The door is both a structural and an aesthetic component, carrying the drop glass, quarterlight, winder mechanism, lock, seal, and all associated trim, so a door that fits poorly, seals badly, or has corroded beyond repair affects both the usability and the appearance of the car. On any car in regular use for decades, the doors are subject to constant stress from opening and closing, moisture ingress through worn seals, and corrosion at the lower edges and inner skins where water collects. The door is an outer skin folded around the edges and welded to an inner door frame that carries the hinges, latch, lock, window lift, and trim mountings.
Door Assemblies & Skins
Complete door assemblies are available for both Roadster and GT in right and left hand fitments, supplied as bare shells ready for fitting out. The assemblies are for 4-synchro push-button door handle cars from 1968 onwards, which is also the specification shared by the MGC, while 3-synchro cars used a different door assembly that is not directly interchangeable, though the skins can be modified around the handle and lock area to fit early pull-handle Roadster doors. Door skins are available in reproduction and Heritage-pressed specifications where the inner door structure is sound but the outer panel has corroded, retaining the existing hinges, locks, and trim mounting points. Skin corrosion is most common at the lower edge where moisture accumulates inside the door, and at the leading edge from stone damage.
When replacing a skin, the internal stiffening panel and anti-drumming pads should also be renewed to eliminate the hollow, tinny sound of an unstiffened door, and skilled bodywork is required for a high-quality result.
Hinges, Pins & Check Straps
Door hinges are available in standard and click-stop versions, the click-stop hinge holding the door at a set angle during entry and exit to prevent it swinging back against the occupant, introduced from September 1976 and retrofittable to earlier cars. From September 1976 hinge quantities were reduced from two per side to one standard hinge plus one click-stop hinge, and hinge screws differ between the shorter hinge-to-door and longer hinge-to-body lengths. Door hinge pins are a common wear item that causes the door to sag at the trailing edge, making it progressively harder to close and eventually causing it to scrape the sill, and replacement pins restore correct alignment. Check straps limit the angle to which the door opens, protecting the hinges and front wing edge, and stretch and eventually detach with age.
The door hinge buffer protects the body when the door opens to full extent.
Seals & Tools
The outer weatherstrip seals the top of the drop glass against wind and water, and door shut finishers in stainless steel are available for the GT. Door seal kits supply the quarterlight seals, drop glass seals, and associated weatherstrips, with the main door aperture seal ordered separately. A weatherstrip clip tool allows the seal retaining clips to be removed and installed without marking the rubber or channel.