"I adjusted the door without the striker plate on. Once I mounted the striker plate, I had to move the door back towards the cowl to shut."
What were your door gaps, front and back, before you put the striker back on? Close to the same distance? Did it result in solving the interference with the weather strip at the cowl? I yes to both, you can hit the area behind where the striker belongs with a hammer to give you up to 1/8" or so recess so your lock won't hit the striker. (I have done this. The striker hides the hammer marks.)
"The hinges are original and there is no play in them. What would be the reason to rebuild them?"
How many miles on this truck? That will correlate nicely with how many times the doors were opened and closed. They have a place to oil the pins, but no one ever did, it seems. Pick up on the door in the full open position and feel for any movement. There shouldn't be any to speak of.
Worn hinge pins raise their ugly heads once the weather strip has been installed. It pushes the door all over the place as you close the door.
"The striker I have is a reproduction. I will put the calipers on them tomorrow and see if the repro is thicker than the original."
I refuse to use reproduction strikers. I have welded new metal to used ones to restore their serviceability. If you can't do that, search eBay for NOS ones.
Carl
