weird door fitting issue

Just an interesting note on fitting the doors to my '57 roadster. No wings on yet, but I got the doors on and the interior installed today and yesterday.

The passenger side door fits fine (after recutting my A-pillar...) with one thin shim under each hinge and one thin shim at the rear - per factory spec.

The driver's door needed one thick shim at the top, one thin and one thick at the bottom, and one thick at the rear.

The driver's door must be shorter than the passenger door, as I measured the F-pillars pretty carefully. Upon closer inspection, the two doors don't match. The passenger door has largish holes for the top cowling trim, and on the driver's door they are rather smaller! I seem to remember that one of them had evidence of welded up holes for lift-the-dot studs along the top of the door, though the other did not now that I think about it.

My conclusion without having actually measured is that one of the doors is a replacement, and the dimensions are different!

Also, I cut two identical door trim panels from 2mm plywood, and the one for the driver's door is too large - overlaps and hits the striker at the rear.

Now I will have to go measure to see which is which.

JIM

I would not worry too much about fitting until you get the fenders on. You may have to adjust and compromise for the fender fit.

Yeah, that'll be a bummer. Have done it before and it's a PITA to get everything lined up.

Still, before you can start on the fenders, the doors need to work. Small door adjustments after that are OK, but you need a baseline to start from. I have them both closing and latching nicely now, with the Todd Clark seals installed (but no interior panel on the drivers door yet).

Started to clean up the aluminum corner rails tonight to get them covered and installed next.

JIM