Lots of talk about gaps on many forums on the ole interweb but I don't see much about getting panels flush with one another. Is there a good or preferred way to get panels to lay flush. in this example I'm trying to understand and develop an approach to getting this fender and door to cooperate with one another. every other panel and gap is manageable but this one is boggling my mind. Can anyone offer any good advice? I though about slicing the inner structure of the fender and pushing it in a bit then welding it back up but thats about all i can think of. Surely there is an easier way? hopefully the picture will help explain.
how to get panels flush?
- Thread starter Woodneers
- Start date
MJM
Promoted Users
Looks to me like you need to massage the door and fender with hammer and dolly, or 2x4, to get it close to being flush. Once that's done, skim coat body filler over both the door and fender at least 6" on each panel. This will yield 12" to blend in. While the filler is still in a plyible state and not completely hard, using a razor blade, cut along the edge of the door and fender gap.
MJM
Promoted Users
That's what it looks like to me.
I goofed around a bit and got it better than it was. Seems like you move one thing and it moves everything else out of whack! Aftermarket doors and stock rebuilt fenders on this one. I was able to use a long staight edge to tell me what was in and what was out on panels. Ive got to pull the door to get to to one spot behind the hinge. What is an acceptable thickness of filler on the doors edge? I fear it will chip. We are talking less than a 16th at his point. ill get a few more photos!
Chris_Hamilton
Trying to be the best me, I can be
Before you do anything look and examine carefully. IMO I would look at the door first. Run your hand up and down at the edge where the door is low to the fender. See what you can feel. Looks to me like the door is low in that area not the fender high. Especially seeing how the fender fits the rest of the door. Or it could be a combination of both. But it would be more common for the door to be low than the fender high.
A few photos as promised. These are various spots along the door to fender gap. I think I got it fairly close but id like opinions from the crew before I move forward much more. All will get another coat of epoxy then onto 2k.
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MJM
Promoted Users
Your additional pictures reveal more going on than just the door to fender being flush. I notice the cowl to door body line does not line up. Also the bottom of the door body line does not line up with the bottom of the fender body line.
The first thing I would do is realign the door. Here a video of the procedure of aligning a door. You can skip to 2:10 in the video to see how hinges rotate, size to side, in and out.
You have three areas to align, door, cowel and fender. I would align the door to cowel first, then fender to door. Your door alignment will use two set points, the A-pillar and the rocker panel. You should have a parallel reveal between the rocker panel and the bottom of the door, and an even reveal from the door to the A-pillar. In your photo that's not happening. Once the rocker to A-pillR is set, align the cowel, then the fender.
Here's the door hinges alignment video
The first thing I would do is realign the door. Here a video of the procedure of aligning a door. You can skip to 2:10 in the video to see how hinges rotate, size to side, in and out.
You have three areas to align, door, cowel and fender. I would align the door to cowel first, then fender to door. Your door alignment will use two set points, the A-pillar and the rocker panel. You should have a parallel reveal between the rocker panel and the bottom of the door, and an even reveal from the door to the A-pillar. In your photo that's not happening. Once the rocker to A-pillR is set, align the cowel, then the fender.
Here's the door hinges alignment video
Chris_Hamilton
Trying to be the best me, I can be
Another thing to remember about those generation GM trucks is that the doors have a radius of sort on their front edge. You need to get that radius correct before anything else. And when you do it'd not going to be flush like in the pic above.
Looking further at the 4th pic it looks pretty clear to me that the door is off, not the fender. Fender looks OK in that 4th pic. If the fender was high off, it (fender) would be in at the top and the bottom of it relative to the door. It's not so again that points to the door as your issue.
Looking further at the 4th pic it looks pretty clear to me that the door is off, not the fender. Fender looks OK in that 4th pic. If the fender was high off, it (fender) would be in at the top and the bottom of it relative to the door. It's not so again that points to the door as your issue.
Those have to be the most ill fitting vehicles GM ever built (at least top five). Some serious metal massaging will be required if you want it to fit like MP&C"s tri five above (which is awesome). The door window frame didn't fit the cab opening worth a flip, I've seen body lines off 1/4", door gap between rocker and door big enough to stick a finger in on one side and almost touching on the other, and the cowl panel never fit anything. This is on original, untouched trucks, of which I've had a few, and worked on dozens more.
Leonard1
Professional Amateur
Every one of those doors I've worked on has tapered in from the factory. I think it was to keep the door from getting into the fender when it was opened. As Texasking said they weren't great even when new. Check out my post from nearly a decade ago...
Blocking Tapered Panels
Blocking Tapered Panels