Snowy Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Picked up a rust free door from Rutts yesterday. It is exactly as described and rust free. Great so I go to change it today. Now I've swapped doors over plenty of times with no issues. But I wasn't expecting this!!!! This is the original door. The gap being 5mm on both sides. This is the rust free door. The gap being close to 10mm. My old door is about 5mm longer than the new door. So do the older cars, 1975, have longer doors than the later cars or is my car just weird? Both drivers and passenger side doors are the same length. Also some doors from a later car that I got from Mantasport are the same length as the one Rutts sold to me?? Anyone want a rust free door for a later car?? PM me. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantadoc Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 I have seen this before, especially how the top 6" curve is different and thought it was just me. Maybe an unrecorded hatchback door difference? If the gap at the front of the door is closed up you can split the difference and move the door back by tweaking the hinges, it is simple and standard practice, if not an unpleasant feeling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted August 8, 2015 Author Share Posted August 8, 2015 The front of the door sits exactly where it is supposed to be. If I pushed it back the gap would just be at the front. Are hatch back doors different??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stradacab Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 I had to "lose" that gap on the GT/J by adjusting the wing and sledging the door hinges on the A post back a tad. It's lovley now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted August 8, 2015 Author Share Posted August 8, 2015 I get I could do that but the gap isn't there with the original doors. So are hatch and coupe doors different, or early and late doors different. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantadoc Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 Actually thinking about it I have this problem with my left door off an E reg starmist black exclusive coupe but not with my right door off an F reg starmist black exclusive coupe. The F was 1 previous owner so sure the door original, the E reg, dunno. Anyway, if you move the hinges you don't end up with "If I pushed it back the gap would just be at the front.", you split the difference so same gap each end so it looks right. You can't see both sides off a car at once. One question here is can you measure a difference in door width very accurately, for example on the swage line? Also do you have historical pic of the wing to door gap, just to make sure it isn't hinge variation compounded by the colour change Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted August 9, 2015 Author Share Posted August 9, 2015 If I measure the doors down the swage line the old doors are 5mm longer than the new doors. I thought it was the colour at first but I can get my fingers into the gap with the new door and only my finger tips with the old door. The two original doors on the car are the same length. I compared the later door I bought from Rutts to a pair of later doors I bought a while back from Mantasport. They are the same length. I know I can loose the gaps by playing with the hinges, wings etc. But i'm more interested in why these doors are different. I've never experienced this before. The door I bought from Rutts is perfect. But I don't want odd doors, as then the front wings will sit in different positions and might look odd. I suppose I could change both doors??? Thanks Just curious how do people bend their door hinges in a controlled way? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantadoc Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 (edited) 5mm is a fair bit There are proper tools these are not those http://www.atcy66.dsl.pipex.com/misc/pos/j20081130_02.jpg http://www.atcy66.dsl.pipex.com/misc/pos/j20081130_07.jpg Edited August 9, 2015 by mantadoc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted August 9, 2015 Author Share Posted August 9, 2015 Did you heat the hinge up at all or just use brute force? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantadoc Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 No heat required, the outer skin is the usual thin stuff and the inner skin is about 1.3mm at a guess holding the L of the hinge Not sure this is a dealer authorised method. The hard bit is keeping them even Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volksdevil Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 Long shot...But have any of the doors been reskinned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stradacab Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 The dealer method was the same as Mantadoc did with his grips. It was a big long bar with a claw on the end that you slotted in and eased the hinges either way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted August 10, 2015 Author Share Posted August 10, 2015 Long shot...But have any of the doors been reskinned? No, it is pretty obvious that the doors are original The dealer method was the same as Mantadoc did with his grips. It was a big long bar with a claw on the end that you slotted in and eased the hinges either way. That is good to know. I'm going to have to decide what to do. My only other thought is this is a cavalier coupe, not a manta. Did the Cavaliers have different doors to the manta ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stradacab Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 I reckon that they might have changed tired dies or the dies wore over time. These are the gaps on the GT/J after I lost the 11 mm gap at the back with a big hammer and they were within 1mm of EJO which is a 1979 car and all original. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sven Hinka Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 So, basically, if I change the door on my Manta, I can have a bit of a surprise? I'm asking 'cause I need to change both doors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MANTAMAN Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 i would gues the different door sizes here as a result of manufacturing differences. Your Cavalier Coupe is a very early example and was very likely used for promotional purposes, so it might have been given special attension during it's construction but just how that become doors that are 5mm bigger i don't know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted October 4, 2015 Author Share Posted October 4, 2015 i would gues the different door sizes here as a result of manufacturing differences. Your Cavalier Coupe is a very early example and was very likely used for promotional purposes, so it might have been given special attension during it's construction but just how that become doors that are 5mm bigger i don't know I'm finding lots of things are slightly different on this car. Things don't just fit..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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