1975 Peugeot 304 S Cabriolet with hard and soft tops.

Yep. I know that makes sense and had thought about it but was put off by the amount of work involved in doing that.  Less work than cutting and welding again to get good panel gaps then finding they close right up when it is on its wheels. Will have to throw the suspension together tomorrow and refit it and see how it is first. Need to try and get it off the high stands I made which is a problem.
I remember years ago as a 2nd year apprentice there were cars (Morris Marina is a good example) that when they were jacked up you could not open the doors.

And just to make another suggestion - I think from memory they are a frameless door glass - I would fit it / check the the fit of the glass against the windscreen pillar too - once you get everything assembled - I know its a pain but better to identify issues at this stage rather than further down the line - and if any consolation pro's like me also come across the very same issues - in fact the MGB project in the workshop is somewhat of a handful with the quarter glass / door glass fitting currently    

Well what a day that was. Had to get the car off the tall stands which I knew was going to be tricky so took my time and lowered it a bit at a time. Leaned under to drop the axle stand another peg and the whole lot let go. Fortunately mainly in a forward direction but I was lucky. Very lucky. Had to into the house and sit down until I stopped trembling. Took me the rest of the day to sort it out.



Panel gaps did not alter in the slightest even when the car was only supported by the front and rear bumper mounts which is when I would have expected them to close up. I must have made a good job of repairing the sills if it is that strong. Will make a start on getting the subframe and suspension back on so I can get it on its wheels then ask Chris what I should do next. I suspect cutting the sills is needed but we shall see.

On a brighter note I ordered a couple of small repair panels from France on Sunday night and they arrived today. They are the rear corner sections which are the very bottom on the wheel arch, the bumper side mounting hole and the flange for the rear valance.



Hand made by a clever man who made the jigs. There are another 3 sections which include the full wheel arch in 2 sections and the panel from the door back to the arch. Initially they were examined by the leading authorities on the 304 who were not 100% happy with the profile so he went away and altered the jig so it is now perfect. He is on Leboncoin which is a sort of French Ebay and also makes panels for old Citroens and Renaults

Yes thanks for that.  I hadn't given any thought to that happening however I had thought the way forward was to support the underside of the shell with the trolley jack and a piece of timber under the cut area which should prevent that happening. Make the cut and lower the jack and hopefully the gap will then close. 

I was thinking of posting a sketch of the sill cross section and hoping Chris would weigh in with suggestions.  

Two holes cut out the boot floor to gain access to the bumper mountings which needed repairing.


New plates made up to seal the floor.



Was going ok until I ran out of gas.


Other side near enough dressed back. Might do a little more grinding to finish it off but it will be under the boot carpet and not seen. Not pretty but strong enough. Can't seem to get the weld very flat although the other side is going better.


Trying to build myself up to sorting the panel gap issue caused by the twist in the chassis which was caused by me.

Ray - Ok with your plan but - I would support the floorpan around the area that you intend to cut with type of blocks / chocks to prevent any of it folding / creasing - its going to be difficult to say if you will gain the desired movement without the centre sill section being cut - and if it kinks it could well throw the alignment of the inner & outer sill well outside of tolerance - its one of those jobs that you wont know until you try - at worst you could always take a section out of the inner sill in order to access the centre sill - a ratchet strap tensioned between the A post / door pillar and the B post / inner rear wing towards the top of the door may help in closing the aperture gaps once you get the sills cut  

Well not as much done as I wanted due to other matters needing attention and excessive heat which was killing me. Also made a balls up by cutting in the wrong place. Cut the inner and outer sills on both sides and even with the front and rear jacked up on the bumper mounts there was no movement on the door gaps. I was just about to cut a section out of the outer sill to gain access to cut the centre sill as Chris had suggested I might have to do. It was then I realised I had cut the sills above the thick seatbelt mounting plate (on the left in the picture, other one had not been welded at that time, it's an old pic) and not only that but also inline with the substantial strengthening plate in the centre of the car. (seen in red in the same pic) There was no way anything was going to move that way.



So made another cut with the same result of no movement. Then I cut a section out of the outer sill and then cut the centre sill. Lowered the jack with the 6 foot piece of 4x2 preventing the car from closing onto the slitting disc and hey presto. Movement without having to force it. Need to do the other side that way tomorrow before tweaking both sides as necessary to get the desired door/wing gaps then weld it all back together but looking better already. Would get on better if I knew what I was doing but getting there and learning as I go.

Pictures tomorrow.

I refuse to say how long it has taken me so far but getting somewhere now in sorting the door issue due to a sagging chassis. (caused by me as it happens with the car hanging upside down with inadequate bracing)
Offside is finished although working on the nearside is affecting what I have achieved so far. Can't really tighten the gap up anymore as the lock mechanism hits the leading edge of the rear wing. More to do tomorrow and determined to get this sorted this weekend so I can move on with the rest of the car.
Front wing to door will need attention, especially on the nearside but will do that after the rear of the car is done.

Thanks Chris. I have been tempted but I am a stubborn old git.  One more question for now please.
I have just about got both door gaps adjusted to where they need to be.  When I weld up the cuts in the sill is that likely to pull the gaps in a bit? 

I have an adjustable brace I can put across both door gaps to exert some pressure which would help stop them closing up but would do nothing to stop them opening up if that makes sense. 

Hopefully you will see this at lunch time as I hope to be welding them up this afternoon. Thanks.