A few questions on the doors

[House Money]

Just wanted to get some feedback on how to proceed with the doors. So far I have drilled and done all the cutouts on the doors, I have not yet drilled or cutout for the hinges or latch pins on the body. The build manual has you installing the inner beam, latch and hinges and then putting the door in the opening so the gaps can be trimmed. Yet the picture shows the door taped to the body and the door appears to be empty.

So I guess that is my first question: do the doors need to be stuffed prior to trimming the gaps? Seems to me that it would be easier to handle the doors with nothing installed in them.

What is the preferred method for trimming the doors for the desired gap? One builder I saw used 1/8" masking tape around the edges of the doors and then marked that line with a silver marker and then sanded up to the silver line. That seemed reasonable - but what if the doors are not uniformly trimmed at FFR and need more or less than 1/8" removed?

What tool would work best for trimming the edges?

Thanks in advance for your assistance, I've heard that the doors can be one of the more difficult parts of the build and I don't want to make it any more difficult than it has to be,

Gary

[sread]

I'm in the process of doing the final install/adjustment of the doors on a gen 1 hot rod so there may be some difference in the details but the principle will be the same.
Before you do any of this, it is imperative that the body is in the final installed position - with all the locating points secured.
Next, I would make the door fit the cutout. Don't worry about the gaps yet, just get the door to fit in the cut out with the belt line lined up between the door and the body. The belt line is really what drives the door fitment. If the door won't fit at this point you need to determine what it will take to make it fit whether it is cutting/re glassing, replacing the door or what ever. There is no point in sticking the frame in it and trying to make fit because it will lead to endless frustration. Anyways, once the door fits the cut out and lines up, set it aside. BTW, for me the easiest way to trim the door is with 4 inch grinder with cutoff wheel if you need to remove more than 3/16 in or so. Also, get your self a portable belt sander - it will make quick work of removing material while keeping a straight edge.
Anyways, set the door aside and assemble the hinges , frame, and latch assembly. This will help you become familiar with the way all the parts go together, which fasteners go where, which way they need to point, etc. If possible, also locate the striker at this point. The location of the striker and door latch is what is going to determine where the door sits / fits at the forward jamb (suicide doors) and how it lines up both vertically and how the fwd edge fairs with the body. You need to get it pretty close to start with as there is not much adjustment , unless you don't mind having a large hole in the fwd door jamb to move the striker around. Once you get the frame and latch assembly opening, closing, latching , smoothly, then unbolt it and place it inside the door. The location of the hinge mount and hinges determine the vertical fit at the aft end of the door while the adjustable frame controls the in/out position of the aft door edge.
I know this may sound confusing but the point is, first, make the door fit the cut out with the belt line lined up, and then make the frame fit inside the door with out moving the door alignment. Don't be surprised if you need to bend, shim, cut, slot or otherwise manipulate any or all of the frame pieces to make that happen. Wasn't too unusual on the early hot rod but hopefully not necessary on the later gen stuff. Once you accomplish that , then set the final gaps. Use the belt sander but go slowly - it can remove a lot of material in a hurry. Probable best to fine tune the finish gap with a sanding block and 80 grit. It will be a tremendous help (maybe even mandatory) to be able to easily remove/install the door assembly at this point without loosening or moving the frame pieces. On the hot rod you do this just by pulling the 2 hinge pivot bolts....which reminds me of another important tip - be sure and glue or secure all the little bronze bushings in place before you start, lest they fall out while you are trying to hang the door for the 23rd time and are out of beer for the night.
Anyways, that's my opinion of the easiest way to go about it gleaned from my experience and some tips gathered from others. I'm not familiar enough with the truck so maybe some other builders can chime in and help with something more specific.

[House Money]

Thanks much, sread, this a good write up! I like that idea of building up the door frame and hanging that - and getting to fit and latch correctly - before installing that into the door.

Gary

[bnelson]

Hey Gary. The doors are challenging to say the least. One thing I learned is that you need to pay attention to the rear of the door first. The jam needs to be a specific distance from the body jam for the latch to work. I would suggest having the door all assembled with internals (not windows) and the striker on the body so you can determine what distance that is. Then just trim as needed to get it in the opening. Then just mark and trim any way your comfortable with. As stated above be sure to pay attention to the belt line molding alignment front and rear.

[Sbda4]

The above guidance is all good. I will add that I built Truck chassis #82 and the doors were a major challenge. Check to see that the outer skin is bonded to the inner door fiberglass before installing any hardware. I found my outer skin was not bonded well to the inner frame (gaps put to 12” long) and after talking to FFR, I used panel bond to join the outer and inner door components. I also found the hinge line to be very weak and had significant gaps at the hinges. After talking with FFR, I put a couple layers of fiberglass inside the door along the hinge line (bonded to the door skin and hinge line) and along the door latch (bonded to the door skin and latch surface). I found this reinforcement to pay dividends later in the build. Once you install all the door frame, glass, window motor, sound deadening sheet, etc., the door is very heavy and the additional rigidity of the fiberglass reinforcement was very beneficial. I don’t know what chassis number you are using, but door fiberglass workmanship in #82 was poor. Regardless, I was happy that FFR provided coaching on how to fix the door shell before I was too deep into the build.

[House Money]

The above guidance is all good. I will add that I built Truck chassis #82 and the doors were a major challenge. Check to see that the outer skin is bonded to the inner door fiberglass before installing any hardware. I found my outer skin was not bonded well to the inner frame (gaps put to 12” long) and after talking to FFR, I used panel bond to join the outer and inner door components. I also found the hinge line to be very weak and had significant gaps at the hinges. After talking with FFR, I put a couple layers of fiberglass inside the door along the hinge line (bonded to the door skin and hinge line) and along the door latch (bonded to the door skin and latch surface). I found this reinforcement to pay dividends later in the build. Once you install all the door frame, glass, window motor, sound deadening sheet, etc., the door is very heavy and the additional rigidity of the fiberglass reinforcement was very beneficial. I don’t know what chassis number you are using, but door fiberglass workmanship in #82 was poor. Regardless, I was happy that FFR provided coaching on how to fix the door shell before I was too deep into the build.

Sorry for not responding sooner, we were out of town to see our oldest son graduate nursing school. Wow, I'm building chassis #81!! I too noticed a few small gaps in the door halves, probably an inch or so, not sure if they will get larger when I remove material to get the gaps correct. Interesting info on the hinge and latch areas.

Thanks, Gary