With the doors having been adjusted for gaps, alignment and fit, it was time to trim them with the door cards.
Had a read through a few other blogs to get a rough idea of the best way to fit and went with the following process.
The door card is held in place by 7 clips and the door handle itself.
First thing to do is check the position of the door handle relative to the hole in the card that it has to pass through. The door handle can be moved left or right by loosening the cap heads that hold it in place. It is important that (a) the two sides are equally balanced for aesthetic reasons and more importantly (b) to ensure that the door will close properly without the door card fouling the latch mechanism.
Once i was happy with the positioning of the handles, I used a small punch to create a hole in the door card leather for the handle to bolt through and I fitted each of the 7 clips into the remaining holes. At this point I didn't pay too much attention to their orientation as I had decided they could be positioned properly when the card is offered up to the door.
Showing posts with label Doors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Doors. Show all posts
Courtesy Lights
The GD loom comes with feeds to both doors for courtesy lights. GD tend not to fit these but I think its a nice touch and useful when using the car at night, so have decided to fit them. At a later date I will also take a feed to a separate override switch.
I positioned the door switches centrally between the two escutcheons and trimmed the length of the plunger to suit. The switches were then simply connected to the GD loom.
I have then broken into the loom circuit to take feeds to the lights which I have mounted in the dash under trays.
The dash is back out again at the moment so I will have to wait until its back in and connected before I can test everything.
I positioned the door switches centrally between the two escutcheons and trimmed the length of the plunger to suit. The switches were then simply connected to the GD loom.
I have then broken into the loom circuit to take feeds to the lights which I have mounted in the dash under trays.
The dash is back out again at the moment so I will have to wait until its back in and connected before I can test everything.
Doors
Another area requiring some final fit attention are the doors.
Escutcheons & Latches
In order to fit the escutcheons, I had to ensure that both doors would open the same amount. I checked the measure measurement from the edge of the 'B' pillar to the edge of the door. This means that the escutcheons effectively create the door stop so its important they are fitted correctly. To allow me to do this I loosened off the hinges and then marked and fitted them using M4 button heads and nylocs.
I then adjusted the door fit, checking gaps and latch operation before tightening the hinges back up.
Quite pleased with the final result as it really tidies things up and looks like a professional build.
Courtesy Lights
I had previously drilled the mounting holes for the courtesy lights in the dash under trays - I'm having a separate light for each side that will illuminate the footwell - but I hadn't got around to wiring them in. The front section of the GD body loom has a positive feed to both doors and an earth which the door switches can be connected to but there is no feed back to the lights themselves.
This is relatively easy to resolve as you just need to break into the wires going to the switches and run a return back to the light.
Gel Coat Repairs
There are a few other areas needing gel coat repairs which I plan to address in one go (possibly even get GD to do them during the pre-IVA checks)
Door Cards
Need to read up on the best way of fitting these as this is one job that will make a big
- Latches need adjusting to allow a smooth close
- Escutcheons need fitting around the hinges
- Courtesy light switches need fitting to the 'A' pillar
- The tops of the door edges need some minor gel coat repairs
- Door cards need fitting
Escutcheons & Latches
In order to fit the escutcheons, I had to ensure that both doors would open the same amount. I checked the measure measurement from the edge of the 'B' pillar to the edge of the door. This means that the escutcheons effectively create the door stop so its important they are fitted correctly. To allow me to do this I loosened off the hinges and then marked and fitted them using M4 button heads and nylocs.
I then adjusted the door fit, checking gaps and latch operation before tightening the hinges back up.
Quite pleased with the final result as it really tidies things up and looks like a professional build.
Courtesy Lights
I had previously drilled the mounting holes for the courtesy lights in the dash under trays - I'm having a separate light for each side that will illuminate the footwell - but I hadn't got around to wiring them in. The front section of the GD body loom has a positive feed to both doors and an earth which the door switches can be connected to but there is no feed back to the lights themselves.
This is relatively easy to resolve as you just need to break into the wires going to the switches and run a return back to the light.
Gel Coat Repairs
There are a few other areas needing gel coat repairs which I plan to address in one go (possibly even get GD to do them during the pre-IVA checks)
Door Cards
Need to read up on the best way of fitting these as this is one job that will make a big
Doors
One thing that had been bugging me for ages was the door latches dont have a spring mechanism on them so the handles have to be manually moved back and forth when opening and closing the door. This is clearly unacceptable and springs needed to be sourced and fitted.
Again, the trip to Stoneleigh was realyl useful as GD had a part uilt car on the stand and I could see how they fit the springs. I then managed to find a store on the walk back to the car that had some springs that look perfect for the job.
Fitted them and they work a treat :)
Again, the trip to Stoneleigh was realyl useful as GD had a part uilt car on the stand and I could see how they fit the springs. I then managed to find a store on the walk back to the car that had some springs that look perfect for the job.
Fitted them and they work a treat :)
Frustration & Lack of Progress
Friday 9th March 2012
Well I've just looked and its been nearly two months since I last updated this blog...
It isn't that I haven't been doing any work on the car but it feels like I've been making absolutely no progress .
And now, after the excitement of ordering the engine and chassis, and being disappointed that they wont be ready until the end of April, Im now wondering if i will be ready for them then!!
Here is a summary of whats's been going on (more detailed posts will be added for each area):-
Well worth the effort in the end!
Doors
All the body metal work was sent away for powder coating and has been returned looking nice and shiny. So I decided to tackle the doors. The rough gel coat edges were removed and I set to rubbing down and applying fresh gelcoat.
After a week or so the damn stuff still hadn't gone hard so I rubbed it all off and repeated the process and guess what... it still didn't cure!!
So a further rub down and prep has been completed and Im waiting to pluck up the courage to try gel coating again
Bonnet and Boot Lid
With the frustration surrounding the doors, I tried a different approach with the Bonnet and Boot. This time i rubbed the edges down first with a file and then used Isopon P38 body filler to fill in the holes which were quite severe in places. I then rubbed back down and these items are both awaiting gel coat finishing.
Pedal Box
For a bit of a change of focus, I decided to tackle the pedal box. Still not quite sure how I have done with this so far. Followed the build notes but it seems like the pedals are sitting too high off the floor!
Didnt bother fitting the brake and clutch pipes at this stage until I get a pipe bender.
Heater
Temporarily fitted heater matrix in place but need to decide on style of heater hoses before final fix.
Fitted windscreen escutcheons and connected heater ducting pipes.
Engine Bay
Whilst on the subject of body repairs, I thought it was time to tackle the horrible joint line between the top of the body and the engine bulk head.
Have used Isopon P38 filler and rubbed down wiht 180 grade wet n dry paper. First impressions are very good. Just dreading the gel coating now!!
Well I've just looked and its been nearly two months since I last updated this blog...
It isn't that I haven't been doing any work on the car but it feels like I've been making absolutely no progress .
And now, after the excitement of ordering the engine and chassis, and being disappointed that they wont be ready until the end of April, Im now wondering if i will be ready for them then!!
Here is a summary of whats's been going on (more detailed posts will be added for each area):-
Garage
I've been having some problems with the new garage leaking every time it rained. This was a pain cos the garage floor was soaking all the time and everything kept getting damp.
The contractors have been back and sorted the problem and once they finished I decided to ply line the walls - from floor to a height of 8'. Ive also put loft insulation between the ply and the steel walls.
End result - the garage is now dry and much warmer (in time for Spring/Summer!) and I can fix tools and the like to the walls.Well worth the effort in the end!
Doors
All the body metal work was sent away for powder coating and has been returned looking nice and shiny. So I decided to tackle the doors. The rough gel coat edges were removed and I set to rubbing down and applying fresh gelcoat.
After a week or so the damn stuff still hadn't gone hard so I rubbed it all off and repeated the process and guess what... it still didn't cure!!
So a further rub down and prep has been completed and Im waiting to pluck up the courage to try gel coating again
Bonnet and Boot Lid
With the frustration surrounding the doors, I tried a different approach with the Bonnet and Boot. This time i rubbed the edges down first with a file and then used Isopon P38 body filler to fill in the holes which were quite severe in places. I then rubbed back down and these items are both awaiting gel coat finishing.
Pedal Box
For a bit of a change of focus, I decided to tackle the pedal box. Still not quite sure how I have done with this so far. Followed the build notes but it seems like the pedals are sitting too high off the floor!
Didnt bother fitting the brake and clutch pipes at this stage until I get a pipe bender.
Heater
Temporarily fitted heater matrix in place but need to decide on style of heater hoses before final fix.
Fitted windscreen escutcheons and connected heater ducting pipes.
Engine Bay
Whilst on the subject of body repairs, I thought it was time to tackle the horrible joint line between the top of the body and the engine bulk head.
Have used Isopon P38 filler and rubbed down wiht 180 grade wet n dry paper. First impressions are very good. Just dreading the gel coating now!!
Doors, Bonnets, Fasteners and Frustration
Sunday 8th January
Well today was meant to be a day of finishing the test fit of both doors and making a start on the bonnet but despite best laid plans and all that (and a bit of a hangover it has to be said!) the passenger door ended up taking a whole lot longer than expected. Then when moving on to the drivers door, I did something I should have done when my kit arrived, I started to check I had all the right fasteners and guess what??? There were several missing and a few spares ones too...
So with the missing fasteners, it meant I couldn't hang the drivers door :( but on the upside I did manage to transfer all the fixing positions form the passenger door onto cardboard templates so I was able to cut and drill the door ready for hanging when I have sufficient socket cap heads!!
Well today was meant to be a day of finishing the test fit of both doors and making a start on the bonnet but despite best laid plans and all that (and a bit of a hangover it has to be said!) the passenger door ended up taking a whole lot longer than expected. Then when moving on to the drivers door, I did something I should have done when my kit arrived, I started to check I had all the right fasteners and guess what??? There were several missing and a few spares ones too...
So with the missing fasteners, it meant I couldn't hang the drivers door :( but on the upside I did manage to transfer all the fixing positions form the passenger door onto cardboard templates so I was able to cut and drill the door ready for hanging when I have sufficient socket cap heads!!
Door Hanging
Friday 6th January
Well here goes with first update on 2012 build activities...
Spent sometime on New Years Eve thinking about how to tackle door hanging and building the hinge assemblies on the workbench and on Thursday night spent a couple of hours trying to put the theory into practice - although with limited success it has to be said!!!
First of all the doors arrived from GD without any markings showing hole positions etc so we decided to do a mock up of the latch and catch assembly and make sure everything worked before cutting holes in the door.
Ignore the VW Convertible in the background for now(it's a friend's car that needs rebuilding)
So, after a dummy run we marked up the doors with the hole positions and started drilling and cutting...
Now... more about that Beetle
Well here goes with first update on 2012 build activities...
Spent sometime on New Years Eve thinking about how to tackle door hanging and building the hinge assemblies on the workbench and on Thursday night spent a couple of hours trying to put the theory into practice - although with limited success it has to be said!!!
First of all the doors arrived from GD without any markings showing hole positions etc so we decided to do a mock up of the latch and catch assembly and make sure everything worked before cutting holes in the door.
 |
| Hinges fixed to car body |
 |
| Striker post |
 |
| Hinge, catch and latch fixed in place |
 |
| View from inside |
So, after a dummy run we marked up the doors with the hole positions and started drilling and cutting...
 |
| Hinge bracket holes drilled |
And after much messing and faffing we got the door hung - still need to do some work on the latch/catch and alignment but it represents a whole evening's work and progress...
 |
| Test fitted |
Now... more about that Beetle
Having got very annoyed with door hanging, we decided to do some door UN-hanging, with this being the result - much easier to take them off than to put them on!!!!
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