The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Door alignment without striker

I have repaired the lower driver side door pillar and before I move on to the rocker I want to clamp the pillar into the correct position to ensure the door gap is correct. I have bolted the drivers door to the repaired pillar and with the cowl panel removed AND pillar disconnected from the old rocker the pillar can be moved out/in and fore/aft. The question is, I am shutting the door but the striker is causing the door to rise up a little meaning the belt line is a little 'off'. I am thinking of simply removing the striker and closing the door and when the belt line is fine, clamping the pillar. Is there any reason that I need to leave the striker in situ? It does help keep the door closed but that is easily remedied with some straps. I just think the striker is pulling the door and preventing a proper fit.

In case you wonder why I didn't simply set the pillar in place at the start....the problem is that the door fit was never that great when I bought the truck and I am hoping to improve upon it with this repair.

Here are a couple of shots of the lower pillar repair. Still some final welding and finishing to do. I had to fab the inner hinge pocket as they don't seem to be available.

Thanks,
Paul

Just spent 15 mins reading the horror stories about repro latches (which my truck has :-( ).

I think I will search for original latches but in the interim remove what I have so the door can freely shut.

Well, I will assume the lack of replies means my original post was posing a fairly obvious or unnecessary question, i.e. 'of course you can remove the striker if it is causing problems'.

Just replying to my own question in case it helps anyone traveling a similar path in the future.

I removed the striker and the door will now shut but the rear gap was tight. I pulled the pillar forward 1/4" and got a perfect gap at the rear of the door. I personally think the rear gap higher up is a little large but I realize these trucks were exactly built with a Mercedes attention to detail when it came to panel gaps. The gap on top of the door is fine so it isn't that the door has sagged lower. I know they are wedge shaped and the upper rear gap would be large if the door was 1/4" too low in the aperture.

Next step, I will be pulling the pillar forward that 1/4" and tacking it to some bracing, ensuring that door gap remains perfect. I can then remove the door and move my attention to the rocker panel knowing that it will connect to the pillar in the right place. Once the rocker panel is in place I will be able to breathe easy knowing the door opening is OK and I can get the floor panel and cowl panels done...and then start the passenger side all over again! Such fun.

Anyway, onward and upwards.

Paul

Don’t be too hard on us Paul. What you are doing falls in the advanced body work category and not many of us qualify. You only posted your question at 7:22 this morning so give the working body men time to read and respond. Sounds like you probably have it handled. Good work.

The gaps are much easier to get right now while parts are loose. If the top gap is wide, keep adjusting things until you get better consistency all around.

Definitely remove the striker from the cab.
Put your focus on how the door fits the opening at the rear, from top to bottom, with the beltline matching spot on.
Once you have that, get the rocker panel tacked in. This is VERY important. I refer to the door opening (lock pillar, latch pillar, rocker panel, and top of the door opening) as "the ring of death".
If you do not have that right, you are dead.
You need to think of cab restoration (especially with this much panel replacement) as starting with the doors, and building the cab around them.
Carl

Thanks guys. I have a decent gap at the rear by simply pulling the bottom of the pillar 1/4" forward. I will try to come up with something imaginative that holds the pillar where I want it and then remove the door and move to the rocker.

I will update as I move along.

Paul

Sorry, literally just spotted this comment. No, its cool. I wasn't giving anyone a hard time. In fact just the opposite...I started to figure that what I was asking was kind of logical and maybe shouldn't have been posted in the first place. A bit like asking whether all four wheels are needed to drive the truck! :-)

Anyway, I am headed out to try to fix the pillar in place and maybe move to the rocker in the next day or so.

As always, all feedback appreciated.

Paul

If you have too wide a gap at the top/back of the door, the cab may be “racked” where that corner needs to be pulled forward & down (diagonal) to correct the issue. When rust starts to eat away at the structure, it’s hard to say how the sheet metal settles.

Did this cab ever suffer the horror of wind swept door, causing a major crease in the side cowl in front of the door? This will result in the hinge pillar being twisted, which needs to be corrected.

I'm not sure how good the gaps were off the assembly line, but as Carl 52 mentioned, get the rear gap at the belt line perfect. I'd next weld the new floor panel in and tack it to the new rocker. The front pillar and rocker panel should come together and fit provided the top to bottom length of the door pillar is correct. You'll have to raise the cab as it sagged in that corner. (I'm sure as it rusted but mainly when you you cut it out. The door will come on and off quite a few times depending on your tolerance straight gaps. You can use the replacement outer cowl panel as guide when you mock it up prior to welding completely. To answer your original question I removed the striker while aligning the door. I also welded my hinges in place once i was happy with their location. I made a world of difference with how the doors closed. I slotted the bolt holes (hinge to body) and welded off the side of the bolt hole and ground it smooth. Then ran the bolts in so it looks factory.

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Thanks, both great suggestions. I have tacked some bracing place and have the door 90% OK but am still not quite happy with the gap at the top and top/rear. I did see the the pillar was a little twisted so that the inner edge points more rearward than the passenger one. I dont knwo if there is a dimension that allows me to know the proper twist but I have a bright idea on how to a) twist it and b) make that twist adjustable. As I said, I have some bracing in place at the moment which has the door swinging shut and looking decent but now that I am in the right area I need to fine tune it. So, I am making some bracing from square tubing and thick threaded rod which will allow me to move the pillar in each axis AND twist also by simply turning nuts. This will allow me to get the pillar precisely where I need it with good incremental adjustment.

In doing all of this I am also seeing that the cab itself it slightly racked, as MPandC terms it. when I put a brace from the floor to the top of the firewall and raise it a 1/4" to 1/2" the door comes back a little at the top, closing the gap...which is what I want.

I guess what I am realizing is that the corroded floors/cowls have allowed movement and I am going to have to pull the cab around a little to get some key dimensions back to close to what the FAM says, whilst prioritizing the door fit.

Despite never having done anything like this in the past I am strangely calm about it (in shock, PTSD?). After all, it is simply a case of moving metal around and tacking it to hold it.

Paul

Thanks, just spotted this.

I was lucky to get an NOS lower hinge which is SOLID, the upper has a little play so I might look at putting a new pin in it to reduce any free play.

I am using the FAM and will raise the cab corner to try to get it into spec.

Thanks for the feedback.