Planning the Winter Project – GAPS, I need help.
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Hey Guys,
I’m just planning how I’m going to spend the cold winter months this year. My Volvo 122 is in pretty bad need of paint but I’ve been putting it off for years as the gaps are so terrible that I was unsure what to do about them. First I was thinking “just get them as good as you can and get some paint on it.” this has since turned into “make it as nice as possible, then paint it you lazy twit.” So never being one to be lazy – I’m starting the planning now. My issue with this car is that the gaps are very 1960’s and the car was not finished very well from the factory. There are major variations in panel fit, but from all the cars I’ve inspected, mine is pretty typical of how they should look.
I can’t stand gaps that are big enough to toss a small animal through :lol1 . So here’s the start. The hood fit is terrible. It doesn’t fit front to back or side to side very well, let alone up and down. I’ve got to pull the fenders as I didn’t use the correct sealant when I sprayed the under hood area, so I can adjust them a little. Have a look.
Here’s the side view…fender needs to come up, hood needs to come down??[IMG]http://i862.photobucket.com/albums/ab189/grpA_240/122_gaps/IMGP2023.jpg[/IMG]
The fender can’t really come up as it then wouldn’t line up with the door as can be seen here.
[IMG]http://i862.photobucket.com/albums/ab189/grpA_240/122_gaps/IMGP2022.jpg[/IMG]
So the hood has to come down – there are adjustments on the hood, but I’m pretty much maxed out. My idea is to slot the hinges a little more and fiddle with them. Right track? My only concern is that the hood fits the cowl just fine (check out that gap :unsure: )
On to the drivers door – passenger is fine, isn’t that always the case! I’ve tried everything and this damn door won’t fit the hole :wak
Here’s a side view (fine at the top, bad at the base).[IMG]http://i862.photobucket.com/albums/ab189/grpA_240/122_gaps/IMGP2013.jpg[/IMG]
From the top – the top of the door does sit out a bit (shim top hinge).
[IMG]http://i862.photobucket.com/albums/ab189/grpA_240/122_gaps/IMGP2014.jpg[/IMG]
From the side – the top back side of the door frame almost hits the drip rail, while the front has space (so the door should be rotated clockwise, but I couldn’t get it better – considering welding it).
[IMG]http://i862.photobucket.com/albums/ab189/grpA_240/122_gaps/IMGP2018.jpg[/IMG]
Here’s the hinges.
Top hinge.
[IMG]http://i862.photobucket.com/albums/ab189/grpA_240/122_gaps/IMGP2019.jpg[/IMG]
Bottom hing – fender has to be removed to adjust/shim.
[IMG]http://i862.photobucket.com/albums/ab189/grpA_240/122_gaps/IMGP2020.jpg[/IMG]
Door latch – fully in as far as it will go.
[IMG]http://i862.photobucket.com/albums/ab189/grpA_240/122_gaps/IMGP2021.jpg[/IMG]
The trunk has been driving me nuts for years…
The front of the trunk lid doesn’t fit very well and if I try to adjust it down further then it bottom of the lid hits the body work…more cutting and welding?
Here’s the side gap – doesn’t fit at all (on an old gasket), hinge adjusted full down.
[IMG]http://i862.photobucket.com/albums/ab189/grpA_240/122_gaps/IMGP2017.jpg[/IMG]Thoughts?
Cowl, and 1/4’s don’rt move so gotta start by lining up the doors and trunk lid to the 1/4’s and the hood to the cowl. fenders will have to be made to fit after that :pcorn:
[b]Stone wrote:[/b]
[quote]Cowl, and 1/4’s don’rt move so gotta start by lining up the doors and trunk lid to the 1/4’s and the hood to the cowl. fenders will have to be made to fit after that :pcorn:[/quote]Exactly…always have to start from the back and work your way forward. Adjust the gaps to the non adjustable parts first.
you may need to:
-adjust
-slot/die grind
-shim
-bend or roll edgesIt can become ugly and take a lot of work, but if you work at it in the correct sequence you should be able to get them fairly consistent.
Cool – so you guys start at the back and go forward out of habit or is is because it’s easier?
This is looking like a lot of work. Any guesses for time (weeks?) guesses are fine, I’m not going to be as fast as you guys, but I don’t go very slow either.
:rofl time!! weeks at a minimum…months maybe. i do restorations here all the time and its metal, body and paint only. no mechanical, electrical, etc. when i get a body here its all blasted and put in epoxy. i dont disassemble anything. from that point the average body restoration here at my shop is 250-350 hours…or more depending on what level we are taking the car to and how bad it is to start with. there will be alot of bending and rolling the edges of the doors and other stuff to get it close. to tighten up gaps i usually start welding 1/8 rod on edges. you can also correct some misalignmet as well this way…just not on doors or anywhere where you see the edge.
That’s good to know. I’m notoriously bad at time estimation so need all the help I can get. That’s a pretty full winter of fitting for me. Well as long as I know what I’m in for I don’t mind much. Nothing better to do. Anyway – keep the tips and estimates coming.
[b]Canuck wrote:[/b]
[quote]That’s good to know. I’m notoriously bad at time estimation so need all the help I can get. That’s a pretty full winter of fitting for me. Well as long as I know what I’m in for I don’t mind much. Nothing better to do. Anyway – keep the tips and estimates coming.[/quote]As far as fitting goes it varies. On a good clean job where all the panels are of good quality and all you have to do is basic alignment, an average car could be done in as little as an hour. But once you have to start modifying things the time can be infinite. You often need to remove parts…modify as needed, test fit and then do it again and again [b]until you are happy[/b]. That is the key part…
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