Project "Therapy Sessions" 1972 Maverick

Discussion in 'Maverick/Comet Projects' started by car-nut, Jul 25, 2010.

  1. mashori

    mashori Member

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    that's surgical man!
     
  2. car-nut

    car-nut Glenn

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    Thanks! Never heard that one before, I like it :thumbs2:
     
  3. Dave B

    Dave B I like Mavericks!

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    I feel guilty if I get into the garage during the day on a weekday...(y) Looks like the fit is good.
     
  4. mercgt73

    mercgt73 Member

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    Awesome work, Glenn!
     
  5. Mavaholic

    Mavaholic Growing older but not up!

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    Looks better than my original doors.
     
  6. Cruzin Illusion

    Cruzin Illusion Enigma

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    Looks good Glenn!!! I hope you are feeling better.
     
  7. NICK DOMINICK

    NICK DOMINICK MCCI Virginia State rep.

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    Looks awesome as usual.
     
  8. CaptainComet

    CaptainComet Large Member

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    To be clear, installing the door skins, you use the panel bond on all three sides (front, bottom, and back), kind of like you were caulking it? ... then, hammer and dolly the folds around the inner frame?

    What other prep did you do to the frame and the inside of the skin?

    I'll be doing my first one soon.
     
  9. Mike Tucker

    Mike Tucker Member

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    The door skins look like they fit well.Usually when I do them I fit the door right away before the adhesive dries.New car door shells usually need a bend and twist to fit properly(they are very flimsy without the skin.)
     
  10. car-nut

    car-nut Glenn

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    My process,

    First I fit the door on the car and make sure I am happy with my gaps. I then install the skin to make sure everything lines up as it should. I usually make a couple marks to make sure the panel goes on correctly when the door is off the car.

    I take the door off the car and set it on a stand. Grind all the paint off the inside edge of the door shell, as well as the lip of the new skin where it will fold over. The panel bond needs bare metal to adhere correctly. Apply a strip of panel bond on both panels, then use an acid brush to spread the bond adhesive to make sure no bare metal is exposed.

    Now sandwich the two panels together and clamp down using the alignment marks previously made. I now hammer and dolly the lip over. I don't try and fold it over in one shot. I run around with the hammer/dolly once all the way around and start it, then again, then finish it on the third pass. Hold the dolly firmly against the door skin, if it bounces back too much it will create dents in the door that will need to be repaired. There really is no way to do it without any denting, but try to be careful and keep it to a minimum.

    I then use laquer thinner and wipe off all the excess bonder that has sqeezed out.
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2013
  11. car-nut

    car-nut Glenn

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    Agreed. I did find these doors to be very sturdy even without the skins.

    What I did find here is that there was very little adjustment to the fit of the skins on the door shell. Where that body line runs down the center of the door, and where the lip folds over there was very, very little movement. Unlike newer vehicles where the door skins have a ton of "wiggle" room, these fit fairly tightly in their needed location.

    Glenn
     
  12. CaptainComet

    CaptainComet Large Member

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    It is very cool to get this kind of info as I head toward doing mine. :thumbs2:

    Thanks guys.
     
  13. car-nut

    car-nut Glenn

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    The more things change, the more they stay the same!

    Lately I feel for every step forward I go at least one back, maybe even two!

    I find it very funny how these Mavericks are put together. From one side to the other there really was no constancy in quality. When I last updated I had installed the skins and had already hung the drivers door back in place. Yesterday with the aid of my father I got the passenger door back on. What a mess. The driver door fell in place with beautiful gaps, while the passenger side needed plenty of massaging.

    Here is the door hung in place....
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]



    Oh yeah, before I forget, here are a couple shots of the hinges with the new bushings and pins installed. The great thing here is that once everything is adjusted, I can just pull the pins and paint the doors, then slide the pins back on and have perfect alignment again with ease.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]



    So I absolutely hate the door gaps, no way I can live with them. Too wide at the fender and way too much at the door/quarter/ rocker area.

    Here is the door off the car again and the edges ground to bare metal.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Front door edge welded up for a better door to fender gap.
    [​IMG]

    The bottom edge near the quarter actually needed a .25" added to the bottom! This will be welded solid, but here I rehung the door to check fit. I had the door on and off six times during this entire process.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]


    Front door to fender edge all welded for a better gap.
    [​IMG]


    This is the only welding that needs to be done, even with the panel bonder from 3M. Without doing this there is too much flex, or movement with the window frame.
    [​IMG]


    So all this was one days work. I went to a car show today in my 32. I needed a change of scenery.

    Glenn
     
    Last edited: Apr 28, 2013
  14. injectedmav

    injectedmav Member

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    Nice work!
    I love the detail on how to tighten the door gap up. My Dad show me the basics, but seeing it step by step was an "ah-ha!" moment for me.
    Thanks for the details! I am very new to bodywork, but I want to give it a go.
     
  15. John Holden

    John Holden Member

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    Are you concerned that the heat from welding has compromised the seal made from the panel bond and now there is potential for moisture and rust to form in the seam?
     

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