So, now that I've completed the first wheel arch rust repair, as I mentioned, the car has had a rear end shunt in it's past, which has resulted in the rear right passenger door catching on the door frame. It doesn't affect the door shutting or opening, but it has worn away down to metal in places, so I'd like to know whether it would be possible for me to 'remove' about 2mm of the door trailing edge (in the areas ringed in blue in the photo) without compromising the door integrity or opening up a seam? I would of course repair/repaint the door trailing edge.

If you try to fix it yourself you will scratch the paint and it's not 100% for sure that the alignment would be as it was original from the factory.

Someone hit that car in the past,take a look mine, twice in the same spot.

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/527414-doors-scratched-in-my-felicia/#findComment-5930839

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/527414-doors-scratched-in-my-felicia/#findComment-5979750

You need to visit a body repair-shop.

20 minutes ago, D.FYLAKTOS said:

If you try to fix it yourself you will scratch the paint and it's not 100% for sure that the alignment would be as it was original from the factory.

Someone hit that car in the past,take a look mine, twice in the same spot.

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/527414-doors-scratched-in-my-felicia/#findComment-5930839

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/527414-doors-scratched-in-my-felicia/#findComment-5979750

You need to visit a body repair-shop.

Thanks D, but visiting a body shop is not an option. scratching paint is fine, as I have just completed a major repair on the wheel arches, I think I am capable of repairing a door edge, but my question is really, how much material would I be able to remove from the edge of the door, without compromising integrity or opening up the door seam?

Tony, I might have this all wrong, but it seems like you seem to be in a rush for cosmetic sort outs of a Bodge-it & Scarper kind, is this the project type you want to teach your son, a quick turn over for profit, motor trade like, a fur coat and no knickers job.

8 hours ago, TonyW1967 said:

it is clear that the car has had a rear end shunt in it's past, but I'm not going to get it on a jig to pull the frame straight

It's been 'it up the arse, what's the boot floor look like, how are side to side and front to back measurements, it might be the photo but there's a bit of an origami look to that rear wing, not a napkin swan but a side, rear or FBH impacts possibly - but I'm certainly no bodywork, or any other, expert and perhaps it looks better in the metal than in the photo.

11 hours ago, nta16 said:

Tony, I might have this all wrong, but it seems like you seem to be in a rush for cosmetic sort outs of a Bodge-it & Scarper kind, is this the project type you want to teach your son, a quick turn over for profit, motor trade like, a fur coat and no knickers job.

It's been 'it up the arse, what's the boot floor look like, how are side to side and front to back measurements, it might be the photo but there's a bit of an origami look to that rear wing, not a napkin swan but a side, rear or FBH impacts possibly - but I'm certainly no bodywork, or any other, expert and perhaps it looks better in the metal than in the photo.

I can understand your point, but the reason we have the car is to enable my son to get to grips with the basics of vehicle mechanics. Spending a couple of grand on getting a 5 mm crumple zone fixed, on a car that’s barely worth a quarter of that would be the wrong thing to do. I have made it clear to him that normally this type of issue would be fixed and if he were a mechanic in a garage, it would have been placed on a jig and checked for correct geometry. So, bearing that in mind, my original question still stands - is it possible to remove approximately 2 mm from those two points on the door trailing edge, without compromising door integrity, or opening the seam?

Grinding away metal from the edge of the door will almost certainly compromise the door - the door edge is folded-over before being spot-welded, any significant grinding of the edge metal will probably cause the panel to separate.

4 hours ago, TonyW1967 said:

is it possible to remove approximately 2 mm from those two points on the door trailing edge, without compromising door integrity, or opening the seam?

No. As above you'll go through the fold at that point so would either need to take more off and build it back up or bodge it for a short length with seam sealer or similar.

Edited 16 February16 Feb by skomaz

I recall that during the 1973 Heatway Rally, a competing Skoda was very badly damaged after crashing off a cliff - to get driving again, one end of the wreak was attached to a power pole and the other to a tow truck and pulled hard.

To gain only a couple of mm, how about attaching the rear towing eye to something strong and doing a snatch pull?

Edited 16 February16 Feb by Warrior193
question

...Or better still, invest in a hydraulic Porta Power pack - around £100 will get you a brand new 12 tonne one.

As has been suggested there are other ways round other than spending a couple of grand on getting a 5 mm crumple zone fixed with a jig and checked for correct geometry. You could research for those DIY methods, beg, borrow or hire some kit/tools perhaps if required or make up some stuff yourself. Some other tools can be (partially?) substituted for the proper stuff. Metal bashing is of course a skill but you're using filler already to finish.

Your son with get the basics of vehicle mechanics but not only doing some restoration but also real world use of the car where the restoration work will show up (some) compromises and issues from having an older used car and from the restoration work and parts used. Otherwise you're son is doing the work without testing it properly to learn from, perhaps leaving it for the next owner of the car to discover.

I've probably misunderstood what you wanted to achieve with this 'project', you've put you've done the wheel arches and can do the door edge so is it that you're doing all of the bodywork work at least and leaving the mechanics side to teach your son?

Thanks to all for the inputs, I think I already knew the response, but I thought it best to check. TBH, for now, my son will focus on the general mechanical aspects, outside of bodywork repairs - I was just trying to show him how basic light rust repair could be achieved - job done!

Oh, and the garage is absolutely full now, no more room for equipment purchases!

I'll leave the heavier aspect of car repairs to his college, and the car repair garage that he occasionally apprentices at! 🙂