Elan Sprint DHC Door Shuts

[rattle36]

Can anyone help?
I have put up with this problem for more than 2 decades.
Generally, it doesn't bother me but occasionally it nags.

When shut door. The bottom edge of either door protrudes about a centimetre from the body work.
This protrusion reduces and vanishes by the time you get to the bottom of the window frame.
I cannot see that the door binds on any part of the body.
And, the gaps between the door and the bodywork seem parallel.

Is this a general problem? & if so, is there a solution.

Any help would be appreciated.

Regrds,
Richard.

[RichardS]

Hi Richard and welcome to the forum,
Don’t sell!
The door fit (or not) is actually “normal”, as discussed in this thread viewtopic.php?f=36&t=15603
My doors are not too bad, the passenger door is actually pretty flush, but my driver’s door does stick out a bit at the bottom. After 40 years ownership I have long since got used to it!
Richard

[ericbushby]

Hi Richard and welcome,
I suggest that you do not worry too much about the door fit.
After quite a lot of work on my drivers door I seem to have two options:-
I can get the door fit to look quite good, or I can close the door, but not both.
I am not prepared to cut the door to obtain a better fit so it ended up with a compromise.
Eric in Burnley
1967 S3SE DHC

[steve lyle]

Yes, it’s the nature of the beast, due to bad molds.

Very fixable if you can’t or do not want to live with it. I’ve posted here about how I’m fixing mine. See viewtopic.php?f=36&t=51822

In Buckland’s book he says that fixing it is a standard part of any serious rebuild. He also covers the fix in his book.

[rattle36]

Thanks for the information.

I am relieved that my problem is "normal" but totally boggled by the solution.

Steve's skill sets are way beyond me. So I expect that I will just have to live with it.

I will at least get in touch with a specialist such as SMS or Paul Mason to see how much they would charge for the work. I have just paid off the mortgage so something may be possible.

Richard.

[h20hamelan]

I applied some Canadian ingenuity

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=42449&start=15

I would do it again, as it has zero effect on width of door after

[steve lyle]

Thanks for the information.

I am relieved that my problem is "normal" but totally boggled by the solution.

Steve's skill sets are way beyond me. So I expect that I will just have to live with it.

I will at least get in touch with a specialist such as SMS or Paul Mason to see how much they would charge for the work. I have just paid off the mortgage so something may be possible.

Richard.

I suspect a couple of mortgage payments should do it. Let us know what you’re quoted. I guarantee you it will be less than I would charge!

[Larry C]

I recently completed a full, chassis-up restoration of my (original owner) Sprint. Following all the mechanical work, it went to a local body shop for crack repairs and repainting. The shop had done a couple of Elans in the past and suggested refitting the doors. They did a fabulous job, and they also corrected a poorly fitting headlight. It is not a job I would have considered on my own. When I had the car at the Stowe, VT "British Invasion" show last September, other Elan owners asked how I got the doors to fit so well. In my case, it came down to spending some money, but I love the appearance.

[rattle36]

Larry,

Would you be able to tell me who did the work and (roughly) how much it cost?

If you think this is an unwarranted intrusion, don't reply.

[Larry C]

Rattle,

That is hard to determine, as the door reset was only a part of the job. The body work and repaint was pretty extensive. The total cost for everything was nearly $20,000.00 USD, This article gives a brief overview, including the shop name, of the body/paint work. https://www.hemmings.com/stories/lotus-elan-sprint/ The car was at the shop for six months, though it was not worked on every day. The amount of handwork was quite extensive, with, for instance, four separate coats of primer/filler that were each hand sanded with careful scribing of lines to true the shape of the body to the intended form. One headlight bucket was completely removed, the pivot bobbins removed, and then the bobbins were reinstalled to address a poorly located alignment. I don't have a specific price breakdown on the different elements of the process. Not sure if that is helpful.