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While waiting for my new floor to arrive, I'm starting in on replacing the apex panels. This has required me to remove and replace the doors, that never fitted well in the first place.

Leaving aside for a moment how we get the apex panel to align (I'll create a separate post for that) I'm now wondering how you align the doors.

I've researched all over the interwebs and find quite a lot of advice but nothing really definitive. Amongst them, I've found a diagram from a BMC publication that shows how to 'adjust' doors but nowhere can I find the written instructions. I'm providing the image below in case anyone else hasn't seen it.

My questions:
1. Does anyone have the written instructions to accompany the diagram?
2. Does anyone have a definitive guide to aligning a Mini door? (with external hinges and inner apex panel)

Thanks

Hi Cobolman
There isn't a specific set of guidelines to fitting mini doors. some one who can fit them well, will have had years of experience, and this skill can't be passed on in a few sentences...but saying all that many on this forum have done an excellent job fist time round, by using common sense and trial and error to fit them..
Hold the the door up to the aperture, don't put any fastners on, just maybe some packing on the step, look how the door fits. 9 time out of 10..it'll not be so good, but you can now see what areas Need attention, this can be twisting the door like in the BMC manual, and often some sort of adjustment of the A panel . Only once you have a good fit at this stage, should you then bolt the door to the shell, you need to fit the door seal and latch to see if it shuts well, which it probably won't, but you can pull the seal out where you think it's tight and rectify the area with a block and hammer, you need a good even 12mm gap all round the door for the seal to fit. Often this is a major time eating job..fitting the doors on and off dozens of times..all this has to be done on a shell that's sound or well braced up, often new doors will need surgery to get them to fit, door strikers will need altering to get the door to fit flush, you should be aiming for 4-5mm for the gaps imo .
It can be very challenging, and as many will point out they often didn't fit very well from new..
Nick

Hi Nick

Thanks for commenting. I'm pretty sure I read your post about the new heritage shell? Fascinating read and I took a lot from it. Thanks for sharing.

Nick W wrote: ↑Fri Oct 18, 2024 12:36 pm There isn't a specific set of guidelines to fitting mini doors ...

I feared this would be the case and thanks for passing on your advice.

At the moment, I've removed the handle, striker, rubber seal and lock and am just trying to get the door to fit in the space. The previous owner had welded in a new door step but I'm wondering if the alignment wasn't correct. Or if it's just my own inability.

I'll try getting the door to fit with even gaps all round, as you suggest, and then go slowly from there. Todays job is to measure the driver and passenger door openings to see if they're the same and, if not, address the problem with the door step.

It's one step forward and two steps back when taking on someone else's project

When it comes to getting the 'sailor's leg' in at the bottom of the door where it has a tendency to stick out, I made a tool based on the diagram but with more flexibility via a swivel. Here a dummied up pic of how it works that I took to explain to someone who borrowed it.

If you are stuck I can lend it to you as well, as it will heading to my brother's in Cornwall for his son's car soon.

Cheers,

Andy

AndyPen wrote: ↑Sun Oct 20, 2024 6:25 pm I made a tool based on the diagram but with more flexibility via a swivel.

That's a neat looking bit of kit! Nicely done.

AndyPen wrote: ↑Sun Oct 20, 2024 6:25 pm If you are stuck I can lend it to you as well, as it will heading to my brother's in Cornwall for his son's car soon.

That's really kind, AndyPen though I fear I'm farther behind than my original post suggests.

I had wanted to align the door so that I could align the apex panel but, it turns out, the door doesn't fit and hasn't fitted since the last owner welded in a new door step, which is bowed in the middle. Lets call it a door step banana

On discovering this, I used a spirit level on the step and then inserted some glazers packing strips to check the amount of deflection. It deflects by 3.5mm over the 800mm length of the spirit level. I did the same test on the other side, where the door step had not been replaced. Dead level.

Also, after re-watching some of Paul Wigginton's videos, I note that he just places the door in situ, held with friction strips (like wood or packing strips) and then runs a straight horizontal edge along rear wing, door and apex panel. I'm going to try and replicate that, I think.

Only then will I be ready to align the door so if you're heading down Cornwall way then ...

Hi Andy, Thanks for posting the picture of the door tool.

I have been racking my brain on how to adjust the bottom of my doors for ages.

I believe that I now have the answer.

AndyPen wrote: ↑Sun Oct 20, 2024 6:25 pm IMG_7330s.jpeg




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