63 SWC door adjustment problems
02-09-2015, 07:32 AM
#1
63 SWC door adjustment problems
I am hanging my doors on my 63 coupe after a paint job. I installed new weather stripping. The drivers door fits good but has to be slammed to get it to latch. The passenger door fits OK front to back but I have a gap where the front top of the door meets the top of the fender. Can't seem to get it to go in anymore. I have no shims in either door. One party on the web ground off material on the hinge to get his door to fit. Is there a better way.
Anyone seen a write up on the web on how to hang a door?
Anyone seen a write up on the web on how to hang a door?
02-09-2015, 08:46 AM
#2
Team Owner
Member Since: Mar 2003
Location: Greenville, Indiana
Posts: 26,118
Received 1,843 Likes
on
1,398 Posts
How does the door fit without the weather strip? The new seal may be holding the door out. If it is, you can put some rubber lube on your door seals, shut the doors tight and give it a little time to let the rubber relax and the door may fit.
02-09-2015, 09:15 AM
#3
Team Owner
You'll find the fit on these coupe doors on the first Sting Ray are a compromise unless you grind and fill a bunch. Its a dance to get the best fit with proper closing while maintaining appearances. First off - its important to get the best weatherstripping you can...areas like that rubber along the roofline horizontal edge are critical to proper closing and fit. If that rubber is shaped wrong, too thick or too hard the door will stick out at the top no matter what. I used Zip rubber up there; Corvette Rubber elsewhere.
I use John McGraw's method to fit these doors...take the striker off and with two bolts lightly tightened in each hinge have a friend stand outside while you are inside with one or two pieces of shaved off 1" x 4" wood shims (2-3 feet long). CAREFULLY (fresh paint) wedge the door front to back and up and down until the person outside says the gaps are good then tighten the hinges. CAREFULLY check fit and closure. You DO have blue painter's tape down all the edges that might touch ? Right ? This may take a few tries shimming the hinges as you go for the best fit.
Play around with things for the best fit and closing aspect and install all the hinge bolts and then the striker and deal with that adjustment; locating it so the door shuts nicely (the AIM has positioning specs for the striker). After the new weatherstrip takes a "set" you may have to tweak that.
You may find that places just don't look all that great after final assembly and adjustment. For instance that PS upper front door area at the fender junction will have a greater gap on an original door. It does on every split window I've looked at (first pic); you may find that the DS upper front edge at the upper roofline where it meets the window pillar sticks out more than the rest (second pic) ... the PS door may be kicked in slightly at the rear lower corner (third pic).
The goal is to get the best looking compromise you can working from the top down to the beltline then below...(third and fourth pic).
My doors are original with same job number in crayon on the insides as the car has on the splash shield - there is no evidence of any major body work on them.
99% of the '63 coupes I've seen exhibit these same characteristics to some degree unless body work has been undertaken.
You'll get a lot of advice on here - its up to you whether you listen to somebody that actually has a split window, actually drives it, and, has done the work or not
I use John McGraw's method to fit these doors...take the striker off and with two bolts lightly tightened in each hinge have a friend stand outside while you are inside with one or two pieces of shaved off 1" x 4" wood shims (2-3 feet long). CAREFULLY (fresh paint) wedge the door front to back and up and down until the person outside says the gaps are good then tighten the hinges. CAREFULLY check fit and closure. You DO have blue painter's tape down all the edges that might touch ? Right ? This may take a few tries shimming the hinges as you go for the best fit.
Play around with things for the best fit and closing aspect and install all the hinge bolts and then the striker and deal with that adjustment; locating it so the door shuts nicely (the AIM has positioning specs for the striker). After the new weatherstrip takes a "set" you may have to tweak that.
You may find that places just don't look all that great after final assembly and adjustment. For instance that PS upper front door area at the fender junction will have a greater gap on an original door. It does on every split window I've looked at (first pic); you may find that the DS upper front edge at the upper roofline where it meets the window pillar sticks out more than the rest (second pic) ... the PS door may be kicked in slightly at the rear lower corner (third pic).
The goal is to get the best looking compromise you can working from the top down to the beltline then below...(third and fourth pic).
My doors are original with same job number in crayon on the insides as the car has on the splash shield - there is no evidence of any major body work on them.
99% of the '63 coupes I've seen exhibit these same characteristics to some degree unless body work has been undertaken.
You'll get a lot of advice on here - its up to you whether you listen to somebody that actually has a split window, actually drives it, and, has done the work or not
Last edited by Frankie the Fink; 02-09-2015 at 01:02 PM.
02-09-2015, 03:40 PM
#4
Team Owner
Member Since: Mar 2003
Location: Greenville, Indiana
Posts: 26,118
Received 1,843 Likes
on
1,398 Posts
If your doors mysteriously don't fit, the first step is in checking the seal gaps to make sure you have room for compression of the seals. The first step IS NOT to do all that filling and drilling. That's bass ackwards.
It's very simple to read seal gaps. You can buy a spray on powder like talcum powder that will coat the doors, then simply shut the door on the seal, open it and read the imprint on the powder. That'll tell you whether the door is inboard/outboard, whether it is too tight or it will likely leak air/water.
It's very simple to read seal gaps. You can buy a spray on powder like talcum powder that will coat the doors, then simply shut the door on the seal, open it and read the imprint on the powder. That'll tell you whether the door is inboard/outboard, whether it is too tight or it will likely leak air/water.
02-09-2015, 06:47 PM
#5
Race Director
In addition to the above, if your seals are needing time to compress and take a set, adjust your striker out to where you only need to use normal force to shut the door. After a couple months, move the striker in a bit more, but where you can still shut the door normally. After about 6 months the seals will compress and take a set to where the doors can be adjusted to fit flush (at least as much as possible). You don't want to have to use excessive force and slam the door as that can cause cracking of the paint, loose glass, etc.
02-09-2015, 07:11 PM
#6
Team Owner
Member Since: Mar 2003
Location: Greenville, Indiana
Posts: 26,118
Received 1,843 Likes
on
1,398 Posts
In addition to the above, if your seals are needing time to compress and take a set, adjust your striker out to where you only need to use normal force to shut the door. After a couple months, move the striker in a bit more, but where you can still shut the door normally. After about 6 months the seals will compress and take a set to where the doors can be adjusted to fit flush (at least as much as possible). You don't want to have to use excessive force and slam the door as that can cause cracking of the paint, loose glass, etc.
If you don't know the car from day one, start with the basics before you start drilling and filling.
02-10-2015, 06:34 AM
#7
Burning Brakes
shims
When you disassembled the car did you scribe where the hinges were located, and have documented all shims and their location? If I read correctly your door(s) had no shims to start with?? If all that you are changing is the door rubber(takes time to compress as stated above.), then if you replaced all the shims as you found them upon disassembly, and aligned the hinges to the(very lightly scribed original location) it should all align up. Just as counting shims and location of body mounts during a body off. It is best to document what you have to start with, and perhaps you did. JMO
02-10-2015, 07:21 AM
#8
Team Owner
That procedure will get the doors remounted closely but not perfectly - on my car we drilled holes in all four hinges and put tight fitting pins in the doors to ensure they went on in the same place. Things still required tweaking and taking into account new weatherstripping.
And, if taking the doors off, you should prob rebuild the hinges - then EVERYthing is up for grabs
And, if taking the doors off, you should prob rebuild the hinges - then EVERYthing is up for grabs
02-10-2015, 09:01 AM
#9
Team Owner
As to "filling and drilling"; I would never start grinding down an original hinge unless you are chasing the perfect, better-than-factory, restomod-style fit and only then after trying everything else conceivable....
I think the first Sting Ray coupe's eccentricities of fitment are one of its endearing aspects.....particularly the doors....
I think the first Sting Ray coupe's eccentricities of fitment are one of its endearing aspects.....particularly the doors....
02-10-2015, 01:13 PM
#11
Team Owner
02-10-2015, 01:30 PM
#12
Drifting
Eric, the key is in your own statement "The drivers door fits good". Don't fool with it for 30 days. Make sure it's always shut when you're not working on the car. The w/strip will adjust. If you just finished paint, you have plenty to do. Call me if your hands touch a grinder or a cutting blade before April.