Thread: 41 willys door's wont alighn

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Well, probably the problems both of you are having is due to a couple of things. First of all, as I mentioned in my earlier post, early cars were not nearly as well put together dimensionally as modern cars. You have to remember these were for the most part put together by hand, using the tools and technology of the day, and in no way can they be compared to a car put together using modern day technology. Gaps and overall measurements varied greatly on these old cars we love so much.

Secondly, I think in the case of this '41 Willys, it has had a rich history and sometime in it's life probably met the same fate as many of it's Brothers........it was turned into a drag gasser. The methods used by the early racers were not exactly precision, the goal was to git r done by any means possible. Speed came first, looks and fitment came second. I would guess the floor and firewall were modified by pretty much eliminating them and new ones welded in to allow engine setback and lightening. I would bet money the body was never squared up on a proper jig before it underwent the surgery and subsequent replacement of those parts.

In any event, this is a very special car, both from the stand point of the Family history, and also in the kind of car it is. All steel '41 Willys are among the coolest and most elusive cars out there.............we all want one. My suggestion to you is to have a professional rod shop (a good one........there are lots of flakes out there) look at it and give you an opinion of what needs to be done to make it right. Or perhaps you are up to the task. I don't know your credentials rod-wise, but what needs done is to take the body off of the frame and affix it to some sort of jig so that it can be measured and if needed cut apart and redone in a square manner. I think the floor is the offending item and was probably put in not square (longer slightly on the one side, thus forcing the door jam wider)

I also don't know how much you can or want to invest in the project, but this car will be a high dollar one when done, if the work is performed correctly. These are getting out of reach pricewise, and have been that way for quite some time.

Don

BTW, our Bob Parmenter is sort of up your way, maybe he can recommend a shop that would be fair to deal with.