door alignment advice - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

humbulay · 11-12-2002, 05:18 AM

Of the 2.5 million different adjustments i've made, I have come to the conclusion that there has got to be an easier way to find the sweet spot when installing a new door & hinges.......anyone who has been blessed with this mystical alignment power willing to pass to force along to me? if not......I will probly be trying to sell my new driver door shell very cheap........(after intentionally inflicting considerable ball~peen damage!)

Huck · 11-12-2002, 08:57 AM

Door alignment = it kind of depends if you took the hinges off the cab pillars. If so, you may have to take a fender off to get it just right. I've attached the hinges to the doors then aligned the doors to the cab---windshield frame line, roof line, rear door line and bottom alignment. Then hook up the hinges to the pillars. Shim with wood and Tighten a bit at a time as you continue to line up the door. You can remove the latch to make things easier or just loosen it so it's kind of out of the way. Once that door closes super nice, then align the latch so that it just clicks in there. With the fender off, you will still have a in/out adjustment to make on the part of the hinge that actually attaches to the doors but before you do that--- body shops often drill a small pilot hole thru the hiinge and into the pillar. they do this before removal to aid hinge alignment upon reinstall. Neat trick, i do that now before removing hinges. All of the above refers to installing a perfect original GM door -- not sure how well the Tiwan doors line up (got 2 of them myself and waiting to install). If the hinges never came off of the pillars, you bolt them up to the doors loose enough to allow some movement, back the hinge plate out of the way, and shim door accordingly --with a little tightening as you go along. If still no go, shoot me a note and come on over to KY and we'll do it together----I love beating things with hammers--Huck

JimKshortstep4x4 · 11-12-2002, 09:24 AM

It is rather easy if the fender is off, but I will describe how I do it both ways. With the fender off, position the door hinges onto the door, keeping them level, and spaced correctly. I measure centers on the post and adjust the door hinges to the measurement. By starting out in the middle, you have room to go either way with the adjustment. I also install the door hinges so that they are in the middle of the in/out adjustment.

Before I set the door in, I install the door catch onto the pillar with a couple of shims and the door latch into the door. I adjust the door catch to the top of its travel. I cut out a cardboard strip approximately 3" wide x 30 " long and lay it onto the rocker panel for protection and clearance.

After the preparations are made, I make sure that the top hinge is in the closed position so that it will clear the cowl crimp when you place the door into the opening. The door has to be placed in at a slight angle to clear the upper hinge, once into the opening, you can rest the door on the cardboard if needed and then shut the door. When the door is latched, you can proceed to install the hinge bolts into the pillar after centering the door in the opening.
Before tightening the bolts check for adequate clearance for the door. At this point the door should be a little higher in the rear
than it is in the front, (more clearance at the bottom rear).

Check for in/out fit after tightening the bolts. Once the bolts are tight, you can open the door and readjust the striker, since the door will usually sag. If all goes well, at this point only minor adjustments are usually needed.

If the fender is in place, then I install the door hinges to the pillar first, centering and measuring to match the door pattern. I use a jack with a board on it to support the door, and I get a helper. When bolting up the door to the hinges, I set the hinges to the inside to start with and then attempt to close the door, using a towel to protect the rocker. Sometimes the door has to be tilted
to line up with the striker, and usually adjusting the bottom hinge is adequate, but you will need a door adjusting tool to get at the front hinge bolts.

After the door will fit the opening, I adjust the in/out direction of the front of the door as needed and the striker as needed to get the door to match the opening.

Sometimes doors can be exaspirating, but if you are careful and take your time they will turn out.

Good luck!

Jim

bobs409 · 11-12-2002, 09:34 AM

There's no magical cure. It takes patience and lots of trial and error. After doing this more times than I can remember, I found that it gets easier the more you do it.

If the hinges were not removed from the cab, it's alot easier as this is just another adjustment that must be made. (front to back) Most times the replacement door will be fine where the hinges are but that's not always the case. I'd start where they are though and go from there.

I found that it's best to just remove the striker plate in the door jam. Save that adjustment for last as it won't do any good to set that one up until the door sits correctly on the truck.

You want a nice even gap around the door and it's all done at the hinges. I like to use a floor jack and a piece of wood under the door near the hinges to help aid in the up/down adjustment. (the bolts that go from hinge to door) Also, make small adjustments. Most times, it doesn't take much movement to make a big change.

Keep going until it sits correctly. It shouldn't make any contact with the door jam and should have a nice gap. Make sure it sits flush with the body too. Once that is done, install the striker plate and again with the patience, keep adjusting until you get it right. This plate can move in all directions and be shimmed. It's a combination of all these to get to the desired adjustment.

jiggs · 11-13-2002, 02:55 AM

I have found that the last little bit, to make it perfect is the hard part. Getting the allignment so-so is quite easy, it is the perfection that is the hard part.

Once the door fits the opening the final adjustments are the hard part. I usually get the bolts holding the hinges (on the post and on the door) semi-tight. By this I mean that the door will stay in place, but with a little persuasion it will move. A block of wood and a small hammer will move the door or hinge where ever you want it to go, in small increments. This way you will not lose the adjustment you have gained and you will not have to start over.

When doing this, I like to have the latch and the rubber off the vehicle. Now our trucks are a little bit different because the rubber is glued on, so that is unrealistic, but definately remove the latch. Once the door fits perfectly, latch adjustment is last.

I have also found that a bare door will sag a little after the guts are put back in. Allow for that when adjusting a bare door.

humbulay · 11-13-2002, 04:09 AM

so all I need is more patience? well, I guess getting SOME patience would help!! Donka for the advice fellas. I'm gonna make another run at it this weekend, so long as my Stuff gets here.....the trouble with this job is I replaced everthing on the driver side...fender door and rocker so I dont have any point of reference to go off of.
I was the "victim" of a hit and run at a local grocery while I was inside buying a b-day card and flowers for my wife (at 11:45pm on june 29) and yes.....her b-day is june 30th. anyway, it got hit w/ a good amount of force by an 81 4 door impala.
the lil' miss said that was poetic justice, I say the video surveillance tape of the parking lot and the entire thing being caught on video and her arrest about 2 weeks later is poetic justice.
anybody know how I can copy that vid onto my cpu for the boards viewing pleasure? the video is hilarious and I got my 2300.00 from safe auto (after a well spent 42.00 small claim filing fee) anyway,to make a short story long, thanks again for the input

Alexis · 11-13-2002, 04:58 AM

you need a tv tuner/video card to drop it on your computer.

**GMCPaul** · 11-13-2002, 06:26 AM

You should also not forget that you can remove and add body shims on the fender or just loosen the rear edge of fender so you can shift it also to get perfect alignment, and if going for that perfect gap on the front door pillar top angled portion at the weld GOOD LUCK as 90% or more of the original GM doors on untouched cabs I see this part of door is nearly rubbing or is rubbing yet rest of door has a 3/16-1/4" gap.
GMCPaul

humbulay · 11-16-2002, 02:11 PM

I'm going out to get started....wish me luck! oh, and by the way paul... the top angled portion of the door rubbing on the cab was what I was most concern about. I doubt my truck is part of that 10% that lines up. and, depending on how the next few hours of my life goes, how much might it cost me to have that passenger door installed when I come visit to pick up the passenger door

?? I'll bring the beer and the strippers! thanks again fellas!

11-12-2002, 05:18 AM	#1
humbulay 1971 C10 LWB under const. Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Evansville,IN Posts: 91	door alignment advice Of the 2.5 million different adjustments i've made, I have come to the conclusion that there has got to be an easier way to find the sweet spot when installing a new door & hinges.......anyone who has been blessed with this mystical alignment power willing to pass to force along to me? if not......I will probly be trying to sell my new driver door shell very cheap........(after intentionally inflicting considerable ball~peen damage!)

11-12-2002, 09:34 AM	#4
bobs409 1969 Custom 30 wrecker Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Pottsville, Pa Posts: 2,611	There's no magical cure. It takes patience and lots of trial and error. After doing this more times than I can remember, I found that it gets easier the more you do it. If the hinges were not removed from the cab, it's alot easier as this is just another adjustment that must be made. (front to back) Most times the replacement door will be fine where the hinges are but that's not always the case. I'd start where they are though and go from there. I found that it's best to just remove the striker plate in the door jam. Save that adjustment for last as it won't do any good to set that one up until the door sits correctly on the truck. You want a nice even gap around the door and it's all done at the hinges. I like to use a floor jack and a piece of wood under the door near the hinges to help aid in the up/down adjustment. (the bolts that go from hinge to door) Also, make small adjustments. Most times, it doesn't take much movement to make a big change. Keep going until it sits correctly. It shouldn't make any contact with the door jam and should have a nice gap. Make sure it sits flush with the body too. Once that is done, install the striker plate and again with the patience, keep adjusting until you get it right. This plate can move in all directions and be shimmed. It's a combination of all these to get to the desired adjustment. __________________ Bob 63 Impala 283/PG/3.36 (under restoration) 66 Impala 327/PG/3.36 66 Chevelle SS 409/M22/3.55 69 Chevelle 307/PG/3.08 (future restoration) 69 C10 short stepside 454/TH350/3.73 69 Custom 30 tow truck 350/4 spd/4.10 (resto done, CRUISIN TIME!) 71 Cheyenne 20 fleetside 350/4 spd/4.10 71 Chevelle 6/PG/3.08 72 Chevelle 454/M21/4.10

11-13-2002, 02:55 AM	#5
jiggs poker face Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Posts: 218	I have found that the last little bit, to make it perfect is the hard part. Getting the allignment so-so is quite easy, it is the perfection that is the hard part. Once the door fits the opening the final adjustments are the hard part. I usually get the bolts holding the hinges (on the post and on the door) semi-tight. By this I mean that the door will stay in place, but with a little persuasion it will move. A block of wood and a small hammer will move the door or hinge where ever you want it to go, in small increments. This way you will not lose the adjustment you have gained and you will not have to start over. When doing this, I like to have the latch and the rubber off the vehicle. Now our trucks are a little bit different because the rubber is glued on, so that is unrealistic, but definately remove the latch. Once the door fits perfectly, latch adjustment is last. I have also found that a bare door will sag a little after the guts are put back in. Allow for that when adjusting a bare door. __________________ If you could kick the person in the *ss responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month.

11-13-2002, 04:58 AM	#7
Alexis Member since 2000 Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Mountain View Ca / Mexico Posts: 7,879	video card you need a tv tuner/video card to drop it on your computer.

11-13-2002, 06:26 AM	#8
GMCPaul Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Rockville,In. USA Posts: 3,719	You should also not forget that you can remove and add body shims on the fender or just loosen the rear edge of fender so you can shift it also to get perfect alignment, and if going for that perfect gap on the front door pillar top angled portion at the weld GOOD LUCK as 90% or more of the original GM doors on untouched cabs I see this part of door is nearly rubbing or is rubbing yet rest of door has a 3/16-1/4" gap. GMCPaul __________________ Secure Online Catalog for-GMCPauls Truck Parts Email- GMCPAULS@GMAIL.COM

11-12-2002, 08:57 AM	#2
Huck Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Shelbyville, KY Posts: 3,269	Door alignment = it kind of depends if you took the hinges off the cab pillars. If so, you may have to take a fender off to get it just right. I've attached the hinges to the doors then aligned the doors to the cab---windshield frame line, roof line, rear door line and bottom alignment. Then hook up the hinges to the pillars. Shim with wood and Tighten a bit at a time as you continue to line up the door. You can remove the latch to make things easier or just loosen it so it's kind of out of the way. Once that door closes super nice, then align the latch so that it just clicks in there. With the fender off, you will still have a in/out adjustment to make on the part of the hinge that actually attaches to the doors but before you do that--- body shops often drill a small pilot hole thru the hiinge and into the pillar. they do this before removal to aid hinge alignment upon reinstall. Neat trick, i do that now before removing hinges. All of the above refers to installing a perfect original GM door -- not sure how well the Tiwan doors line up (got 2 of them myself and waiting to install). If the hinges never came off of the pillars, you bolt them up to the doors loose enough to allow some movement, back the hinge plate out of the way, and shim door accordingly --with a little tightening as you go along. If still no go, shoot me a note and come on over to KY and we'll do it together----I love beating things with hammers--Huck

11-12-2002, 09:24 AM	#3
JimKshortstep4x4 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Muskegon,MI,USA Posts: 6,026	It is rather easy if the fender is off, but I will describe how I do it both ways. With the fender off, position the door hinges onto the door, keeping them level, and spaced correctly. I measure centers on the post and adjust the door hinges to the measurement. By starting out in the middle, you have room to go either way with the adjustment. I also install the door hinges so that they are in the middle of the in/out adjustment. Before I set the door in, I install the door catch onto the pillar with a couple of shims and the door latch into the door. I adjust the door catch to the top of its travel. I cut out a cardboard strip approximately 3" wide x 30 " long and lay it onto the rocker panel for protection and clearance. After the preparations are made, I make sure that the top hinge is in the closed position so that it will clear the cowl crimp when you place the door into the opening. The door has to be placed in at a slight angle to clear the upper hinge, once into the opening, you can rest the door on the cardboard if needed and then shut the door. When the door is latched, you can proceed to install the hinge bolts into the pillar after centering the door in the opening. Before tightening the bolts check for adequate clearance for the door. At this point the door should be a little higher in the rear than it is in the front, (more clearance at the bottom rear). Check for in/out fit after tightening the bolts. Once the bolts are tight, you can open the door and readjust the striker, since the door will usually sag. If all goes well, at this point only minor adjustments are usually needed. If the fender is in place, then I install the door hinges to the pillar first, centering and measuring to match the door pattern. I use a jack with a board on it to support the door, and I get a helper. When bolting up the door to the hinges, I set the hinges to the inside to start with and then attempt to close the door, using a towel to protect the rocker. Sometimes the door has to be tilted to line up with the striker, and usually adjusting the bottom hinge is adequate, but you will need a door adjusting tool to get at the front hinge bolts. After the door will fit the opening, I adjust the in/out direction of the front of the door as needed and the striker as needed to get the door to match the opening. Sometimes doors can be exaspirating, but if you are careful and take your time they will turn out. Good luck! Jim

11-13-2002, 04:09 AM	#6
humbulay 1971 C10 LWB under const. Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Evansville,IN Posts: 91	so all I need is more patience? well, I guess getting SOME patience would help!! Donka for the advice fellas. I'm gonna make another run at it this weekend, so long as my Stuff gets here.....the trouble with this job is I replaced everthing on the driver side...fender door and rocker so I dont have any point of reference to go off of. I was the "victim" of a hit and run at a local grocery while I was inside buying a b-day card and flowers for my wife (at 11:45pm on june 29) and yes.....her b-day is june 30th. anyway, it got hit w/ a good amount of force by an 81 4 door impala. the lil' miss said that was poetic justice, I say the video surveillance tape of the parking lot and the entire thing being caught on video and her arrest about 2 weeks later is poetic justice. anybody know how I can copy that vid onto my cpu for the boards viewing pleasure? the video is hilarious and I got my 2300.00 from safe auto (after a well spent 42.00 small claim filing fee) anyway,to make a short story long, thanks again for the input

11-16-2002, 02:11 PM	#9
humbulay 1971 C10 LWB under const. Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Evansville,IN Posts: 91	I'm going out to get started....wish me luck! oh, and by the way paul... the top angled portion of the door rubbing on the cab was what I was most concern about. I doubt my truck is part of that 10% that lines up. and, depending on how the next few hours of my life goes, how much might it cost me to have that passenger door installed when I come visit to pick up the passenger door ?? I'll bring the beer and the strippers! thanks again fellas!



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