1963 driver sd door alignment
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Joined: Jun 2004
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From: tierra verde fl
1963 driver sd door alignment
The driver side door is low and I have been unable to align it properly. I have replaced the hinge pins and bushings, but the whole door just sits low and there appears to be no up and down adjustments. Should the hinge mounting plate "inside the door" be free floating? The hinge itself has slots so the door can be move back and forth but not up and down, unless the mounting plate inside the door has up and down movement. There is no visible access to the mounting plate to check this out. Any help will be much appreciated!! 
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 8,918
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From: New Hill NC
You are correct that the slots in the hindge are east-west not north- south, but there is enough movement to allow some up and down movement. If you cant get it high enough by loostening all of the bolts and pushing the door up, there is some other problem with the body.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,241
Likes: 6
From: Arizona
Door Skin???
Is your door skin loose from the door itself???
Mine has come loose and it makes the door look like it's out of align, and you cannot move it up enough to align it either.
If it is, It will have to be re-bonded...
Mine has come loose and it makes the door look like it's out of align, and you cannot move it up enough to align it either.
If it is, It will have to be re-bonded...
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Joined: Jun 2004
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From: tierra verde fl
How do you rebond the door skin. Are you referring to the skin that has the large rivets heads protruding to the outside? I am confused how this would affect the door alignemt? Can you provide more information. Also what I really would like to know is, how the hinge mounting plate is fastened at the inside of the door. Is the plate floating to allow up/down adjustment or is it fixed? 
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 17,693
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From: Central Arkansas
Is this a coupe or convertible? Also, when the door is opened all the way against the stops does the hinge reinforcement pocket in the door have a lot of movement? If it does it may be contributing to sagging as much as worn hinge bushing do. The door hinge reinforcements are riveted in and at the front end of the door you will see their heads around the hinge arm openings. I don't know of anyway to re-rivet them but I came up with another solution. I bought a bunch of carriage head bolts (don't remember if they were 1/4 or 5/16 inch) and ground the rounded heads down flat to look like a rivet. The diameter of the head was exactly the same as the original rivet. Then I carefully ground the square section under the head to round the edges off. I knocked the old rivets out one by one and inserted a bolt in each one's place and double nutted them. It tightened them up. I did this before painting my car and the bolts are indistinguishable from rivets too.
If this isn't your problem, could be how your body is shimmed to the frame, especially if it's a convertible. You should be able to get some up and down adjustment out of the hinge plates. Of course someone has to hold the door while snugging the bolts.
If this isn't your problem, could be how your body is shimmed to the frame, especially if it's a convertible. You should be able to get some up and down adjustment out of the hinge plates. Of course someone has to hold the door while snugging the bolts.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,241
Likes: 6
From: Arizona
Bonding.
I took my coupe to a body shop to have the door looked at because I could not get it aligned. When I say aligned I mean "gapped equally" around the edges. (The door was aligned inso far as the latches operating correctly). I also assumed you are talking about gap!
With the door shut, we were able to actually move the outer skin. The skin actualy sits out to far in the front of the door (won't lay flush with the body). The body guy said that there was some good bonding agents that would secure the skin to the frame of the door. (It will push in, just won't stay).
I figured he was talking about those rivets having worked loose. He said they pry the skin away from the frame work and apply this resin, then clamp it until dry.
I never had this done (yet) because when he explained the process, I just wasn't completely sold. I also could live with the minor misalignment and my paint is in good shape so I didn't want it screwed up. I will pull the door apart during my frame off this year and investigate it more fully.
With the door shut, we were able to actually move the outer skin. The skin actualy sits out to far in the front of the door (won't lay flush with the body). The body guy said that there was some good bonding agents that would secure the skin to the frame of the door. (It will push in, just won't stay).
I figured he was talking about those rivets having worked loose. He said they pry the skin away from the frame work and apply this resin, then clamp it until dry.
I never had this done (yet) because when he explained the process, I just wasn't completely sold. I also could live with the minor misalignment and my paint is in good shape so I didn't want it screwed up. I will pull the door apart during my frame off this year and investigate it more fully.
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 98
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From: tierra verde fl
DansYellow
I suspected this potential problem, how were you able to get the nuts on the bolts? I drilled thru the exixting rivets and reriveted thru these holes using standard rivets and washer betweeen the head. I am not sure if this was a smart thing to do, especially if the mounting plates were meant to float to achieve up/down adjustments because now there is no movement. This is a mystery, it seems that this would be the logical apprach to have up/down adjustment. So far no one has addressed this question, so unless someone has gained access to the inside of the door it is unknown! !
I suspected this potential problem, how were you able to get the nuts on the bolts? I drilled thru the exixting rivets and reriveted thru these holes using standard rivets and washer betweeen the head. I am not sure if this was a smart thing to do, especially if the mounting plates were meant to float to achieve up/down adjustments because now there is no movement. This is a mystery, it seems that this would be the logical apprach to have up/down adjustment. So far no one has addressed this question, so unless someone has gained access to the inside of the door it is unknown!
!
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