33 Ford Build: 5/28/12 Fitting Door handles etc.

Today is Memorial Day and I pray that everyone who is reading this blog will take a moment and pause.............to reflect on those who are no longer with us and the meaning of this day in our great country. I think of my father flying 30 missions over Germany, one of my Uncles stringing wires on telephone poles in the South Pacific, both gone now. School friends who never made it back from Viet Nam. We owe so much to these folks and to those who are currently in the military protecting us.

Although, it may not look like there has been a great deal of progress, I was able to place the body back on the frame, again, and reinstall the doors. I need to make sure the doors are installed in their proper locations so the latches and handles will work properly. 1/8" can make a big difference in having the doors close with slight pressure or having to slam the doors closed.

In this photo I'm holding a piece of steel plate .125x1.5x2" that I'll weld on the inside of the door skin to act as a structural support for the drivers rearview mirror. I've marked in red the corner locations. The rearview mirrors can also be installed on the windshield stanchions therefore this support is only in the event I decide to place the reaview mirrors on the doors.

Prior to the actual positioning of the door handles the doors will have to be aliened. You can see that the door is almost 1/8' too low. The beltline, just above my index knuckle, is definitely not in alignment, at this time. In addition to the height adjustment I will also have to adjust the gaps between the doors and the body, which I'll discuss later.

Now, I'll drill holes close to the corners with a unibit.

This shows the general position of the passenger side rearview mirror (top red) and the location of the passenger door handle.

All of the holes for the passenger side rearview mirror and door handle have been drilled. The hole in the right background is where the passenger cowl light will be installed.