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Door alignment Question

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jerrybny

jerrybny

Jedi Knight
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The back edge on the passenger door isn't flush the rear fender. Its alright at the top but as you progress towards the bottom the amount that the door sticks out from the rear fender increases. The front edge of the door is flush with the front fender. Is the striker the only thing that controls the alignment of the rear of the door or do the hinges also play a role in the alignment? Also is the door latch assenbly adjustable? For those who have been following my nightmare with trying to get the windows to seal will be happy to know that after replacing the winder mechnism and adjusting the channels the front half of the glass now comes up under the frame. The glass is about 3/16 inch in from the edge of the frame. However the back half still needs to be brought in some which I am hoping will be accomplished when the above door question is answered and I fix the alignment. Many many thanks to all those who have given suggestions. And Bill thanks for telling me to hang in there and that I would get it sooner or later. Your were right. I'm halfway there. And to think there were a few times I was tempted to give up. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
Yes indeed, Jerry, the doors are adjustable. But beware! You can move the edges of the door in or out with the hinges as they are set in adjustable nuts. The beware part is these things are heavy and you might need help, if they get away from you, you will be fighting to get them back right. I would remove the B-post lock mechanism (you should see that the nuts in the B-post move around) and keep your hands on the door handle for support. The big kicker is if you get them to line up (door and fender), watch up front that you don't have too close a tolerance with the front fender. My body man thought he would be smart and adjust my passenger door for me (I told him to let me do it) and he got the door too close to the front that when he opened it, he acutally bent the fender ! Again, time and patience, and a helper (wives come in handy here). Don't undo the bolts to the point that they are loose, just enough that you can move the door by bumping with your palm, like biffing a pinball machine, for those of you old enough to remember.


Bill
 
Bill the gap between the door and fenders are fine. Its just that the back edge of the door isn't flush with the fender. If you run your fingers along the rear fender you will get them stubbed when you reach the door cause it sticks out. So I am assuming that there are shimes in the hinges? Maybe I have to remove some shims from the bottom hinge? Just not sure how the hinges are gonna move the bottom of the door in towards the b post but then again there are so many things I don't know. LOL
 
No shims, Jerry. The holes that accept the door hinge bolts have floating nuts inside, I think the door has this inside. Isn't your door apart? Look inside the door cavity and look how the nuts are set up. Think about it for a moment. Door closed...bolts slightly loosened...pull top hinge corner out...bottom free corner tilts in.


Bill
 
Bill, did the same as your body man. To my disappointment I did it to my brand newly painted door skin. Chiped the paint right off that edge.
 
Your the man Bill. I adjusted the door. the rear edge only sticks out about of 1/8 inch. The bottom hinge doesn't seem to want to move outwards any more. Maybe I need to give it some gentle taps. Or its at the end of the adjustment range. Like to have it totally flush but I'm not sure thats possible with a 33 year old car. I know my body parts don't line up perfectly anymore.
 
Shove the lock catch on the B-pillar in as far as it will go.
You might recapture that 1/8".


Bill
 
Been there done that. I'm thinking that maybe there is crud preventing the hinge from moving outward any further than it has. I might try giving it some gentle taps to see. Thanks for all the help Bill. If your ever in NY I owe ya some beers or whatever. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
If the bottom of the door is sticking out then you want to bring the lower hinger in just a little. moving the top one out might bring the lower rear in also like TR6Bill said. It's also possible to "rack" the whole door, but I woulden't do that unless it was the last option.
That would be accomplished by inserting something semi-soft (like a wood block, or super duper cardboard or something) between the "b" pillar and the upper part of the door jamb, holding it open just a bit. Then give the lover corner several heavy shoves effectivly bending the door diagonally.
That's an old body-man trick. Sometimes it works.
But I'd keep trying with the hinges first. It's a bit of an art, but most likley you'll be able to get it, between the hinges and the striker.
 
When I realigned my passenger door I too was left with the bottom rear edge sticking out 1/8". Didn't know what could be wrong so I decided to remove the furflex seal to see if I could move the strike plate some more. When I closed the door after removing the seal I was shocked to see that the door was lined up perfectly. Upon re-installation of the seal the 1/8" protrusion was back. It seems that the replacement seals are too thick and cause the doors to twist slightly.
 
Another thing you can do is remove the furflex and check to make sure the lip is not bent anywhere around the door. If so, you can bend it in using a hammer and block of wood.
If you have a replacement rear fender, the fit at the bottom is not always the best. Some adjustment can be found there to help with alignment.
 
I agree with DougF. If there was no problem with the door before the door seal fuzzy strip was installed, then I would remove the it, adjust the door to normal gaps, then install the seal again paying attention to areas that cause the door to not close properly. Special attention needs to be paid to the triangular lower rear area. If the seal is to thick or not properly installed, it would cause the bottom rear portion of the door to jut out. You may need to carefully trim the seal in this area. You may also need to bend inward the metal flange the seal sits on to allow proper closing of the door.
 
banjo is correct. doors are metal and can be twisted. my dad is a retired bodyman with 45 yrs experience. you'ld be surprised at what is done for alignment! triumphs are not "cookie cutter" cars like new cars are today so you might need to fiddle. can the bottom of the rear fender be shimmed? maybe your b-post is pushed out at the top?
rob
 
After a short period of time, these seals will collapse a bit and the doors will seem to be too far in, so another adjustment will be needed. As said before tweaking is a way of life with these cars and adding new parts such as weatherstrips and seals requires a bit of tweaking to get the sum of parts to fit properly.
 
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