ConcoursMustang Forums
Restoring - General discussions that span across many different groups of years and models => Body, Paint & Sealers => Topic started by: Murf on March 02, 2014, 02:01:41 PM
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Just curious as to what the consensus is about the proper door gap on a Mustang? Many other gaps are determined by the space between the 1/4 panel and the rear of the door. The top (and therefore the bottom) gap is pretty much determined by the height of the quarter panel but the quarter to door gap can vary. What dimension do you shoot for at this point? The FAM seems to not give this spec - is it published somewhere else? Thanks.
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Looking at my cars; 65 & 69 Fastbacks looks like a cat hair over 1/8" will get this conversation started. Brian
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The quarter panel to door gap & rocker to door gap are the starting points for alignment of the sheet metal as the quarter and rocker are not adjustable. The gaps on the old cars varied a lot however the main thing you want to achieve is consistency. For example you don't want to have a tapered gap were the gap is wide on the top and tight on the bottom. A good starting point is to get a even gap on the door the rocker panel. These tend to run a little wide but not usually a problem, again look for consistency. If the door to rocker gap is tapered this will show up in the quarter to door and fender gap as the door is not level. In my opinion the quarter to door gap should be at least an 1/8 and no more than 1/4 inch. Rule of thumb for me is if it looks to tight or wide it probably is. Getting good gaps on a mustang is not easy and even harder if you are dealing with reproduction parts and replacement welded on panels that may not be correctly installed. The good thing there is a lot of adjustment on the old cars and with patience good gaps can be attained...Chris