need advice on aligning my door

[19mike69]

when i bought my 69 chevy,i noticed that on the drivers door where it bolts to the hinge there was a washer on each bolt on the top hinge.The washers were in between the hinge and the door,hence pushing the actual spot where the door will be towards the jam on the latch side.But there were no washers on the bottom,and to tell you the truth it was fairly straight.I dont even know why it was like this to begin with.
Well,after messing with it today i cannot get it figured out.I tried to put washers on both top and bottom hinges to even it out but now it is too far towards the latch side of the jam.But if you take the washers out completely it is too far forward,does anybody know why it is like this?
Was there some sort of spacer in there to begin with?Im wondering if i will just have to go with a thinner washer because the ones im using are pretty thick

[Blue_71]

there is an adjustment at the cowl and at the door, the door adjustment pushes it in and out, cowl pushes it back and forwards

[JimKshortstep4x4]

Normally you would not have to have a spacer between the hinge and the door. Folks do this because it is easier than loosening the three bolts on the cowl. There is a special wrench available that helps with loosening the cowl bolts but it is still a chore.

I suspect that if you loosen the cowl bolts there is enough adjustment to put the door where you need it and the washers will not be needed.

Good luck!

Jim

[19mike69]

Jim....im wondering if i have to take off the front fender to get to those bolts....the cowl is already off....guess i need to go look

[superfly68]

i'm interested in learning more about this too! i have been running w/o a driver side seal for about a year now because i spent 2 days trying to align that d*mn door. i am about to take it to a shop and have them do it but i'd rather learn and do it myself.
basically, my door is leaning in at the top and pinching the seal and it won't allow me to lock the door.
SO, do you need to take off the fender or what's the name of this wrench? how do you pro guys out there get everything lined up so straight?

[JimKshortstep4x4]

I don't remove the door to adjust it, although when assembling a cab it is a lot easier to adjust the doors before the fenders are installed. I will post a picture of the wrench that I have. It is a Snapon but it could possibly be made from an "S" wrench. I think that the Snapon wrenches are selling for around $60.

Jim

[7T1BURB]

as Jim says is (at best) a time-consuming (and sometimes a frustrating) chore. Realigning doors with the front end installed using the "S" (offsett) wrench (9/16ths) make the job just a bit easier but it still is a major pain......With the front end removed (cowl, hood, fenders, etc. the job should result in as near to factory alignment as possible........ After removing the front end during "Project BURB", I aligned doors and then drilled three (3) 1/8th inch "guide holes" through each hinge into the cowl and door where the hinges mount. If ever I need to realign for whatever reason, I insert a 1/8" rod into each "guide hole" to re-align the hinges to the proper setting. After final realignment, I seal the guide holes to prevent water seeping into them and causing rust. This whole realignment procedure is all for naught if the hinge pin bushings are shot (bad bushings are evident when you can "lift" the door up and down by lifting at the lower rear corner of the door....ALWAYS replace worn busings...low cost) .....It is evident the P/O has used washers to shim the door into some type of alignment that it evidently incorrect. Good Luck with your project....hope this helps.

7T1BURB

[70c10]

This is a good thread. Do you buy the hinge pin bushings at the Chevy dealer or local parts store?

[7T1BURB]

...purchase of new hinge pin bushings should be from one of the many quality vendors that support our hobby and are listed on this board......yes, you can also get bushings @ Chevrolet or most any quality parts store outlet....once again, this is just my personal opinion. PS: Be sure that the pins themselves show no signs of wear also!! New pins are again realitively inexpensive and putting new bushings on old pins may not help solve the door alignment problem. Hope this helps!

7T1BURB

[JimKshortstep4x4]

Here is a picture of the Snapon "S" tool that I use for adjusting the doors. It is 9/16" on both ends and the part number is S 9616.

Jim

[JimKshortstep4x4]

Here is a picture of the wrench on one of the door hinge bolts. The curves allow you to get around the hinge. It is still tricky but adjusting the doors can be done.

Jim

[crazy4chevs]

Any before and after pics of this process. This is one of the biggest problems ive been having! Is it better to try this without the striker in place? This could be in the FAQ section.

[JimKshortstep4x4]

When I install a door, the latch is in place and I install the striker
with 3-4 shims. the striker is set high so that it will hold the door up and out. I cut a piece of cardboard 3"x30" and lay it on the rocker. The cardboard will shim the door for the approximate clearance that you need on the bottom of the door. The front hinges are installed onto the door first when there are no fenders.

Installing the door is easy then, since you can set it on the cardboard and latch the one end. the tricky part is guiding the front upper hinge into place so as to clear the sheet metal joint.
Once the door is in place it is just a matter of getting the best fit by adjusting the hinges and striker.

If the fenders are on, then I install the hinges onto the cowl first,
before bolting them to the door. Adjustment of the door with the fenders on is more difficult and you need a wrench similiar to the Snapon.

Jim