The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Doors Door Adjustment

I have tried adjusting my doors as per all instructions found here for my 1953 3100.

I can't move the doors either far enough aft, or up. The body guy removed the hinges, and then re-installed the hinges and doors without me.

Is it possible to have the hinges in the wrong place? For example, can the driver's door upper hinge ONLY install in the upper hinge location? Or, are they interchangeable?

Or....are they just so worn out that they won't adjust?


Thanks,
Steven

Have the hinge pin's been replaced?

On three no. It is along story, but at the last minute the body guy found one hinge rusted where the pin goes through.

They had it drilled, and put a long rod through it. I can't attest to the work, as it was put together before I knew.

So, at least one door is 'origional'. The other has this mod.

As near as I can tell there is an upper left and an upper right hinge and the lowers are left and right as well. So four different hinges. Try lifting the door when it is open. Get a helper to watch the hinge area for movement. If the hinge is good and the door won't move up and down then there are some "Tech tips" on here that will help. Take the latches off and adjust the door. You might need to open the holes in the door to get enough adjustment forward and aft. Use "rat tail" file and go slow. For up and down adjustments, move the hinges in the door pillar, again go slow. The "in and out" adjustments are at the hinge/pillar as well so you might need to remove some at that place as well. When the door is centered in the opening then put the latch on and use the "Tech Tip" on here to adjust that part. Also a word for the perfectionist in all of us...If it is within a 1/16th of flush at the cab...you are done!

...and the two top hinges will have the "horseshoe" springs that hold the door open. It won't be hard to figure out which is which. Let us know how you do.

I think you'll find the hinge pins at the bottom of it...
I was certain mine were ok and I just needed to master the art of 'door adjusting' down a little better...

I looked at how to better adjust every bit of those angles and planes. I finally got down on the ground and had a look at the bottom hinge with the door on the screw jack for slow, fine tuning, I could see exactly when the hinge stopped moving but the door didn't.

And it was exactly how much I couldn't adjust in the locale you're describing.

One of my pins was in 3 pieces the others not so bad.
It's the Bushings that allow the slop and they are shot and a 'piece of metal rod' isn't really gonna cut it.

Thanks for all the suggestions. It'll take me a few says to get on this task, but will report back after I do.

Sorry, if this is a repeat (I did not read all the conversation). I found that I had to enlarge the holes in the upper hinge on one of my doors (the door did not fit when I purchased the truck and I had to shorten it about 1/4"). Slight elongation of the hinge holes solved the problem and was very easy to do as the door hinge metal is relatively soft.

Enlarging holes , and bending hindges is covered in the manual

http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/booklets/4748sctc/4748sctc12.html