Tricks to installing Doors

[61Alpine]

I spent about 2 hours today trying to install 1 door. When I get the level right, the front end is hitting the fender. When I get it to clear the fender (which only happended for about 30 seconds) the rear is to low or to high.

Does anyone have a good trick that makes this at least a little easier. I know the door fits good because when I leave all of the hinges loose and get the door closed the gaps are great. I guess I need 4 hands.

Help.

 

[Bill Blue]

Rob, I used a scissors jack to hold the door in the correct position while tightening the hinges. Takes several tries, if like me, you don't know what you are doing.

By the way, I've found old scissors jacks to be very handy things to have around the shop. Have three of them!
Bill

 

[Chuck Ingram]

Way way back there was a tech tip about R and R doors.The idea was to make sure they fit as good as possible.Then drill a 1/8th hole in the bottom corner of each hinge.Using a 2 inch common nail it was possible by inserting the nails in the holes to mount the door exactly as before.This also works on the hood and trunk hinges as well.I have used this method since I got involved with sunbeams.It is so easy and works every time

 

[61Alpine]

I am planning on using the 1/8" hole trick, if I ever get them mounted correctly.'

If you don't have the holes to work from, does anyone have any suggestions for alignment.

 

[P. Scofield]

Let me tell you the best trick to the door thang..........

NEVER TAKE THEM OFF!!

Seriously, I have done enough of these cars now I am convinced that unless you have a good reason to take the doors off, ie,. rust, pillar damage, hinge replacement etc., you are much better off to leave them in place. Not knocking that you did, because I have done the same. This advice won't do you any good but for those that may be thinking of it...................

Even of the sanding and cleaning of the door jams takes you a week each, DON"T REMOVE THEM! You will thank me later.

P

 

[Green67Alpine]

Let me tell you the best trick to the door thang..........

NEVER TAKE THEM OFF!!


Paul, That seems like soild advice, but how can you adjust them ? The bottoms of my doors don't meet flush with the body...

Tom j

 

[61Alpine]

I agree with the don't take them off. But, I am switching bodies.

Like I said when I hold them into position the fit is perfect, the problem is when I attach the hinges and close the door the leading edge is hitting the front fender.

If anyone has a trick up your sleeve, spill it please.

 

[Bill Blue]

Let me tell you the best trick to the door thang..........

NEVER TAKE THEM OFF!!


Paul, That seems like soild advice, but how can you adjust them ? The bottoms of my doors don't meet flush with the body...

Tom j

Tom, there are only a few ways to shift the door position.
1. Loosen the bolts and slide the hinges, both on the door and the car.
2. Shim under the hinges to move the door back.
3. Scrape paint from under the hinges to move the doors forward.
4. Twist the door if everything looks good but the rear edges.
5. Bend the hinges to get correct fore and aft fit.

I had to do a little bit of each. I shimmed the bottom hinge on the drivers side kick the rear of the door up. On the passengers side, I scraped paint off but had to flatten the hinges (lay them on a rock and wack with a sledge hammer. Not to hard, the steel is very soft) as the door was shoved back into the rear pillar. When I had the all the seams straight, the bottom of the door was cocked out at the rear. So I twisted the door into shape. This is a standard body shop "adjustment" and surprisingly easy to do.

Bill

 

[61Alpine]

Currently the body and the door, and the hinges are bare metal. That was a question I had. Should the hinges be painted on both sides prior to installation?

What did you use for shims?

 

[Bill Blue]

Currently the body and the door, and the hinges are bare metal. That was a question I had. Should the hinges be painted on both sides prior to installation?

What did you use for shims?

I would paint the expose surfaces the final body color, but only a thin coat of primer on the backsides. Paint thickness builds up amazingly fast. I used pieces of a cereal box (Raisin Bran, I believe) for shims. Doesn't matter much, paper and cardboard do not compress very much, if at all.

After you get the hinges properly located, mark the outline of them on the door post and door. Mask off that area so the finish paint does not screw up the alignment.

Bill

 

[P. Scofield]

Use Aluminum from a coke (preferably Beer) can for shims. The body men at the factory fit the doors prior to painting and actually would bend the hinges as needed. Thus, the different results car to car.

I would put them on bare as the paint is normally too much shim.

P

 

[fj55mike]

In order to get the gaps right, I like to put stacks of 2-3 tongue depressors in the gap all the way around. Then, I can use a feeler gage to measure the thickness of the shims that I need to install. It's still kind of guess-and-check, but it works well for me.

--Mike

 

[wframe]

Door alignment tools

I was looking through my Eastwood catalog and saw two different door alignment tools that might be of help:
http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/...temID=17492&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=17492
http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?itemID=10412&itemType=PRODUCT

Don't know if these will help but it might be worth it for the cheater one.

 

[Jay Laifman]

From the factory there was NO paint between the hinges. I learned this the hard way when my body shop guy had of course covered everything with multiple layers of primer and paint - basically shimming the doors that didn't need shimming! I had to scrape away all those layers to get them to fit right again.

Now, you mention you are trying to put doors on that did not go on the car originally. That may be a completely different issue. As I understand it, the hinges were also heated and adjusted at the factory to get the correct fit. So, each hinge is unique to the door and body it came off of - even with all the adjustments.

I'm sorry I don't have a better answer. At least you are working this now without a beautifully prepped and painted door and body, chipping them all to hell as you do it!

 

[61Alpine]

Thanks for all the good tips. I think I will make a few shims from pop cans or beer, which ever are around the shop.

Tonight I was looking at the door and just didn't feel like working on it so I worked on my last fender dent and just about got that done. I am nearing primer time but need to fit those doors first to make sure I have everything correct.

 

[Bill Blue]

Rob, if you use pop cans, make a bunch of them. They are paper thin, about 3 thousandths of an inch. The up side is you can cut them with utility scissors.

Bill

 

[Jay Laifman]

All this talk of shims may lead you in the wrong direction. Keep in mind that the hinges themselves are wedges. That is, they never go parallel when the door is closed. So the farther they are slid to the outside of the car or door, the wider they are relative to the angled door which results in moving the door backwards. So, you may very well not need any shims if you get them in the right place.

Sliding the door itself relative to the hinge will move the door back and forth. Sliding the hinge relative to the body where it attaches will move the door in and out of the hole.

Of course you need to adjust the bottom and top hinges together to make sure the door stays horizontal.

It's not easy.

 

[61Alpine]

Tonight I will try again, without shims to get the door in the correct position.

I mounted the hinges to the door first as I figured it would be easier to screw into the car than trying to screw into the door when it is on the car. Is that the recommended method?

 

[Chuck Ingram]

Tonight I will try again, without shims to get the door in the correct position.

I mounted the hinges to the door first as I figured it would be easier to screw into the car than trying to screw into the door when it is on the car. Is that the recommended method?

I found it is easier to mount the hinges on the door first.This allows easier access to mount them to the jamb.It does not eliminate adjusting on the door as it is part and whole of the job.

 

[61Alpine]

Over the last few days I have been working on the door fitting. I finally got one fitted. And I must say it is almost perfect. Not quite perfect but I think it is as good as it is going to get. No shims required, just keep trying.
Thanks for the tips.