Well, guys....in 1980, new front MGB wings didn't fit properly. They were already a mess because the press tools were worn out. Until around 1975, the joints and imperfections were leaded, which made a huge difference. My 74B had a lot of leading around the front wing edges which I wanted to keep, so I just replaced the lower halves behind the front wheels. The drivers door was a bit marginal. No holes but some inner skin corrosion on the lower edge. I knew that a new door wouldn't fit right. So I took some plumb readings around my door, went to the local MG specialist and he let me measure every drivers door in stock. Every one measured different, and none were close to my original.
It turns out that you have to split the spot welds in the door, then twist the outer skin around the inner panel to fit, then reweld it. The doors on my 1980 were a terrible fit from new, as was the paintwork. The problem is the MGB door hinger are over engineered, with limited in and out movement. Fitting a freshly painted door to a freshly painted shell, is an absolute nightmare.
The curvature of the leading edge of the door is pretty much fixed, so the only way to get a decent fit is to work the top part of the wing curve. The lip on the wing rear edge is close to the door, so a decent fit is very time consuming.
Last edited by DaveW; 10/10/23 10:12 AM.
