Restoration advice

[minical]

I'm currently restoring a mk2 cooper and i'm nearly at the stage of fitting the new m-machine combined a pillar/panel.
I will be using the doors to get the gaps right, so question is shall I re-skin the doors first or will it be ok to re-skin the doors at a later date?
I want to skin the doors at a later date if possible so that it doesn't hold up the work on the shell, but I don't want to re-skin them later
only to find they are different so altering the panel gaps. What are your thoughts? Cheers

[STG95F]

100% skin the door 1st . as even with the Heritage skins there will be a difference when fitted .

Hope that helps

Ian

[minical]

Cheers Ian, just confirming what I thought myself but wanted a 2nd opinion anyway. Thanks

[andy1071]

I would say that if you haven't already removed the old A panels, and they are reasonable intact (the shape / alignment isn't way out), then re-skin the door first. So you can use the shell / door-opening to square-up the door.

If you have already removed the old A panels, I would suggest you use the old door (again, assuming it's not too corroded /distorted) to align the new A panels. And then afterwards, re-skin the door.
-As Ian says, doing it this way around will be more work due to new panel quality, but I think it's more important to maintain the door / body alignment. -It is all too easy to twist the door frame when you are re-skinning it, so you need the bodyside for reference.

[minical]

Thanks andy, the a pillars are still intact and quite solid however the a panels were already cut off when I bought it. Will I be able to do it the order Ian says and just use the a pillar but not the a panel? Or does the a panel have to be there for reference also? Cheers

[STG95F]

Will you be using the M-Machine A panels with part of the door step and part of the A Pillar all in one panel as its easier to fit and looks a lot better . Just fitted that panel today on a 59 car

Ian

[minical]

Yes Ian they are the panels I will be using, its my first restoration so wanted to make it as easy for myself as I could. What references do you use when re-skinning the doors? Is it a case of set the frame in the door aperture and then match the line at the top of the quarter with the new skin?

[STG95F]

Yes and also the body line with the 1/4 and the door itself .
To remove the skin i linish the all way round the door skin edge and the the skin will come off easy with out damaging the door frame but the door will become very flexi and will distort easy .

Do your doors need repairs at the bottoms and the channels ??

Ian

[Dean]

i made that mistake and fitted my reskinned door last, boy did i learn my lesson,

it took hours, days to get my shuts correct, i never to that again,

door first , then work from there.

i also found heritage door skins come out a bit wider than they should and also the swage lines can be a bit out,

[minical]

Will I need a reference from the A Panel as well? All I have there at the minute it the A pillar which is cut on lip that the inner wing spot welds to so the outer lip that sits flush with the door skin isn't there. Cheers for the advice on removing the skin, is there anyway to stop it distorting? The doors definitely need the bottoms repairing not sure about the channels yet, they seem solid but cant be sure until I have sand blasted them.

[minical]

Thanks Dean, after what you and Ian have said I will do the doors first, just got to find the best way to to them now