Door Skin Shape

I am starting to prep my '70 GS doors for paint. After all the metalwork completed, a coat of epoxy primer was applied. Next a thin layer of body filler was applied. After some block sanding, a straightedge was used to checked for flatness/ straightness.

The section just below the body crease is fine, except for an area behind the body crease. A large area above that, in the center half of the door is low. Attached is a picture that hopefully tells the story. My other door looks about the same.

Can someone tell me the shape that the door is supposed to be?

The gap under the straightedge is around 1/8" at the largest gap.

Thanks for your guidance.

Art

 

Thank you very much.
Art

 

You should have that door on car. If there was Damage. You should block sand fender and door together. Then after you slide straight edge up and down Fender/Door checking with your eye. Until you Like what you see. Then remove to prime. Don't forget about the invisible swoop on fender. Some have them . Some lost them. I have a secret. Way to get that invisible swoop back in those fenders . I will post pictures in a couple of weeks to show how to get them back . If your fenders are bent up a little. One of the keys is to try not to get mud in that slight depression. If you do. You must sand roll it. With a round tube (block)

 

Good Evening scubasteve455:
I don't have the doors or fenders on the car. I do believe the doors and fenders are originals. There is no evidence of any damage.
It may be that the shape of the door skins is correct, since both sides look similar. Matter of fact, the skim coat of filler may have distorted the shape to some extent.
Your pictures just may tell the story of how mine should look.
Thanks for taking the time to help me out.
If I can do anything for you, just ask.
Art

 

Art. Get some 80 grit and sand them doors then. Until all gone. Then get a black tube
Sanding block and reverse roll as you push to the left as you push forward. Then push to the right forward back spinning the black tube. It should all come out. If it dos'nt . It's a low spot

 

Remember sanding blocks take stiff hard sanding paper. And the back tube should use the 80 grit in sheet paper. That is more flexible

 

I use my soft wonder block and guide coat in body creases like the Buicks nice long strokes along the both sides of the crease the go back and 45 it both directions. Then go back and drag the tip of the wonder block thru the crease a few times lightly. To rough it in I use the air file rocked up on its edge.

I don't pull the entire panel with filler either, the lower part of the doors I will because they are always so lumpy but only after Ive hammered and dollied the lip as straight as possible. Pull just areas needed, it keeps material thickness down and , I wouldn't get in the habit of coating the entire panel with filler but that's just me

 

You cant use a straight edge to check bodywork.
You first have to know what the panel is suppose to look like.
Feel your bodywork, does it "feel" like it suppose to look?
Prime and block it next, repeat about 10 times, then while its damp, sight down the panel, does it look like it suppose to look?
Remember, its all about appearance, people don't "feel" for waves or shitty bodywork at shows, its what they "see"

 

Hugger I'm with you. I don't do it that way. But some guys load whole panel up take off. It's all in the hands! Touchy feely

 

It drives me nuts when all these big name builders slop the whole panel with mud and then cut and rely on what the quide coat tells them and not what their hand tells. To be 100% honest I don't filler on epoxy 95% of the time I prefer to put fresh grind marks down and push the first pull in tight , quality fillers are all DTM anyway. I have a much more accurate feel of my feather that way, I tell my students, if you believe primer will "fix" your low spot your wrong , sure you can manipulate the layering of the primer and i teach them how to do that , but at the end of the day primer will only be flat and straight if it's ontop of something flat and straight. I'm getting ready to go back to school here in a couple weeks and out of 130 kids I'll have 2 with the ability to "feel" bodywork, it's something you have or you don't.

 

True True

 

scubasteve455:
I trying to digest all the input received. In your Monday post, I think you are telling me to sand all the filler off using 80 grit (roll paper) on a round Durablock or something like it. Sand to the right and left rolling the block back toward me, as I push forward. Is that correct?

 

Good Evening hugger:
Fortunately, I have only put filler on one door. My gut feel now is that the basic door shape is fine. There are a few rather small high and low spots, mostly along the front and rear edges as well as the bottom. I'm not sure if the high spots can be knocked down easily on the front and rear edges. The doors are heavily supported there.
I did not see the invisible swoop that scubasteve455 mentioned. I have noticed them in a few pictures taken at the right angle though.
There are only a few sanding blocks in my collection. I will look at the wonder blocks too.
Thanks so much for your input.
Art

 

Good Evening Mark:
Once I get all the filler off, getting the surface wet and sighting down the surface is a good idea. Thanks.
I sure want this to look great when I am done. I am not in a big hurry.
Art

 

If there hasn't been any actual damage on a panel, there's just no good reason to use any filler. We restored my 70 Chevelle, and it has absolutely no filler in it.
It's a coupe, and we replaced the quarters and used lead in the roof/quarter seem, just like they came from the factory. And my 72 Stage 1 convert. that's in the middle of a frame off will not have any filler in it either.

 

I here that all the time but it's impossible to do that. That one body seam yea you can lead and metal file , I'm sorry I've done entirely to many cars to believe it being "straight" and not use filler, it's simply not possible.

All the stamp imperfections around the corners, the GS hood is a mess behind the scoops, the bottom of the doors,1/4s in front of the tire, the tops of 70/72 fenders are always wavy etc etc. All those factory imperfections can be left sure , and I have no problem with leaving those factory blemishes and waves, but while "showroom correct" it will be far far far from straight.

 

But answer one of your questions on the high spots around the perimeter of the door , yes there generally isn't anywhere for the metal to go without using a heat gun or my goto the propane torch, but that's more advanced stuff that you can get in a mess with in a hurry!. So I would recommend a fresh metal file an or a fresh 36 grit grinder and simply remove some of the material, metal file is easier and preferred.

 

Art b I mean block door with a durablock 24" or longer and sand of mud 80grit
When thoroughly sanded. The invisible valley ( low spot ) should have mud in it
Almost see through. And a little more hacker hear or there. Then sand out low spot
With a tube (80) grit. You will know where the low spots are when your done. When you think your finished. Get a kitchen paper towel. Put your hand on it. Close your eyes and move your hand all over panel slowly. You will then feel what you can't see

 

Art that low spot should start at the left above the middle of the door and work it's way down across the door almost I have green tape on my door. Car is white. You will get snow blind . Trying to see it. So I marked it.