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

Is there a thread talking about how to adjust doors on the Chevy Trucks?

Thanks

Jon

oh oh, here comes another batch of gray hairs

the shop manual body section has the specs, but don't count on achieving a perfectly even gap, they rarely came from the factory that way .... the pillar side of the hinges adjusts up/ down [and a bit in/ out], the door side adjusts forward/ back, and of course there's all the combinations to clear the corners and the dogleg .... need to get the best fit you can with strikers off, bolts just loose enuff for movement, and door closed - helps to have 2 people, one inside to tighten the bolts

also - best to have the leading edge of the door slightly inward from the back edge of the fender so the door doesn't contact that and chip paint ... good luck!

Bill

Hi Bill,
Yeah I really did not want to pull the doors back off but once I had the rubber on they went all to heck and I also had the hinges rebuilt.
Do you think applying a little white grease on the hinges would help in sliding of the door for adjustment?

Thank you for the help...Let you know how many gray hairs this job will cause more than all the others on this truck!
But well worth it!

Jon

Crap.

Front to back, and up to down, but not in to out

My passenger door seems to be in farther to match the cab

Look in the Manuals for your truck. the door gap tolerance is 3/16-1/4 (that's the tolerance!) on the gaps. Just make them even. Keep in mind the proper way for a door to close (TF Trucks) is when the door contacts the striker, the door should be "lifted" a little as it closes. It may seem like an interference, buts that's the way it's supposed to be. A bunch of trial an error is necessary. Rig up some jigging, like a jack under the door or sling it, so that you can hold it to a position each time you tweak it. They are very heavy and you will get tired quick if you don't rig something. If you have a cherry picker, wrap the lift arm with something soft and stick it thru the window opening to sling it. Hinges and striker plates will need adjusted and maybe shimmed. Don't forget that you can move the fender a little if you get into a "bind". bind, get it? The in and out is from the clearance holes on the jamb bolts and the fender adjust. You can open up the clearance holes if you are sure you have tried everything else. Don't forget, as your rubber "sets" it may allow a tad more "in". In extreme cases the door can be "racked". That, however, is a dangerous game. As Squeeze says, these trucks are far from perfect but you don't want them to leak either. The match of the body to the doors was funky when they were new. Just as some of the chrome had imperfections and bubbles, etc. Even that technology was not perfected. Don't look at those $100,000 Foosemobiles as your model.

Jon - I wouldn't grease anything, just make it harder to keep tight - the fine adjustment should be done with the door closed, use a pry tool [cushioned] around the edge, and as Bart sez, have a way to support the door as you get it close, wood wedges could work

olblu, a bit of in/out can be gotten with the pillar side of the hinge and with the striker position

Bill

We've all gone thru this, and chech out the Stovebolt Tech tip that will help. Some of the repop weather strips can be a PITA if there to thick.

Got that backwards Bill... According to "the book" the LE gap should be no less than 1/8" and even with or slightly proud of the cowl. When the door begins to open it moves slightly forward as it swings out.

I found it VERY easy to adjust the door fit with it completely stripped of internals and once it was where I liked it I drilled a 1/8" hole through the door and hinge and scribed a line around the hinge pillar where the hinge fit.

wrong book Woody, Jon fergot to mention his is a TF, they don't move quite the same way, bit of difference in the AD and TF doors due to the dogleg - the TF book:
"The door should be flush with the body below the lower door window opening line and 1/8" inboard normal body surface at the body hinge pillar. Normal clearance between body and door is 5/32" around outer lip of door"

it does help w/ the odd TF shape to have the door very slightly inboard

Bill

Great information here guys!! I did forget that there is nothing in the doors. All the glass is out...just the door is on. Very easy to move the door around
My truck is 1957 3100.

Thank you!

Yea, I guess that does change things a little, doesn't it?

Worked on passenger door today...pretty easy to get the door to fit and close. Need to fine tune it a bit but is a one man job when all the inner door items are out.

Jon