Spitfire Door Detail Question

[Escadrille Ecosse]

Can anyone tell me the correct width of the window slot in the top of a Spitfire door please?

Trying to get the moulds for the carbon fibre doorshells sorted and all the complete doors I have are GRP ones and all slightly different

[Nick Jones]

19 minutes ago, Escadrille Ecosse said:

all slightly different

Have observed this with steel ones too.......  May have a relatively unmolested one partly dismantled if I can find where the Dog filed it......

[Escadrille Ecosse]

You are a gent 

[JMH]

From memory 19 mm (and slottet in both ends) - have a mk 3 nos door - will see if its different from Nick's :-) 

 

[Escadrille Ecosse]

24 minutes ago, JMH said:

From memory 19 mm (and slottet in both ends) - have a mk 3 nos door - will see if its different from Nick's :-) 

 

Excellent, thank you. Yes an interesting comparison

[Nick Jones]

Ok.... found it.  It was in the garage loft, which isn't where I last saw it.  Need some kind of ladder too, this monkey is getting a bit old......

So, one door, unmolested (not re-skinned) but well used.  The main length of the slot varies between 19 and 20mm tending to narrower at the front though I think this variation is more a sign of a hard life than design intent. 

Also each end has a section about 35mm long which is 2 - 3mm wider.

Front

rear

And a couple of wider shots to show the ends, rather spoiled by the general crustiness 

There is a reason (or several) why this door remains in stock after two restorations.....

 

 

[Escadrille Ecosse]

Nick, excellent info thank you very much indeed.

I have been putting the information from these to good use out in the garage.

[JMH]

Same here: One unmolested mk 3 door (was removed many years ago from a wrecked car: about 19 mm but varies between 19 and 20, and about 21-22 at the slotted part in both ends.

Same on a NOS mk 3 door: 19 mm and 21-22 at the ends.

[Escadrille Ecosse]

Much appreciated.