Inner Door Shell Repair

magnon said:

Thanks Henry. Will do about the measurements. So many photos with measurements! I have to keep a written summary of critical measurements and a date log of what I was working on just to find the photo.
Quite the tear down on your 67. I still need to deal with the cowl window area. Just completed the main core of the car. Rockers, frame rails, floor, trunk. I want to hang the doors before tearing off the quarters and wheel wells.

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That is exactly what I did, I kept a separate note book with the area of the car I was working. I'd say you pretty much have most of the hard stuff knocked out. That white primer sealer looks really clean . I worked from the front of the car (Firewall) to the rear and left the floor and the roof skin for the very last pieces to get welded back in.
The roof skin and quarter panels came off first, then the roof skin, but as I was thinking the roof structure had some serious rust issues and that's kind of where I was forced to start, plus that where I got the idea of taking measurements, just for the reasoning, the floor board was so far gone it was too late to put inner supports on the inner portion of the car, lucky for me I put the car up on jack stands, leveled it and that's where it stayed until all of the sheet metal work was done. A key element is making sure the car isn't moved, but I think from the looks of your pic above, you already know that. LOL
Its also a very good idea to have the doors on the car when you hang the quarters, although some of the sheet metal out there it really doesn't matter cause its so dorked up you end up massaging something to make it fit anyway. I fit both quarter panels the trunk filler panel and the rear window filler panel all at once to make sure I didn't have any major fitment issues, (all the quarters/tail panel and filler panels fit wonderfully together by the way) use copius amounts off zip screws and various size vise grip clamps to hold everything in place before your final weld phase.
Are you going to go with mini tubs or are you going back to original? Just curious. in the picture you can see the gap from hell on the passenger door, it is the panel itself that fits like that, so I will end up welding in some filler material to take up the gap, the inside of the door fits perfect, the quarter panel was just not formed properly in the mold when it was made, but this is what you get to look forward to when you hang your quarters.
Added another pic of the well fitting fenders also, QUALITY, just wonderful Quality!!

Years ago I changed to a triple leaf spring and then a 68 posi and I’ll stay with that. I’m so far down on the learning curve, tubs and that path seemed too much for me. The primer I’m using is SPI gray and black for underneath. First thing I did was build a jig from the plans posted in the forum which has been great.
I bought 2 original gm 68 quarters over 25 years ago at a swap meet, so I hope they’ll be better than some of the metal available today. Will need to weld up the side light holes and vent inside the door opening which the 67 didn’t have. New metal for everything else out back except the package tray, hinges and trunk lid. After skinning the doors and a hinge rebuild, I’ll mock it up as you did with the doors. For me it will probably take until next year to be at that point.