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MG TD TF 1500 - Closing door gaps...advice needed.

Hi guys just wondering if anyone has some tricks or approaches to closing the gap between my driverside door and the tub. The other side is perfect.
Thanks Darryl

D Lamb

First check if you can adjust the lock (putting some spacers under the part that´s inside the tub).
Second try adjusting the hinges, although there is not much you can do there other than adding shims below the hinges which may not help much for that particular problem.
Third, you can put an adjustable bracket inside the door that pulls the ends together (there´s pictures of that in various places). They are norally mounted diagonnaly, so you may need two.
http://www.ttalk.info/Tech/Door_fix.htm
Rgds, Mike
Mike Fritsch

A setup like this will solve your problem Darryl. You may have to orient it in the other direction i.e. from the rear at the bottom to the top at the front. I don't think Mike's first two suggestions will help your situation though. Cheers
Peter TD 5801

P Hehir

Thanks Mike and Peter

I had totally forgotten about this option. Maybe even releasing the brace thats currently on it will let out the bottom of the door. Will give it a go over the next couple of days and let you know.
D Lamb

Darryl. I'm following this with interest. I have a gap like that that on the front of one door, and I've seen it on other TFs as well. Tried everything, including the adjustable brace, but its still there. I keep promising myself to buy / restore another door, but if you find a solution please tell us. Good luck.
Dave H
Dave Hill

This is the best version of the solution to this problem that I've seen. I believe it was Mort who came up with it. Both of these braces are adjustable from below the door with the trim still in situ. More detail on this in the archive though not sure of the thread title. Cheers
Peter TD 5801

P Hehir

Hard to tell from angle of photo- is the gap just that the door top is out too far, or is the vertical gap too big also? The turnbuckle will pull top edge inward, but won't close vertical gap. That would involve bending hinges, or shimming the tub, etc. The shape of the wood in the latch pillar/quarter also effects the vertical gap. George
George Butz

By far the best way to get a really good door fit is to remove the door from the car, open up the skin flange, ensure the body is bolted firmly to the chassis (with a couple of spacers) trial fit the wooden door frame and if necessary fettle the joints so the wood door frame fits the body perfectly. I went one stage further and stuck the metal skin onto its frame with Sikaflex auto adhesive to ensure rigidity. Very drastic but it works. I mention two shims since if you start with none and later find you need to remove some you are snookered. I know some will challenge me but I argue that a brace across the inner faces of the door frame will simply affect the diagonal and raise the lower corner. To pull one corner of the door into the body the brace must be fitted from the outside of the frame to the inside to provide a twisting effect. I think the factory strap was fitted to prevent the front, lower corner of the door drooping and hitting the body opening. I also suspect a strained door will try to revert to its former, twisted self.

Jan T
J Targosz

There is an old factory video showing how they adjusted the doors.It consisted of a wooden tool placed over the door near the front and with the fitters knee braced on the outside of the door it was twisted into shape. It was referred to as KNEEING THE DOOR.
st

Rather than flat stock, I made my braces out of rod. I believe the picture attributed to Mort is also rod.
That way I can use the turn buckle to expand or contract the brace which will tilt the door front either way.

I would recommend putting the turn buckle at the bottom end of the rod. That way you can loosen just a bit of the door card and reach in and adjust things should alignment change in time.
Flat-stock just bends if you try to compress it.

Jim B.

JA Benjamin

The gap between the body side and the top of the door can be fixed by the strap/turnbuckle technique.

The big gap at the top of the door is much more complex. It may have to be fixed by a combination of things.

First as Mike F points out you will probably need to warp the body frame with shims. You need to make the opening smaller. You do this by putting shims that are thicker at each body point outside of the door and a thinner one at the middle. Note this is why the sheet metal has an open seam just behind the door opening.

You can only get so far with that and you also have to check to make sure you other geometry points don't close up on you so the door would not close.

Then move on to the hinges. You can do a little bit by bending them to bring the door forward.backward and in/out at the rear. You can also tilt the door a bit by having one hinge different than the other.

Lastly, and maybe it should be the first thing, is how is the leading at the corner of the scuttle? If body work was done on the car it's possible they disturbed the leading there and took material off.
Christopher Couper

Darryl, I had the exact same gap as you. I put a small block of wood under the bottom front lip of the door and pushed on the top. The door bent just enough to close the gap perfectly.

Tim
TD12524
TW Burchfield

I don't remember ever seeing a factory video on 'kneeing' the door, but there is one by Hutson that shows a current worker doing that. Well worth a watch!

Here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEqpqZj8FPw

Tom Lange
MGT Repair
t lange

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEqpqZj8FPw

Thanks Tom
D Lamb

I bought a pair of the door braces like those in Peters photo, a few years ago. They were VERY helpful in getting a great door gap.
The fellow I got mine from sells them on US ebay and they are listed currently under MG TD parts. At $39, an excellent buy.

Tom
'54 TF
T Norby

Tom,

Currently, the door braces are only sold as an auction on eBay starting at $39.99 plus $6.96 shipping. Tried to buy several sets and in my experience there are only two outcomes: (i) no one bids or (ii) or there are multiple bids going higher than $39.99. :-) I have never been successful at $39.99. Going to make a set myself.
WHTroyer

Picked up a pair in my local diy store...think they are called wire tensioner Larger than those shown but should do the trick €8.99.
Mind you I have closed a large portion of the gap by taking off the cross brace putting a block at the bottom of the door and pushing at the top while re attaching the cross brace.
D Lamb

This thread was discussed between 04/06/2016 and 14/06/2016

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