How do you do your gaps and alignment?
 

ive done a lot of reading and watching of videos, but im still trying to learn the best way to gap and align panels. so far ive been adding metal with either a rod welded to the edge or just weld, and then grinding it back. i can get an even gap all the way down the panel, but im now looking at how to make the panel alignment perfect when sighted down the side.

so once i get the panel gap and alignment as close to perfect as possible (and i mean CLOSE), what do you guys do next? ive seen some who cover both panels and the gap with a layer of filler. then they block the entire seam, and finally cut the gap back out.

is this how most do it?

any better ways?

any good videos or youtube clips?

as long as you arent adding length to the door or fender or adding too much filler depth, i dont see how this could be bad.

any product better than another? rage, all metal????

Thanks, Tim

get as close as possible, then skim filler on each panel and block across the two panels

Jake,
How wide of a block do you use?

11 inch durablock, sometimes 16 inch durablock, block with 80/180. once happy with car all around i will poly prime together and block poly primer in same fashion, once happy i take apart and urethane prime for final wet sanding
jake

jake, if you laid a straight edge across, would it be perfectly flat, or are you just making it better. you can see in the top pic that i would have to add a little filler. would this be too much? would you tap the door edge out and try to make it even?

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_1672.jpg

here are a couple of the how the panels sat 2 years ago. i spent about 8 hours cutting the back of the fender about every inch to get it to line up with the door.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_1673.jpg

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...i/IMG_1674.jpg

here is a pic of the new built in desk for the kithcen. i spent about 3 months building the whole kitchen from scratch. i sprayed about 10 gallons of product between sealer, high build primer, pigmented conversion varnish and my clear topcoat cv. all had to be less than 4 mils total. wood cabinets are easier than a car, but it still gave me a ton of confidence to spray, now i just need to learn to bodywork metal.

http://i858.photobucket.com/albums/a...remodel037.jpg

Tim

still not sure why the pics wont show. this is the only site i have issues with. im using the [img][/img] format???????????

Weres Dan at?

obviously everyone has their own approach to making all panels flush with tight even gaps, and I don't mean to step on any toes, but welding a rod to edges of panels to adjust gaps is straight butchery in my book.

first step is to make sure the car is square and level with no frame damage ,if you have the gaps even, but panel edges are nut flush,try adjusting doors and fenders before using hammer ,but if there is no more adjustment,bump the edges to make panels even and flush,then use picks and whatever tools to make the surface smooth,I prefer using PDR tools to keep surface as little distorted as possible,then use shrinking disk to remove any high or low spots, once the panels are flush and gaps are even,prime with good epoxy primer,block the panels,skim coat,block again and prime with high-build primer,block again and prep for paint,

I'm not going to say it's the best method and everyone should do it that way,but that's just how I do it

Just curious why you say welding a rod to an edge is butchary. I've never done it, but when I get ready to do the body work on my 67 I'd like to make the gaps as nice as I can. Say for example the edge of an aftermarket door doesn't match the shape of the quarter perfectly, how would you fix that w/o adding metal to the edge and reshaping it?

if there is no way to adjust the panels for better fit, on aftermarket panels,that would be the way out, but in my previous post I was referring to factory sheetmetal,which at one point in it's life when it came off assembly line had somewhat of a fairly decent fit ,I know it wasn't perfect,but workable without welding,