MDA body fitting questions...

[Sam Thomas]

Hi all,

I know its probably been discussed to death, but ive been doing lots and lots of reading and find my self in a bit of a confused state. With regards to the build process, i've read it goes in the following sequence....

1- cills
2 - front clip (aligns with the front edge of the cill)
3 - rear clip (aligns with the rear edge of the cill)
4 - spider
5 - doors

Ive just been in the garage, tinkering, and its seams to be a pain in the bum (this will come as no surprise to many of you). Ive put the cills on (used the chassis as a datum), then mounted the front clip, one side of the clip is perfectly aligned with the cill, the other side sits 20mm further forward than the cill. Ive used a 6ft level across the door mounting points to see where the front clip lands, both are pretty much level with the level.

I'm not sure the sequence above is the correct. Ive got a limited copy of the MDA build manual (no pics) and is suggesting the build process going like this;

1 - spider
2 - rear deck
3 - front section
4- doors
5 - cills

Im curious to know what method you used, as most of the measurements dont line through. i appreciate they are a pig, and originally were "thrown" together, but as the cars are our pride and joy, then perfection is what we want.

FYI, the front and rear sections are MDA, the spider, doors and cills are Lee Dawson. The rear deck has the gulf arches fitted, which means the cill end 25mm shorter than what the need to be (i have the extenders for the cills to meet the new location of the gulf arches).

Any tips, tricks, advice is greatly appreciated... i dont want to cut something i shouldn't.

 

[Ian Anderson]

If you have a screen place it in the spider as that may ”adjust” the way the spider sits and thus meets the other pieces.

I believe the second sequence is more “normal”

Ian

 

[JP Verweij]

Spider with doors first, youll need windscreen also as its part of the spider and keeps the spider in shape.
Front & rear clip second. Sills at last.

 

[Mike Pass]

Lee Dawson's bodies fit together well once you have them in the correct position. I have helped to fit a few to SGTs. The method I use is this. Bolt the spider down and check the screen fits OK. If you just clamp it will move and that will drive you nuts. Set the front and rear suspension so it is equal from the car centre line on both sides. fit the front clip so it sits snug against the spider and use blocks to set it to the correct height at the front. Use a plumb bob or a weight on a string and hang it from the centre of the wheel arch on both sides and measure the distance from the vertical string to some fixed point on the suspension. If it is the same both sides then the clip is centred. If it is different then move the spider by elongating the mounting holes and bolt down again. Check the windscreen fit. Repeat until the front clip is sitting equal on both sides and the screen fit is good. Repeat this process with the rear clip. Then both clips will be centred. Next fit the doors. A very tedious process of fitting, checking and adjusting until they fit well all round. The sills usually fit well but they are the easiest things to alter if needed. This should get you to near 5/8mm gaps. Your body should be fairly near as it fitted OK when it was painted Gulf livery before Jack changed it to matt Strathaven livery.
Hope this helps,
Cheers
Mike

 

[Sam Thomas]

Lee Dawson's bodies fit together well once you have them in the correct position. I have helped to fit a few to SGTs. The method I use is this. Bolt the spider down and check the screen fits OK. If you just clamp it will move and that will drive you nuts. Set the front and rear suspension so it is equal from the car centre line on both sides. fit the front clip so it sits snug against the spider and use blocks to set it to the correct height at the front. Use a plumb bob or a weight on a string and hang it from the centre of the wheel arch on both sides and measure the distance from the vertical string to some fixed point on the suspension. If it is the same both sides then the clip is centred. If it is different then move the spider by elongating the mounting holes and bolt down again. Check the windscreen fit. Repeat until the front clip is sitting equal on both sides and the screen fit is good. Repeat this process with the rear clip. Then both clips will be centred. Next fit the doors. A very tedious process of fitting, checking and adjusting until they fit well all round. The sills usually fit well but they are the easiest things to alter if needed. This should get you to near 5/8mm gaps. Your body should be fairly near as it fitted OK when it was painted Gulf livery before Jack changed it to matt Strathaven livery.
Hope this helps,
Cheers
Mike

Great responce. Thank you! Problem is, the cills/spider/doors were MDA, but jack replaced them with Lee Dawson parts as they a loads lighter, so will all need adjusting again. With regards to bolting the spider down, where do the fixings go? I know the ones at the bottom of the B posts, but what about along the front section?

 

[Randy V]

I did a rudimentary alignment on the suspension front and rear. Got the wheelbase to measure 95" with close Caster/Camber/Toe settings. Then placed the spider loosely on the chassis, then the rear clip - centering the arches over the rear axle centerline. Then the front clip - making sure the arches were over the front spindle centerlines with the steering locked straight ahead. I found that the body was not perfectly symmetrical (as have most others here) and I had to make some adjustments. The sill covers did not match the front or rear clip exactly - but I made them fit. You may have to as well..
A lot depends upon the manufacturer of the body as well as the chassis. The molds were splashed off of 1008 in my case (so I was told by RCR). 1008 had been crashed and repaired so the left side of the car was actually shorter than the right side of the car by roughly 5/8-3/4"..

 

[Chris]

I did a rudimentary alignment on the suspension front and rear. Got the wheelbase to measure 95" with close Caster/Camber/Toe settings. Then placed the spider loosely on the chassis, then the rear clip - centering the arches over the rear axle centerline. Then the front clip - making sure the arches were over the front spindle centerlines with the steering locked straight ahead. I found that the body was not perfectly symmetrical (as have most others here) and I had to make some adjustments. The sill covers did not match the front or rear clip exactly - but I made them fit. You may have to as well..
A lot depends upon the manufacturer of the body as well as the chassis. The molds were splashed off of 1008 in my case (so I was told by RCR). 1008 had been crashed and repaired so the left side of the car was actually shorter than the right side of the car by roughly 5/8-3/4"..

Yep, I did similar with mine which is a Tornado body on to a one off chassis. I made everything adjustable (permanently) so that any fine adjustments could be made at any point, including after painting. This proved to be very valuable! It does all take time. Andy Sheldon at Tornado gave me good advice - take your time and keep going until it's right! It was a bit of a pain but I am pleased with the results!

 

[Mattias]

Hi Sam,

This is probably not providing any help, but maybe some moral support. I also have an MDA (MDA only) bodywork. I can only confirm that the front clip is a bit off. If you manage to achieve a descent fit on one side, the other side will be off by about 20 mm. I would say that the piece just below the A-pillar, that you show in your pictures with the ruler is close to being ok. The problem is in the lower part of the front clip. I haven't settled on this yet but I think it can be fixed bu cutting/moving the section behind the front wheel on the right side. Unfortunately I don't have any good pictures showing the problem but I can confirm what you are experiencing.
Lind regards,
Mattias

 

[Morten]

None of these bodies are eaqual length left/right side. They mount slightly askew on the chassis.

 

[joe]

Fran at RCR explaining a few things that may apply.