lonzoo

Anyone have an idea where and how to start aligning this door. I have never done this so is this better left alone or find someone who does this type work. I do my own work and have the capability to do it if I knew where to start. I don't have the door panel off yet but I have taken the striker off and the door still won't close far enough in. The top appears to be flush all the way with the striker removed. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks, Lonzoo

Frankie the Fink

I'll just say that on my original SWC - I worked and worked at getting the doors as perfect as possible but there is a limit to what you can do with original doors and panels without doing bodywork to compensate for the factory fit. My car is probably a tad better fitting than what is shown in your pictures but I came down on the side of having the doors close/open more easily rather than having the tightest fit - its all a compromise.

One final thing - I did purchase new upper door weatherstripping (called the "ledge" weatherstripping) from Zip Corvettes and it was a ton better than what was on the car. Its more supple, not as thick and rides a little lower letting the upper horizontal edge of the door "slide" into place better over top the rubber. That might let you move your striker inboard more and make the back of the door edge a little nicer fit.

Some here have taken one of those nylon ratchet straps and run it through the doors and over the roof and snugged it down for weeks and eventually compressed the weatherstripping to get the doors to close. I just didn't want to get that medieval.

70mph@2200rpm

"I don't have the door panel off yet but I have taken the striker off and the door still won't close far enough in".
First off, the door panel doesn't necessarily need to be removed, and if the striker is off how can the door stay closed, or, how can you adjust the door to get it to pull in?
What is your history with this car? has the door always been like this? is the rubber seal new? is the driver door ok? ah, so many questions...
My sympathies go out to you. These doors are not easy to adjust..it might not be hung properly. But first you need to determine if the hinge pins are worn which prevent the door from staying aligned. If the hinge pins are loose then you'll need to replace them, first.
If pins are good, determine if the the door is aligned to the body properly…gaps somewhat even, assume some compromising might be necessary. If you need to adjust the door alignment to the body opening then you should find the appropriate thread here on the Forum that will explain it in detail.
Personally, I would start with finding an experienced vette mechanic/body man that can give you some hints and direction. There may be multiple issues that need to be addressed, simultaneously.

DansYellow66

From what I can see in the photos the top of the door at the roof line and down the front of the door/front fender appear to align pretty well. But that door fit at the rear fender is a cause for concern. I don't think striker adjustment is going to fix this, although if you are able to move it in some it will probably improve the appearance a little.

How does the lower, rear area of the door match the fender? It looks like the rear fender just doesn't match the doors contour at the opening. Has the rear quarter on the car been replaced? If so - and as far as I can see from the limited photos - it looks like they didn't align the fender properly at the door opening when bonding it on - particularly from the beltline to the top of the fender.

A couple more photos showing how the lower area of the door matches the front and rear fenders might provide some clarity on if any of that can be adjusted out.

MikeM

Show a picture of the bottom of the door/fender/quarter panel.

Using ratchet straps won't fix that door fit, it's terrible.

Frankie the Fink

Do yourself a favor and take 10 minutes and look for pictures of split window coupes on the Internet. Fully 99.9% of the rear shots are from a 3/4 angle.

Why do you think that is ?

You can improve your door fit some but don't for a minute think you'll get perfection if you're working with the original doors and panels...

Here are some tips from one of the most knowledgeable guys that frequent the forum, John McGraw, and what I went by on my SWC:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c1-a...alignment.html

70mph@2200rpm

Frankie
Thanks for linking that door adjustment instruction from John. I could have used that advice 4 years ago on my first coupe.

abe g

On my 63 swc (original owner) the door alignment as delivered from factory was awful! That excess fibreglas overhang on the rear fender-door (as shown by you) is an exact duplicate of mine. Other than small adjustments, if you want improvement, I think that you will have to work on the fibreglas . Just my 2 cents. Regards, Abe G

Frankie the Fink

110% (and this from the original owner!)
You can fiddle with the original setup until the cows come home and only get marginal improvements if any.

I won't post pictures of my SWC door fit for people to trash but they are far from flush in every aspect but open and close superbly.

I'll be taking some pics of door fits on judged SWCs at the NCRS meet down here this week for comparison, especially if I can find survivor cars. Should be interesting...

lonzoo

70... the bottom of the door lines up with both fenders and door bott
om with-in 1/16 of an inch which appears not too bad. The weather
strip appears fairly new. The door gap at the front frender is about half the gap at the rear fender..probably 1/8 or a shade more. Also the driver door is perfect.

What do mean about the door panels not necessarily having to come off? Is there another way to adjust the shims?

Frankie the Fink

There is no way to manipulate those shims without removing the door panels...but that is a 5 minute job and no biggee.. The shims are designed to be installed with the top bolts on the hinge removed and the shims rest (via slots) on the bottom bolts. Once installed you can reinstall the top hinge bolts. These prevents you from having to bust the door completely loose from the hinge to add/subtract shims...

lonzoo

Thanks Frankie.....I thought that was the case but thought I might have been dreaming.

DansYellow66

Has the passenger side rear fender been replaced?

70mph@2200rpm

What do mean about the door panels not necessarily having to come off? Is there another way to adjust the shims?

I was suggesting that you take a moment and explore the other options I mentioned before you dive in to adjusting the door: strike, hinge pins, weatherstrip, and maybe having an experienced person advise you of any other issues.
Ok, so how did the door adjustment turn out? photos?