Concertina Doors - some thoughts

Concertina doors are a novel feature of the milk-float special but I don't like three aspects of the way these were coachbuilt: Firstly, the necessary central pillar in the door creates a blind spot in the middle of the driver's window. Secondly, the top of the door window does not line up with the top of the quarterlight, which is rather ugly. I am going to raise the height of the doors to correct this. Thirdly, the way the doors open inwards meant that the coachbuilder could not include the moulding line, visible on the scuttle, as it would snarl up the hinge. I need to find a hinge which expands as it opens - to accommodate the moulding, which is a distinctive aestheic feature of the J-Type.

Nb, I have subsequently played with the doors and think that a mould line could actually be included after all and was probably not done originally just to save time.





I had considered reversing the hinges and having the doors concertina outwards, which would have the added advantage of giving greater room within the cab; a passenger will find this cab extremely cramped as, unlike a van, this cab does not open back into a cargo area, and as the engine takes up lots of cab-space. The doors could then have been secured back against the rear of the cab...and would have stuck out less far even than the wings, thus making them safe. But I want greater authenticity than that. I need doors which open inwards but can still accommodate the protruding moulding lines. Suggestions would be appreciated.

Click here for more about my plans for the 101