what should i do??i welded in lower door skins on the 1955. as i bent over the ledges i see it folded over a little short.not as wide as door.should i weld a bead along the edge with a mig or tig or weld in a thin welding rod to the edge. would not be a problem if the butt joint were not already welded in place.it looked good before the welding,but folded over a little tighter than i intended..

 

I have used 1/8th x 1/4 flat bar to narrow door gaps, that's my suggestion. You just grind off what you don't need.

 

To narrow door gaps, I have MIG & gas welded a bead along the door edge. TIG would also work.

I've found that a small pneumatic belt sander works well to get a smooth, straight edge.

Mike

 

I have used 1/8" round mild steel rod (I wouldn't use welding rod, it's a different alloy) to narrow gaps. It's the right thickness, gives a recess for the weld bead (won't grind thru it smoothing it off) and is already rounded to match door edge. The rod is available at Lowes and Home Depot if you only need a small amount.
Hint: I grind into the edge of the door to form a recessed step where I'm going to end the rod for the rod to fit into. That way I am not grinding the end of the rod to a sharp taper later on. When grinding it to a sharp taper it is much more likely to burn from the grinding resulting in a hollow or crack the weld later.

 

I used MIG to add a bead to the edges of my doors to close the gaps.

 

thanks guys,i feel better about it all . glad i am not the only one

 

After I welded the rod to the edge of the door and grinding down the weld, I blackened the edge of the door with a permanent magic marker. To make a marking gauge I routed a 1/8"x 1/4" rabit into a 2" piece of 1/4" plastic I had laying around. I stuck the 1/8" thick tongue into the door gap with the flat side against the door post and the shoulder of the rabit on the newly extended edge of the door. I slid the plastic down the door gap while holding a scratch awl against the door on the side of my gauge, which scratched a line parallel to the door post, 1/4" away. I ground the edge extension to that line with a 40 grit flap disk in my angle grinder. I then turned my gauge around and slid the full 1/4" thickness between the door and the post as a "go-nogo" gauge to verify the gap. Round over the trimmed edge of the door with a file or sanding disk, apply a little filler if needed and you're done! If you don't have a piece of plastic laying around or a router you could make a similar gauge by gluing a couple pieces of 1/8" plywood or hardboard together, off setting one edge x 1/4".

 

I believe Eastwoods sells a gauge, too. But if it can be made, money saved.