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MG MGB Technical - How to reskin a door

I have a 1974 mgb roadster. How diffficult is it to reskin a door? How's it done?
Thanks
Tony
Tony Bates

Lyndsay Porter has a comprehensive description in 'Guide to Purchase and DIY Restoration etc., etc., etc.' Can't comment on the ease or otherwise, but care must be taken not to end up with a distorted frame which could be very noticeable once back in the hole, my advice is to get the book.
Paul Hunt

After doing four doors assembly-line style, I found them to be far too labor intensive, and prone to error to establish an easily repeatable process, so I gave up on doorskins and found me a local body shop that does very good work, and negotiated their rate to a couple bucks over insurance company rates - about $38 per hour plus a couple bucks for consumables and recycling. It took me a couple hours to cut the old skin, get the new one on straight and dimple-free. The shop does a door including primer and interior corrosion proofing for about $80 and it looks like NOS.
The key to doing a good job is to avoid the temptation to use the exterior sheetmetal to force the edge rolling tongs. There may be a perceptible amount of distortion over the entire surface when it is wetted, but generally, a few coats of high build sandable primer will take care of minor low spots. However, no amount of metalwork can get rid of the inevitable break, in what should be a seamless reflection, that will develop if you dent the trailing or leading edge of the door. And the concept of new doorskins is to eliminate the need for all but a spoonful of filler.... While doing a job entirely by oneself certainly has its rewards, I'd rather budget my time for blocksanding to perfection than developing a learning curve that may not net the desired results in the end. I wouldn't farm out sills/castle rails or floors because of diminishing returns on something that labor intensive. You could always negotiate to assist the body tech - generally a waiver needs to be signed, and you'll need to wear approp safety equip no matter what the employee choses for himself.
Mark Childers

Mark,
Care to give a referral to your shop? I'm going to need a door or doorskin in the future when I finally do the respray...

Cheers!
Rob Edwards

This thread was discussed between 19/10/2002 and 20/10/2002

MG MGB Technical index

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