender gap, but how do I make sure it's right?
 
Well I have a piece of Koa wood that at one time wanted to be a drum stave after being taken from the old pump organ made in 1932 that had played out it's life in a funeral home in Oregon City.
I'd cut the end panels into pieces 22"x 5/16" x 1 1/4" at the middle ripped on some odd degree of bevel to about 15/16" on one end and 7/16"on the other end and man that thing has some taper to it and that's what I like to use for cuts like that:p
On a spot like the edge of your door I use real tall "X" and then blend the body to that... but I'm a Nooovice. (But I do use that stick!)
 
nice chunk of leather to back sand paper by hand, blend into blocked area... and and some beers...
 
Thanks for the advice. I've been trying to block the primer until the unsanded part is a pretty consistant width. I've got a small durablock that I may try to use to blend the tapered portion into the flat. It has a little flexability.
 
Thanks for the advice. I have a round durablock as well. I've been using it in the area above where the lower molding would go in the pic above. I have a rubber half circle block as well, about 18" long, that might work, but I think it's too flimsy for this.
 
With any panel you want to block the major areas straight first then block and blend in the the smaller contours that follow them. It will save you time and provide better results. My first cuts with a long board are always almost straight line with the length of the panel to see what I have-if it checks good switch to a wide X pattern. This also goes for the complete length of the car if you're sanding a side complete on a job that needs to be flowing perfection from end to end.
 
I would love to know how to metal work panels like that flat so there is no turn in at the jambs or edges :(
 
Senile Old Fart;22964 said:
I would love to know how to metal work panels like that flat so there is no turn in at the jambs or edges :(
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You and me both! I have heard that the taper can be removed, but it requires some work on the fender. Bob, thanks for the block sanding advice. I've pretty much been doing it that way, but it's nice to know that it is the correct way.
 
When I go to a show or just see a nice classic or custom jobs that tapered edge can kill the nicest paint job. Almost always on the cars with long flat sides.
 
To me, the "taper" around the edges of doors and fenders is kind of sign of steel and how the door was made at the factory. So I think it's OK for like a numbers matching type restoration. If it's perfectly flat, it's almost a sign of lots of filler or a fiberglass car. I'm ok with that though, I tried to do ths on my hot rod and make the panels transistion from one to another as seamless as possible, but 's a glass car so there was no metal to rework.

Removing those tapers in metal on a full on custom is lot of work but does give it that flow that's jaw dropping, especially in dark reflective colors.
 
Not to mention that "taper" can also be cause by heavy rust between the skin and door shell.
 
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