3rd set of doors still not right..

[OrrieG]

Originally Posted by samples45

So if I can get the door flush with the cab all the way around and the body lines straight that tells me it's not a cab issue or door it's in the hinges.

Been lurking, but that is good news. It takes patience, something MartinSR has not said is that very small movements at the hinge translate to large movements at the opposite diagonal corner. You might also consider making a jig like mine to keep the weight off of the hinges while adjusting. I went thru the same drill as you, I seem to recall a couple of weekends to get the door gaps and alignment right.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by OrrieG

Been lurking, but that is good news. It takes patience, something MartinSR has not said is that very small movements at the hinge translate to large movements at the opposite diagonal corner. You might also consider making a jig like mine to keep the weight off of the hinges while adjusting. I went thru the same drill as you, I seem to recall a couple of weekends to get the door gaps and alignment right.

Very true. The longer the distance between the two the more it is multiplied.


Brian

[samples45]

That's a good ideal on the jig. I know I need to get the front top of the door to come out and the bottom rear to come in. If I can get the top front to come out then the back will follow and come in.. Do y'all happen to know where I should adjust to get the top to come out? Maybe if I can eliminate on what to adjust and what not to adjust for the top front door could probably help me

[MARTINSR]

Honestly, never used a rack or jig in my life. I have tried them, they cramped my style.

I put my knee under the door like this to install and lift it.







If I need to lower it, same thing. But usually moving the top or bottom forward or back is where the fine tuning comes in and that you need to do it by hand anyway.

Don't sweat having special tools, just do it. Not knocking anyone who uses them, we are all different. I am simply saying for the newbe, this is one thing special tools aren't needed. Been doing this stuff for 40+ years without a lot of the specialty tools out there. Again, this isn't to say there are GREAT specialty tools, oh heck yeah, this just isn't one of them.

Brian

[Coupeguy2001]

get a friend to help, and take the hinges off, and try just placing the door against the cab, and see if you can jockey it so it lines up. If not, the curves on the door and the cab don't match.

[OrrieG]

Those Sunbeam doors are light compared to a TF!

[hotrod1]

Originally Posted by OrrieG

Those Sunbeam doors are light compared to a TF!

We need to figure out a way to lighten up these doors.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by hotrod1

We need to figure out a way to lighten up these doors.

LOLOL, you guys, that makes no difference in whether you can use the tip or not. I have done it this way for 40 years. I have installed doors by myself like this on everything from Model A's, 68 Camaros, 55 Chevy pickups, 78 Cadillacs, (ok, they need a little more help ) 2010 Camrys I have used it on about every car every day on the job for all those years. Lately, we are talking installing newly painted doors on a year old $40k car, not a problem!

It must be my muscular body.


Brian

[samples45]

Update, after some tweaking herers the passenger side.

[samples45]

Originally Posted by samples45

Update, after some tweaking herers the passenger side. Attachment 1505442

Attachment 1505443

Attachment 1505445

Sorry for the sideways pics..

[samples45]

Drivers side pretty much looks the same I would upload pics but they will just be sideways to... I'm thinking about putting the door bumpers on and the weather stripping to see if that keeps the top back from closing to far and then try to get the bottom rear to go in, what do y'all think?

[ndeep]

Seems to fit about as well as they ever do. now the real fun begins to make them fit as well as they should.

[samples45]

Originally Posted by ndeep

Seems to fit about as well as they ever do. now the real fun begins to make them fit as well as they should.

Lol well it's taken me forever to get to that point..

[samples45]

If you look at the bottom two pics you can see how it's sunk in towards the top but slightly sticking out at the bottom

[dwcsr]

Push the bottom in and see where you end up at the top. Forget about the corner line up I can see from the picture its off and you may have to redo it.

The gap on the dog leg of the door it typical and I would not worry about it till the end, you may just have to weld on an edge to built it up..

Is your door latch and striker bolted in? if not it should be

[samples45]

[QUOTE=dwcsr;7507281]Push the bottom in and see where you end up at the top. Forget about the corner line up I can see from the picture its off and you may have to redo it.

The gap on the dog leg of the door it typical and I would not worry about it till the end, you may just have to weld on an edge to built it up..

Is your door latch and striker bolted in? if not it should be[/QUOTE

When I push the bottom in flush the door just goes in more at the top, I know there's suppose to be the door stoppers on the cab I didn't know if that would help?

[dwcsr]

keep the top hinge in place and then loosen the bottom hinge and push it inward so it pivots on the top hinge and swings the top door hoop out and bottom in, For now worry about the top alignment and then once it all looks good from the belt line up look at the bottom. You want the upper door frame looking good all the way from the belt line to belt line. I really think your corner is not in position so look at that last.

The arrows in the picture is where I think its to flat. It should look more like the door.

[samples45]

Originally Posted by dwcsr

keep the top hinge in place and then loosen the bottom hinge and push it inward so it pivots on the top hinge and swings the top door hoop out and bottom in, For now worry about the top alignment and then once it all looks good from the belt line up look at the bottom. You want the upper door frame looking good all the way from the belt line to belt line. I really think your corner is not in position so look at that last.

The arrows in the picture is where I think its to flat. It should look more like the door.

I can get the top looking good if I just pull the door out so it meets the cab but then the door sticks out further at the bottom. I had to replace the bottom hinge poket the steps and cab corners so no telling what I might of got out of line.. I was wanting to get the door close before I install the bear claw latches..I have a feeling the problem is in the bottom hinge poket, repop hinges, I don't think the cab is out of whack. I put the door on with no hinged and it looked good, I put the door on with the top hinge only and still looked good, put the bottom hinge on the probelms start

[samples45]

Originally Posted by dwcsr

keep the top hinge in place and then loosen the bottom hinge and push it inward so it pivots on the top hinge and swings the top door hoop out and bottom in, For now worry about the top alignment and then once it all looks good from the belt line up look at the bottom. You want the upper door frame looking good all the way from the belt line to belt line. I really think your corner is not in position so look at that last.

The arrows in the picture is where I think its to flat. It should look more like the door.

Look at post 8 that you put earlier that's what it looks like when I get the top looking decent.. Like you said may have to bend a hinge out

[MARTINSR]

That passenger door still looks too low. It looks like the whole thing needs to go up.

Brian

[dsraven]

I don't know if this is the proper way but when I do door adjustments I do it with the door latch nader pin removed (in this case it would be the part on the door opening) so the latch isn't repositioning the door as the door closes. that way you get a real fit and the latch doesn't wear out in a year. a jig like orrieg's would be great to have but I have never had that luxury and have managed, probably thought it would take too much time to build but in reality it would have been less time adjusting the doors even including that fab time. when all done it may be a good idea to drill a small hole next to the hinge bolts and install a couple of pins or a screws. that way you can remove the door for bodywork and when you install it again there is a reference point.

[samples45]

Originally Posted by dsraven

I don't know if this is the proper way but when I do door adjustments I do it with the door latch nader pin removed (in this case it would be the part on the door opening) so the latch isn't repositioning the door as the door closes. that way you get a real fit and the latch doesn't wear out in a year. a jig like orrieg's would be great to have but I have never had that luxury and have managed, probably thought it would take too much time to build but in reality it would have been less time adjusting the doors even including that fab time. when all done it may be a good idea to drill a small hole next to the hinge bolts and install a couple of pins or a screws. that way you can remove the door for bodywork and when you install it again there is a reference point.

I'm putting bear claw latches on but installing them backwards. I'm putting the latch on the cab and the striker bolt on the door. When you run power windows and door poppers I hear this is the best way to do it. I have not installed the latches yet I thought getting the door closer would be better first but it sounds like I need to weld the latch in, i fear of not getting them in the right spot but I guess there is only one spot to put them and that's where the factory ones went. I'm trying to get the door even with the cab I didn't wanna put the latches in and then have to tweak the doors and they not line up or something goes bad. The door sucks in way to far starting a little under the door handle and all the way up. If I install the latches and maybe the weather stripping and door stoppers it will keep it from goin in but then the door would stick way out at the bottom.

[dsraven]

if the door is at the proper depth near the top hinge but is too far in at the top and too far out at the bottom you may be able to just loosen the bottom hinge on the pillar and move the hinge in a small amount. that will kick the door out at the top and in at the bottom. if the door skin doesn't match the cab or fender contour you will still have an issue though. if you have more than 1 set of doors do a template of the door contour of all the doors and compare. if they are all the same, or close, then the cab could be the culprit. you can cut the cab skin inside the door opening and move the skin out to match the door (after the door is adjusted as good as you can get it)

[Coupeguy2001]

You might see if you can find another truck that you can look at the doors.
I made a startling discovery.........
On the left door, my truck's upper front door frame fits flush with the cab. On the right side, it is sunk in about a quarter of an inch.
I have a friend with two trucks and went and looked at them. They are the same as mine!!
So everybody go look at your truck. the upper forward edge of the doors on the left side should be flush, and I bet the right side is not.
I think there was a problem with the jigs that the guys used to set up the right side, and GM didn't halt production to fix it.
Hope that helps. your cab has been fixed on the right side, and the cab curve is too flat.
(my two cents)

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by dsraven

I don't know if this is the proper way but when I do door adjustments I do it with the door latch nader pin removed (in this case it would be the part on the door opening) so the latch isn't repositioning the door as the door closes. that way you get a real fit and the latch doesn't wear out in a year. a jig like orrieg's would be great to have but I have never had that luxury and have managed, probably thought it would take too much time to build but in reality it would have been less time adjusting the doors even including that fab time. when all done it may be a good idea to drill a small hole next to the hinge bolts and install a couple of pins or a screws. that way you can remove the door for bodywork and when you install it again there is a reference point.

That is exactly right! The simple point is, the latch is to hold the door shut not make the door fit!


Brian