Old Cars Auto Restoration Guide Vol. II

With the doors safely removed and secured to 500-pound-capacity Astro Pneumatic (Model #APT-55703) portable work stands from Summit Racing Equipment, Troy Bowden can turn his attention to the neglected door hinges causing the ill-fitting doors. Removal of the doors wasn’t easy, even with an impact driver, the leading-brand penetrant and finally the application of heat. Judging by the amount of rust under the hinges and around the threads of each of the original Phillips screws, we can be fairly certain that this is the first time they’ve been disturbed.

In any body and paint shop, panel alignment can be challenging, and more often than not, also frustrating. This holds especially true with ’50s American cars. Generally speaking, panels on cars of the ’50s didn’t really fit well, even when they were new. Today’s conscientious restorers, however, tend to exhibit elevated standards.

In Escondido, Calif., Hot Rods & Custom Stuff (HR&CS) is perhaps best known for its long string of high-profile hot rod homers, but the shop also assists restorers with all phases of their project. From media blasting to painting, polishing and even pinstriping, HR&CS is truly a one-stop-shop. For example, a project’s panel alignment is squared away in the body department, before the project is passed along for paint. Sadly, not all “restorers” adhere to the process, and Jim Sartor’s rare 1950 Ford Crestliner exemplifies that statement.

This is the Crestliner’s second visit. It rolled in looking pretty much as it appears here, but with particularly ill-fitting doors. A month or so ago, the car was brought in a for a freshening of its 8BA flathead, as well as a sorting-out of some handling issues. Now that it has returned for its 500-mile checkup, the decision was made to correct the offending door gaps via its hinges, which had been the main detraction to the car’s visual appeal.

By this time, the worn pins and holes of the door hinges have already undergone major reconstructive surgery, which began in a bead blasting cabinet.

One hinge pin in particular was actually broken and rusted in position, so it was only going along for the ride.

Ford Motor Co.’s Phillips screws will be replaced for the better stainless-steel socket-headed fasteners.

With the threads appropriately cleaned and lubricated, Bowden prepares to re-hang and adjust the Ford’s doors using a well-padded floor jack (door jack?) and a fair amount of 3M masking tape at the panel edges to prevent scratching and chipping the paint.

All finished — a straight-forward fix for a previously ignored issue that really should have been addressed prior to paint.

The ideal time for panel alignment procedures to begin is not after paint, but the HR&CS body ’n’ paint pro, Troy Bowden has been down this ol’ familiar road before. In the business, Troy is what we call a “combination man.” Well-versed in body and paint shop operations, Bowden possesses a full bag of tricks, not the least of which includes expert panel alignment ability. Here, as he has many times in the past, Bowden will begin by protecting the Crestliner’s pre-existing finish, just as if it had come from his own gun, as he begins restoring the Crestliner’s hinges for better door fit. At the end of this session, another shop’s work will be refined, and no one (except for us) will be the wiser.

BACKTRACKIN’ FOR GAPS

An out-of-sequence solution for bad panel alignment