Door Alignment question

[mikepasquale1]

Im having an issue with my driver door. In order for me to close it all the way i have to lift up on the door and almost forcefully close it. The door panels are off right now so i use the window glass access holes as my lifting point.

Before i try to fix this on my own i wanted to see if someone can give me some tips.

My idea was to close it and loosen the body side lower hinge to see if it falls into place.

I get confused on how these doors are adjusted.

I get scared that i will chip paint off of the edges.

To answer potential response questions:

yes, the pins and bushings are brand new

yes the hinges were removed from the door and body side during disassembly

yes, if i lift on the door and close it, it is lined up all the way around.

no, there are no shims on the body or door side (at least i dont think so)

I just want to be able to shut it right without losing my body lines

I took a piece of masking tape and put it across the door and quarter. It is aligned when the door is fully closed.

If i dont lift on the door to close it and it just catches the striker pin, the masking tap is mis aligned by an 1/8" if not a tad more.

And when i say misaligned i mean that when the door is not fully closed, the door drops roughly 1/8"

Sorry for the repeative long posts.

So where should my adjustments be made?

 

[73vertproject]

I'll watch this thread closely, because I, too, have to lift up on my DS door to get it to close properly. They've never been off the car, and I doubt if any related parts have been adjusted or replaced.

 

[mikepasquale1]

From what ive been reading im pretty sure its an adjustment that needs to be made to the body side hinges. I just want to be sure and do this without chipping paint. Body shop didnt do so good.

 

[goodnigh]

You may need a shim under the hinges.

mike

 

[mikepasquale1]

on the body or door side?

 

[Qcode351mach]

Im having an issue with my driver door. In order for me to close it all the way i have to lift up on the door and almost forcefully close it. The door panels are off right now so i use the window glass access holes as my lifting point.

Before i try to fix this on my own i wanted to see if someone can give me some tips.

My idea was to close it and loosen the body side lower hinge to see if it falls into place.

I get confused on how these doors are adjusted.

I get scared that i will chip paint off of the edges.

To answer potential response questions:

yes, the pins and bushings are brand new

yes the hinges were removed from the door and body side during disassembly

yes, if i lift on the door and close it, it is lined up all the way around.

no, there are no shims on the body or door side (at least i dont think so)

I just want to be able to shut it right without losing my body lines

I took a piece of masking tape and put it across the door and quarter. It is aligned when the door is fully closed.

If i dont lift on the door to close it and it just catches the striker pin, the masking tap is mis aligned by an 1/8" if not a tad more.

And when i say misaligned i mean that when the door is not fully closed, the door drops roughly 1/8"

Sorry for the repeative long posts.

So where should my adjustments be made?

It's the top hinge on the hinge pillar that will need to be adjusted.. Thats whats carrying the weight if it sags down when open..You've got a bitch of a situation because the car is painted already.. Your going to have to get in from inside the fender (remove the rear splash shield) triple tape all the edges fender..rocker..qtr..door.(3 layers minimum) Your going to have to open the door NOT all the way..Keep it as close as possible to the qtr but still allowing room to get a floor jack under it (use a piece of 2x4 wrapped with a towel between the door bottom & jack) Take a measurement from the floor to the bottom of the door..Support the door with the jack..Loosen the top hinge at the pillar NOT ALL THE WAY LEAVE IT A BIT SNUG BUT LOOSE ENOUGH TO MOVE..Add 3/16" to the measurement you took..jack the door to that new measurement..Tighten the hinge bolts..SLOWLY close the door watching all the edges..It helps to have an extra person so as one jacks the other can watch the edges..You may also need a special hinge wrench or bend one to fit

Body shop didnt do so good.

You got that right !!! This stuff needs to be done BEFORE a car is painted

 

[goodnigh]

on the body or door side?

My "shim" is located between the door body and door hinge.

Lower hinge, lower bolt. The lower hinge has two bolts

on top and one on the bottom. You will need to loosen

the door's hinges and remove the lower bolt. We used

a couple of washers. There is a lot of geometry applied to

how a door lines up and this fix worked for me.

mike

 

[Qcode351mach]

on the body or door side?

My "shim" is located between the door body and door hinge.

Lower hinge, lower bolt. The lower hinge has two bolts

on top and one on the bottom. You will need to loosen

the door's hinges and remove the lower bolt. We used

a couple of washers. There is a lot of geometry applied to

how a door lines up and this fix worked for me.

mike

Mike he has a good line when the door is closed so the issue is a bit of play in the top hinge when the door is open.... even though they replaced the bushing..there can still be some play..Normally you would take that play up when aligning the door..If he use's any shims it's going to mess with the body lines gaps

 

[goodnigh]

on the body or door side?

My "shim" is located between the door body and door hinge.

Lower hinge, lower bolt. The lower hinge has two bolts

on top and one on the bottom. You will need to loosen

the door's hinges and remove the lower bolt. We used

a couple of washers. There is a lot of geometry applied to

how a door lines up and this fix worked for me.

mike

Mike he has a good line when the door is closed so the issue is a bit of play in the top hinge when the door is open.... even though they replaced the bushing..there can still be some play..Normally you would take that play up when aligning the door..If he use's any shims it's going to mess with the body lines gaps

It is not a pretty picture :s

The door should close with one click and with gentle pressure there

should be another click. New weather stripping could also play

into the picture until it settles in.

mike

 

[Qcode351mach]

It is not a pretty picture :s

The door should close with one click and with gentle pressure there

should be another click. New weather stripping could also play

into the picture until it settles in.

mike

Agreed that is how the door should shut..2 clicks..Anyway you slice it it sucks to have to deal with this issue after paint. You can bet on it that I'm going to completely assemble my car before paint..including the weather strips !

 

[not2old]

No one has mentioned hinge pins?

Alan L

 

[Qcode351mach]

No one has mentioned hinge pins?

Alan L

He did..they replaced them..I'm using the Mustang Steve pins in mine

http://www.mustangsteve.com/hinge.html

 

[mikepasquale1]

Im having an issue with my driver door. In order for me to close it all the way i have to lift up on the door and almost forcefully close it. The door panels are off right now so i use the window glass access holes as my lifting point.

Before i try to fix this on my own i wanted to see if someone can give me some tips.

My idea was to close it and loosen the body side lower hinge to see if it falls into place.

I get confused on how these doors are adjusted.

I get scared that i will chip paint off of the edges.

To answer potential response questions:

yes, the pins and bushings are brand new

yes the hinges were removed from the door and body side during disassembly

yes, if i lift on the door and close it, it is lined up all the way around.

no, there are no shims on the body or door side (at least i dont think so)

I just want to be able to shut it right without losing my body lines

I took a piece of masking tape and put it across the door and quarter. It is aligned when the door is fully closed.

If i dont lift on the door to close it and it just catches the striker pin, the masking tap is mis aligned by an 1/8" if not a tad more.

And when i say misaligned i mean that when the door is not fully closed, the door drops roughly 1/8"

Sorry for the repeative long posts.

So where should my adjustments be made?

It's the top hinge on the hinge pillar that will need to be adjusted.. Thats whats carrying the weight if it sags down when open..You've got a bitch of a situation because the car is painted already.. Your going to have to get in from inside the fender (remove the rear splash shield) triple tape all the edges fender..rocker..qtr..door.(3 layers minimum) Your going to have to open the door NOT all the way..Keep it as close as possible to the qtr but still allowing room to get a floor jack under it (use a piece of 2x4 wrapped with a towel between the door bottom & jack) Take a measurement from the floor to the bottom of the door..Support the door with the jack..Loosen the top hinge at the pillar NOT ALL THE WAY LEAVE IT A BIT SNUG BUT LOOSE ENOUGH TO MOVE..Add 3/16" to the measurement you took..jack the door to that new measurement..Tighten the hinge bolts..SLOWLY close the door watching all the edges..It helps to have an extra person so as one jacks the other can watch the edges..You may also need a special hinge wrench or bend one to fit

Body shop didnt do so good.

You got that right !!! This stuff needs to be done BEFORE a car is painted

Ya i was preety mad about that. Unfortunatley the body guy died a few weeks after the car was spprayed so theres no going back and telling him to fix it. Ill definately give this a shot. Instead of jacking the door up on its edge, do you think i would be able to take a small 2x4 (like 2 or 3 inches long and set it on its edge and jack up on the weather strip channel? Just a thought instead of risking chipping the paint. The door will shut at click 1. Click 2 will not close unless you actually reopen the door, lift and slam. I have easy access the to hinge bolts so thats not a problem. Also with the top pillar side loose, will the door still adjust even though the bottom pillar bolts are tightened? Probably a dumb question, its only 3/16 like you said. Just want to get this right one time. Thanks for all of the help. Really appreciated!

 

[Qcode351mach]

Im having an issue with my driver door. In order for me to close it all the way i have to lift up on the door and almost forcefully close it. The door panels are off right now so i use the window glass access holes as my lifting point.

Before i try to fix this on my own i wanted to see if someone can give me some tips.

My idea was to close it and loosen the body side lower hinge to see if it falls into place.

I get confused on how these doors are adjusted.

I get scared that i will chip paint off of the edges.

To answer potential response questions:

yes, the pins and bushings are brand new

yes the hinges were removed from the door and body side during disassembly

yes, if i lift on the door and close it, it is lined up all the way around.

no, there are no shims on the body or door side (at least i dont think so)

I just want to be able to shut it right without losing my body lines

I took a piece of masking tape and put it across the door and quarter. It is aligned when the door is fully closed.

If i dont lift on the door to close it and it just catches the striker pin, the masking tap is mis aligned by an 1/8" if not a tad more.

And when i say misaligned i mean that when the door is not fully closed, the door drops roughly 1/8"

Sorry for the repeative long posts.

So where should my adjustments be made?

It's the top hinge on the hinge pillar that will need to be adjusted.. Thats whats carrying the weight if it sags down when open..You've got a bitch of a situation because the car is painted already.. Your going to have to get in from inside the fender (remove the rear splash shield) triple tape all the edges fender..rocker..qtr..door.(3 layers minimum) Your going to have to open the door NOT all the way..Keep it as close as possible to the qtr but still allowing room to get a floor jack under it (use a piece of 2x4 wrapped with a towel between the door bottom & jack) Take a measurement from the floor to the bottom of the door..Support the door with the jack..Loosen the top hinge at the pillar NOT ALL THE WAY LEAVE IT A BIT SNUG BUT LOOSE ENOUGH TO MOVE..Add 3/16" to the measurement you took..jack the door to that new measurement..Tighten the hinge bolts..SLOWLY close the door watching all the edges..It helps to have an extra person so as one jacks the other can watch the edges..You may also need a special hinge wrench or bend one to fit

Body shop didnt do so good.

You got that right !!! This stuff needs to be done BEFORE a car is painted

Ya i was preety mad about that. Unfortunatley the body guy died a few weeks after the car was spprayed so theres no going back and telling him to fix it. Ill definately give this a shot. Instead of jacking the door up on its edge, do you think i would be able to take a small 2x4 (like 2 or 3 inches long and set it on its edge and jack up on the weather strip channel? Just a thought instead of risking chipping the paint. The door will shut at click 1. Click 2 will not close unless you actually reopen the door, lift and slam. I have easy access the to hinge bolts so thats not a problem. Also with the top pillar side loose, will the door still adjust even though the bottom pillar bolts are tightened? Probably a dumb question, its only 3/16 like you said. Just want to get this right one time. Thanks for all of the help. Really appreciated!

If you follow my procedure EXACTLY it should solve your problem with out damaging anything..2x4 towel wrapped around, tape it on to the 2x4 if you like..In reality you don't want the to door to really move (leave the bottom alone it will keep the position of the door ) ..because as you said your gaps & lines are perfect when the door is shut. Your issue is some play in the top hinge so all you want to do is take up that play..so when the door is OPEN, it stays in the same position..You don't jack a door on it's edge..you find a flat spot on the FRAME of the door & it should be as close as possible to the rear of the door..

 

[Go Time]

Q you are wrong Im using the mustangsally hinge pins they're better. Just kidding, good stuff on door alingment and by the way I book marked steves websight for future reference. This might need to be a future video.

 

[Qcode351mach]

Q you are wrong Im using the mustangsally hinge pins they're better. Just kidding, good stuff on door alingment and by the way I book marked steves websight for future reference. This might need to be a future video.

:goodone:

rofl

 

[mikepasquale1]

Ok cool. Im assuming your saying add 3/16 to the measurement because.i need roughly an 1/8 and once the jack is removed it will drop a little?

 

[Qcode351mach]

Ok cool. Im assuming your saying add 3/16 to the measurement because.i need roughly an 1/8 and once the jack is removed it will drop a little?

Correct !