Doors and panel gaps

The doors hang between the bulkhead and the rear quarter, over the sills that carry much of the monocoque's strength. How they sit and how they close is a structural report written in panel gaps.

Reading the fit

A door that drops on its hinges and needs lifting to close has worn hinges or a fatigued door shell. A door whose gap to the sill narrows along its length, or that sits proud at its rear edge, can indicate a sill that has moved, because the sill is what holds the two ends of the opening apart. Doors that foul the wings or the rear quarter suggest either accident repair or structure that has sagged with corrosion.

The sill connection

The E-Type's sills are deep box sections that tie the bulkhead to the rear structure. When they corrode internally, the car's torsional stiffness falls and the openings move. Doors are the visible gauge of that movement. A car with crisp door fit and good sills is a car whose structure is doing its job; the two tend to agree.

Repair done well and badly

Replacement door skins and repair sections exist and are legitimate. A poor repair shows as thick filler at the lower edges, rippled swage lines and seams that no longer follow the original path. Sound original doors, even with honest wear, are worth more than replaced ones of unknown quality, because the alloy-skinned bonnet aside, the steel doors and quarters are what rust attacks first and what paint hides best.