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MG MGB Technical - new gt door

Hi everyone, im restoring a 68 gt and ive replaced a LOT of panels. I just installed a new full wing (previous had half an inch of filler down it) and it looks like it fits very well. The new sill matches it well as does the original front wing. The problem is the door. I aligned everything with this door and found i could not get the lower rear section in line (it was too far inwards) but everywhere else looked good. In the end i took the door off and ran a wire wheel down and along to find it full of filler and poor bodges to the frame work.

So... with all heritage panels ive used so far (lots) they have been a good fit.

What are peoples experience with new doors? B Hive said they are good but dont do returns. They are extremely expensive so need to know if fit for purpose.

Thanks
A P New

"i could not get the lower rear section in line (it was too far inwards)"

From the way I read this it was always a problem. The factory had a long bar that clamped onto the top and bottom of the door near the rear edge, to twist the whole door so that both top and bottom rear corners matched the rear wing and sill.

The usual recommendation is to leave the old door on until the last minute - assuming it has something resembling a lower and rear edge, and align rear wing and sill to that, before doing anything with the door.

I've had a number of problems with that vendor, including unwillingness to replace clearly defective items.
paulh4

"B Hive said they are good but dont do returns"

Really? What reason did they give for not complying with consumer legislation?
Dave O'Neill 2

I've had all sorts of issues with Heritage panels. New shells which were woefully inaccurate. Doors too long, one nearside front wing which needed cutting and rewelding, tailgate hinges badly manufactured, to name a small number of issues.
Allan Reeling

My experience with heritage doors is that they are twisted to some extent and you have to "fit" them with the aforementioned long bar. Sometimes the twist is SO bad that the rear top corner weld needs removing to set the panel straight or you risk an unsightly bulge near the quarter-light.
Chris at Octarine Services

Thanks everyone,
Chris, i had an old door and tried this and yes, the quarterlight section popped up! I purchased from moss in the end as they allow returns so long as undamaged.
A P New

Well I got my new door today and I wish I could upload the photos but they are too big. Basically the door fits great at the front and bottom, its straight all along the sill and the door seal line. But the back top corner sticks out over half an inch, maybe more so the door is clearly twisted. Id like to try untwisting it but the skin is glued on! I understand I need to remove some welds to stop the door popping in the quarterlight, but is there anything else I can do. If its glued, how can I adjust it?
A P New

I would speak to Moss first.

What I have done in the past when the twist was not too bad is to mount the door on its hinges and fit the lock so that it can be closed. Taking out the door seal will help get it latched at the top.

Then using a couple of blocks of wood and a scissor jack against the transmission tunnel, push the bottom rear of the door outwards so that it is about 1/2 inch proud - when released it will spring back, hopefully somewhere near flush.


Chris at Octarine Services

This thread was discussed between 01/11/2017 and 07/11/2017

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