Door Malalignment

[rsawatson]

Hi all,

A gust of strong wind caught my door as I was opening it the other day, and since that time the driver's door (on my 2-door saloon) appears to have dropped so that the window frame strikes the upper quarter of the B-pillar to the rear of the door, leaving an abnormally large gap along the top of the door ( between window frame and roof gutter) and it being extremely hard to close, nigh on impossible. Therefore, to minimise further damage etc, for the time being the driver's door is staying locked and I'm climbing out via the passenger door!

Does anyone have any advice to offer, as this is quite an urgent situation? I've had a look in Haynes manual and nothing is mentioned in there re actually realigning the door. When I get home, perhaps I'll look in Restoration manual/BMC original manual?

Many thanks in advance.

Ryan

[katy]

First step is to figure out where the damage is. Is it in the top hinge area or the bottom hinge area, or both. Then, is it the door that's bent or the pillar, or both.
Then the fun begins, figuring out how to correct it.

[chickenjohn]

The wind incident could be a co-incidence or the final straw, if the A pillar is weakened by rust.

The A pillar can look OK from the door opening but can have serious rust hidden by the wing that is causing your door misalignment problem.

[MarkyB]

Try sitting in the drivers seat while a muscular assistant lifts up and releases the half open door.
Look for excessive play in the hinges, if none is apparent, see if the whole post the hinges are bolted to is moving at the bottom.
Only if nothing is moving noticeably, get them to give a mighty heave up on the door and see if that improves matters.

[rsawatson]

Thank you all for your ideas.

I had a go this afternoon with the help of a friend, and we've managed to solve the problem insofar as adjusting the door so that it now closes reasonably well.

I suspect the problem is, as suggested, a culmination of things. There is a lot of play in the hinge itself, which I suppose means the inside of the hinge is worn out and needs replacing. It was also noticeable - from age-old markings on the A pillar - that the hinge brackets, somehow, had slipped around in the incident, and it would appear to a degree to have bent. This appears to be the main cause of disortion; and accounts for the large gap that now exists between the front wing and the front of the door. We managed to raise the door up as high as possible, but obviously could not take it any further forward towards the front of the car (which is dependant on the hinges closing properly).

At least I don't have to climb across the passenger seat anymore!

[xpress]

i am fighting with my front o/s door at the moment, trying to get it trued up properly, any tips, please share. i will get there in the end!

[Fingolfin]

It is a problem, climbing across the passenger seat, isn't it? Those of us in left-hand drive countries know the feeling!

[mogbob]

Xpress
First check is that the hinges bolts are done up tight and then check for movement in the pins ( worn ? )
Hold the door open and see if lifting the outside edge ,moves the whole car or if "waggles " the door.

If all appears sound proceed....with the door closed, assess the gaps and the levels.
The captive plate in the A post allows movement in 360 degrees.
This gives movement... inwards to the centre of the car or outwards ,so the door is "proud " of the frame formed by the wings and main body.
The other directions are up and down.Adjustment is not huge but you can see with two hinges per door, the permutations
are quite numerous.

Once you have decided which way the door is twisted you can set about the correction.Mark your start point besides the hinge, a pencil mark on a bit of masking tape, so that you can get back to where you started if necessary.
Loosen the bolts so that it grips the hinge sufficiently to not allow the door to drop ( gravity/ weight of door ) but " loose enough" that you can use muscle power to shift the door up or down.It's a very fine line , so a few attempts to get the right grip may be required.
Additional tips , a jack with a plank of wood under the open door may help you set the "height " approximately to start with.
The door is heavy !! A broad tyre lever may be useful to lever the door, cover with cardboard to save chipping the paintwork on the door edge and lever the tip on a bit of rag.Stand back and assess frequently and don't slam the door shut, a slow gentle approach to the closing point works well enough.

Bob

Once you are happy tighten up the hinges, good and tight and lightly oil the hinge.