The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop How do I adjust the doors on my 55?

This is the first truck I have owned and I need to adjust the door to fit correctly. When I close the door the edge on the opening side still sticks out. I need to make it flush with the cab.

Also, were is the best place to purchase parts from? Online that is, or from somewhere is the Portland Oregon area.

Thanks

First or Second Series? There's 2 different body styles for '55. The early version is a carryover from '54, the late one is the same as '56-'59.
I've bought parts from pretty much all of the parts suppliers, never had to much trouble exept for 1 time with Golden State (slow with getting the parts to me) and once with Classic Parts (not their fault, manufacturer discontinued the part).
The Filling Station is in Lebanon Or., not sure how close that is to Portland. I've got parts from them before, good service. You might check out the others listed on the Links page. Many of them offer discounts and special offers like free shipping to Stovebolt members.

The truck is 55 Cameo pickup. I would think it's a Second series.
Lebanon is not far form me, maybe about an hour and a half at the most.

OK. With the different bodies, it helps for us to be sure which one you have, sometimes posts get skipped over if there is a question on which body style it is.
Door adjustment on a '55 2nd......Oh boy. There are factory adjustments, the hinges are slotted on the straps that bolt to the door, plus there's slots for verticle adjustment in the cab mount part. The hinge pillar in the cab is also set up for in and out adjustment, using cage nuts. It helps if you have a partner to adjust the doors, as they are very awkward (not to mention heavy) to wrestle around alone. You'll need to be very patient working on them, as they can be very dificult to get right. I still have never got mine exactly right. I partly balme that on poor quality door rubber, and also my own impatience. if you replace the rubber, go with Steele Rubber. They seem to be the best on the market.
One thing I do suggest you do before you get too carried away is get a shop manual. All of the suppliers carry reprints, and it can also be accessed here for free.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. There quite a few of us Task Force guys on here.

A floor jack with a couple of blocks of wood can be a big help with the weight issue. If the door frame is damaged and that is what is causing it to have the gap between the door and the cab, then unless you have a good amount of experience with using a 2x4 and some force, I recommend letting a good body man help you. You can do far more damage trying to straighten it yourself.
Hank

Hi Stevea,

Hopefully your door just needs a little latch adjustment. A copy of the shop manual may be of some help and could be a very good investment. Also available on line. http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1955truck2/index.htm If it's a little more complicated just ask.

In Portland there are a few other vendors I have heard of. Cliff's gets up to Seattle swap meets a lot http://www.cliffsclassicchevrolet.net/index.html I haven't done business with him but in talking he seems like a pretty stand up guy. A company called Dan's http://www.dansclassic.com/index.cfm is also in Portland.

Is Seattle out of your way? We have a few good contacts here too. Do you know about the Portland Swap Meet? http://www.portlandraceway.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=42&Itemid=107 It is legendary.

Thanks for the information on the doors. I have done body work on mostly Mustangs (sorry lol)

The top of the door is fitting ok, it's the bottom that looks to be having the problem. I will look into getting a repair manual.

Thanks for the links to the parts stores. I tried to look in the parts area, but was not sure what links were close by. I may take a picture of the door and post it and see what you guys think?

Thanks for the help and information.

I have been wrestling with my doors for over 6 months now. Finally, after enlarging the hinge holes, and creating a shim for the driver side. Got it pretty close, and a little filler smoothed it out in some places. I blame the aftermarket doors and driver side fender. The curve didn't seem to be the same. Anyway, keep at it, it is amazing how one little adjustment can make a big difference!

Trust me, the factory doors are just as bad .
I've done the floor jack/block of wood trick myself. It does work well, but a second set of eyes would be a good idea to help with getting it right.

I had the same problem with both doors after paint. They closed ok, but rubbed the bottom of the door against the kick plate and rubbed off the new paint. As I wanted to put inserts on the kick plates it wouldn't work until the problem was fixed, and it would rust there if I left it. I took it to my local body shop, and they had a tool that fit the latch and under the door to lift it. They had both adjusted in less than an hour. Sometimes having the right tools for the job saves lots of time,.....

Bill,
Your right, I have the original passenger side fender and a repo door and had just as much trouble. I can't believe how difficult it is on these 55.2's. Probably that way on all trucks!

Instead of using blocks and a jack, I would sit in the step well and lift the door on to my thigh, near the rear. That would allow me to get the bolts in. Then it was a matter of little movements, up down, in and out. Still would have been easier with a friend. None of my friends are car guys, go figure.

If you have an engine hoist, it will work better than jacks. Just use straps thru the open window-- much easier to manuever with the weight supported. Tape the door and fender edges and it will be a one man job.

I could not get mine to adjust due to rusted door post and hinges I replace lower door hinge pillers and installed new hinges, I adjusted as jomichael did and was abel to get a good fit. only one lower door bumper had to be cut down to allow the door to close fully. Now for my problem I purchaced door rubber from lmc and installed. The truck is only in epoxy and polyester so I am just fitting my doors. I have shaved doors with 85 lb door pulls installed and the doors will not open. I had to shave the rubber inorder to get them to open. Would the rubber from Steele eliminate this problem? Is the lmc rubber out of spec? Before I shell out for more rubber "which I will as the test fit rubber is getting pretty beat up" I would like to get your input on the best set. Thanks
Dan