Well, I am back to working on my Gran Sport and need some info. I plan on painting the car together and want to align the doors prior to painting.

I have a Buick body service manual and can find every thing to do with doors but the actual measurements of the gaps. The only real two I need are from the door to quarter and door to rocker.

It is a '65 Convertible, any of you guys have this info?

I do believe its 3/16. Thats what I am triing to get on my chevelle convertible. I asked a bunch of people and acully measured two seperate cars and 3/16 seems to be the norm. I have access to a lot of 65 GP parts. I have really good rear seat that is an awsome daly driver(i you know someone who may be interested). Shoot I have a whole car availible. The guy I get the stuff from sells the parts cheap.

3/16" along the bottom as well? I had an exmple sitting in my driveway but I wasn't thinking about it when I sold it a few days ago! Thread from Bench Racing on my Skylark (click here) (http://www.chevelles.com/forum/ultimatebb.php/topic/2/26250.html)

The alignment is a no brainer,the only thing I am thinking about is overall height. Because I want the doors nailed down before paint, and the vent window has so little adjustment.

I am probably overthinking this being the body lines on the door will set the height. I have done many of these cars, but it has been 15 years since the last one!
God how time flies.

People on here have mentioned two stir stcks tapped to the bottom of the door gets you in the ball park.

Oops grand prix not grand sport sorry!!

I would have to agree that the bodylines and door skin top will set the height of the door reguardless of how large the door to rocker gap is. I have worked on some of the mid 60's buicks and I'd bet 3/16 would be right on from what I remember of them. The door to rocker gap could end up anywhere but I think the buicks, oldsmobiles, and pontiacs of this area seemed to align well- unlike some examples like the first generation Camaros and Firebirds.

Brian, so what's the plan? Get all the metal work and blocking done and disassemble for painting the jambs? The last one I did was indexed with an 1/8" drill bit before disassembly, it went together as easy as pie. Didn't have to slide the panels around at all. I made some alignment pins from 1/8" rod.

I could have indexed with a drill be never have had the need. But when something is apart for a number of years, it may not be a bad idea. smile.gif I did the car just as I suggest all the time. One panel at a time, strip, bodywork, prime, block, prime. Then the jambs were painted, now it will just need assembly, a final sand and paint.

I just remembered something, the fender "gills". I think I found that the fender gills have to be installed before the fenders are hung. It sounds like I may be painting it as GM did, with the front sheet metal off. Damn!

See, the thing is, if I was doing it at work I would paint it apart, no problem. With two booths to work with, and a few days......

But to drive it in there on a saturday, painting it complete is almost a necessity. Bob, I am going to have to re-think this.

I have an idea for you MARTINSR. I am a former collision tech myself & have done many a show car project. Not sure if this will work for you or not but worth a mention. On my 87 Monte SS I wanted to paint the car w/ NO tape lines ( it's black also ). What I did was line up all the sheet metal w/ car in final primer. I was replacing pins & bushings in door hinges @ same time also. When lining up panels I did it w/ new pins slid in place but not hammered in to knurled area. I did all my final alignment & removed doors for painting by removing hinge pins w/ hinges attached ( I did spray under hinges first though ). What this allowed me to do was spray jamb area & back of fender / hinge pillar area w/ no tape lines while painting rest of exterior. I then painted doors inside & out w/ NO tape lines. It worked really well & also did this on a 68 Camaro as well. Hope this helps, JOHN

I needed to add this. What I meant was during painting the hinges were still bolted in proper place from aligning. All you have to do after painting is drop hinge pins in place & your panels are still perfectly aligned. JOHN

I am a former collision tech myself & have done many a show car project. Not sure if this will work for you or not but worth a mention. On my 87 Monte SS I wanted to paint the car w/ NO tape lines ( it's black also ). What I did was line up all the sheet metal w/ car in final primer. I was replacing pins & bushings in door hinges @ same time also. When lining up panels I did it w/ new pins slid in place but not hammered in to knurled area. I did all my final alignment & removed doors for painting by removing hinge pins w/ hinges attached ( I did spray under hinges first though ). What this allowed me to do was spray jamb area & back of fender / hinge pillar area w/ no tape lines while painting rest of exterior. I then painted doors inside & out w/ NO tape lines. It worked really well & also did this on a 68 Camaro as well. Hope this helps, JOHN

Like duh! How did I do that?

Brian, forget about the Buick I wanna see that 48!
Give me some inspiration to get my 49 done

Eric, that is why the Gran Sport is being worked on! I was out cleaning the yard and I stood there looking at my truck, then I realized, this December, I will have owned it 30 years!

I told my wife, that is it, I am putting some paint on the Gran Sport, giving it to my son and getting back to work on the truck. This January I want to post some pictures of me working on it in the same poses as the ones I aways post when I was 16! smile.gif
http://members.aol.com/buickfam/sectioning.jpg

Brian, I don’t have the 1965 Fisher Body Manual, but for comparison I do have the 1967 manual. I realize that fenders, doorskins and everything else was restyled for ’66 and carried over into ’67 with very minor differences. All the A-bodies used a swing-in type hinge where the leading edge of the door swings inward of adjacent body metal.

Gaps are given (for the ’67 models) as follows:
Chevelle 5/64”
Lemans 1/16”
Cutlass 5/64”
Skylark 3/32”

They can be no closer, but each can be opened up an additional 1/16”

Those are the figures for '67s; the '65s likely are different. If somebody has a 1965 Fisher Body Manual then you will be working with known correct figures. Just thought I’d add my 2 cents.

Your truck has a mild chop,no? Looks good.

Thanks Cam, I think with what I have gotten here I'll be on my way.

Yes the top is chopped 4" as well as the cab sectioned 2.5 inches.