Auto body repair & detailing: car door alignment, chop top, rear pillar

Question
William,
I have a 1936 chevy sedan 2 door with a 3 inch chop. It is sitting on a stock frame with a Nova front clip. There is hardly any gap between the door and the rear pillar. There is a large gap on the top of the doors. To make matters worse, they welded the hinges to the door but not to the front pillar. Any suggestions on how to make my door gaps right?
Thanks, Jeff

Answer
You can try removing the door, and reaming the holes in the hinges bigger to allow the door to slide forward. If the hinge design doesn't allow that to happen, there is a large, special slide hammer called a pogo stick. What I'm suggesting is basically driving the hinge forward by brute force. If the body is already painted, be prepared for some touch up work. Welded hinges are a real bummer to work on, especially if the vehicle has been heavily modified. The welding process may have tweaked the body if excessive heat was applied, or perhaps the body wasn't perfectly straight when the chop top was welded on. These cars were notoriously flimsy, and the combination of the chop top, welding heat, rudimentary early car design, and the modified frame may all be contributing to the door problem. I can't really give you an accurate diagnosis without seeing the car. I am certain, however, the gap at the top is from a mis-measured door frame during the chopping process. You really can't expect them to be picture perfect, or have the fit of today's cars. Even as recent as the 1960's, Chrysler cars had gaps you could just about throw a cat through. I can't imagine what tolerances were acceptable in 1936. Heck, in 1936, oil filters and heaters were optional! Bill