Thanks, Chem. You'll make me blush. The end gap for water to bilge flow - Great idea. How is the fuel tank hold down trick working?
JD - What I told Chem about was how to make the slider tracks. You can tell if your SS had doors or a vinyl curtain by feeling/looking under the front of the splashwell at the top where the doors would meet the splashwell. If there is a one piece double channel looking like this |_|_| - you had doors. If no channel, no problem, you can fab up some channel. I looked everywhere and couldn't find a source, but HD/Lowes have what you need to make some.
You need some "C" channel and some "L" aluminum channel. The width of the "C" should be a little wider than the door wood thickness so the door doesn't bind. The "L" isn't as critical because you can play with the spacing for a good fit.
If you don't have a top channel, first secure a length of "L" to the front of the splashwell, with the open side to the rear and flush. Using some scrap from the door cuts for spacing, mount the "C" behind the "L".
The bottom, it's the same except you start with the "C" by placing the door in the bottom channel, fitting the door top in the rear upper channel by angling the bottom toward the bow and sliding the door with the bottom channel toward the stern. Once the door is vertical, let it all rest. Then do the same with the other door, door top into the top channel, slide the bottom toward the stern and slip the "L" channel under the door bottom. After checking the doors for binding and fit, drill and screw down the channels, countersinking the heads.
If the doors are too tall, you will have trouble pushing the bottoms in to vertical. Trim the doors in very small increments because if you get them too short the tops of the doors will fall out of the upper channels. It takes some trial and error test fitting, but in the end you will have some nice sliding doors. I would wait until you get everything fitting well before painting/finishing the wood.
Here is what my doors looked like originally on splash day before any work:
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Unlike Chem, I have some honeycomb stuff between the doors. It looks nice, but a pain to work under the splashwell. It restricts access under there, but just wanted to show you a variation. You can see how the top channel is flush with the edge of the splashwell. Also, on the top of the left door, notice the white marks. The white is some plastic channel stapled to the door, same on the door bottom. It's like a slider friction reducer of sorts. Another thing I haven't been able to find. I salvaged what could. Some are using thin strips of poly cutting board on the door tops and bottoms to the ease the sliding. And one final thing. I don't know if you can see it, but the doors have a taper, wider at the top so you end up with a left and a right door.
There you have it. I didn't mean to over simplify, but I never know who might read this in the future. Hope this helps. :smile: Chapter two coming up.:facepalm:
