zuke6562

HI All........... I am in the process of installing the doors and am having problems with alignment. I did all the body work to make sure it all fit with a 1/8 gap around the doors than removed the doors. I found Shims.... put them back ...... but the alignment is way off. Can anyone offer any tips on how to install the doors and align them ???

Tx Walt

DansYellow66

Where is it off? Did you fit and finish the doors while the body was still on the frame? It doesn't matter as much on a coupe but can still make a difference.

zuke6562

Hi Dan........... yes.... the body was on the frame when all the body work was done. Most off is at the top of the door. It sticks out with about 3/8 of an inch. Others must have had a similar experiance but was unable to find a previous thread. Tx Walt

John McGraw

you have to remember, that the shims only adjust the doors in and out, at the front of the door, top and bottom. It the door does not match the fender line horizontally, then you use shims. If the alignment does not match in any other direction, then the adjustment is done in the bolt holes.

My preferred method of aligning doors, is to get someone inside the car with a 9/16" socket and a foot long piece of 1 X 4, that has been sanded to a taper on the end. Have your helper loosen the bolts, and jack the door to the right height with the 1 X 4 under the hinge area of the door, with the door closed. It is important to note, that you should not have the striker plate install on the pillar at this point, as it will prevent you from properly aligning the door.

With the door closed and jacked to the proper height by your helper, you can adjust the door fore and aft, as well as for proper angle. When you get the door where you want it, clamp it in place with your fingers at the top, and have your helper tighten one bolt tightly on the top and bottom hinge.

Check the door gaps and alignment one more time before installing the rest of the bolts. If some more adjustment is necessary, only loosen either the top or bottom hinge bolt, and adjust. Then loosen the other bolt and adjust. If you loosen both hinge bolts after getting the door jacked to the correct height, the door will drop again. As long as you only adjust one hinge at a time, the door will stay at the same elevation.

You will find this procedure will get the doors perfect in a very short time. Trying to adjust doors by yourself, or with the doors open, is an effort in futility. The doors just move too much, and you do not know you have overshot, until you close the door.
I did a pair of Coupe doors last night in less than 20 minutes, from start to finish.


Regards, John McGraw

MikeM

My opinion, this is the most critical part.

DansYellow66

The issue is that the top of the door is a long ways from the top hinge and the two hinges are relatively close together. If the bottom hinge is shimmed to where the lower door fits flush to the quarter and the front fender - moving the door in at the upper hinge by removing one shim at that hinge will move the top of the door in, at least twice the thickness of that removed shim. And hopefully the door along the fender peak will also be flush to the quarter and front fender. If not, a shim may have to be added at the lower hinge to rotate the bottom out slightly and the top in additionally.

You could also start with shimming at the top hinge to flush the door to the fenders at that hinge elevation and then move the lower door in or out as necessary to bring the top of the door in. It is sort of a wiggling in process where ever you start and there will probably have to be some slight compromise in gettng the best overall fit.

Of course having a helper to do it by John's method can only help and speed the process.

John McGraw

Dan is correct, however, a lot of times, what appears to be a shimming issue as actually an issue with the door being too low vertically. Because of the shape of the door, the door will appear as if it is sticking out to far at the top, when it is actually just too low in the opening.


Regards, John McGraw

mike coletta

Did you do the body work with the hard strip of rubber installed at the top of the jamb?? If you did the "roof to door" work without the rubber, and then installed it, it's going to be off. The top of the door should be lower than the roof by about 1/4", and have a tighter gap if that particular piece of weatherstrip is not installed.

Mike Coletta

zuke6562

HI John........... thank u for the info. 20 minutes ????....... wow I spent two hours on the pass side and its still not right. I will try your method with a helper. I had the door open and experianced the problems u mentioned. Will close the door and lift it with as u suggest with a helper. Tx Walt....

PS r u gonna be here (hawaii) in the near future ???? r u.

MikeM

Exactly right!

zuke6562

HI All..... thanks for all the great info. I will give it another try this morning. It sure is a frustrating job they way i was doing it..... perhaps I'll have better news tomorrow.

BTW Mike .... i had the rubber in place since i was replacing it anyway.

Thank you all again Walt

Dougs63

Don't think the doors fit all that well from the factory.

Check out this link, shows the lengths sometimes needed to get the right fit on all edges.

http://1963splitwindow.blogspot.com/...alignment.html

zuke6562

HI.... went out first thing this morning to adjust the door. Got a 1x4 and tapered it so it would fit under the door. I was able to adjust the door in about a half hour. Took longer to find me the 1x4 and taper it......... However, I did it three or four times and each time the gaps were right on but...................... the front edge of the door starting at the peak and above stuck out about 1/8 of inch..... The bottom was flush so i did not want to put a shim there to bring the top of the door in towards the body.. I was contemplating grinding the hinge like I saw someone do on the forum.

I inserted a 1/8 shim (about the amount the front edge of the door was off) on the very end of the top hinge. I tightened the last two bolts to hold the shim in place and then tightened the other bolts and it pulled the front edge of the door into perfect alignment. It sure made my day....... Thanks guys (especially John) for all the info.... appreciate it very much. Walt

zuke6562

HI Doug................. I know this car. It belonged to my friend Dennis in Hawaii. He offered this car to me but it was too much work for me..... and after visiting this web site..... I was right...... I am amazed at the level of work involved in this restoration. They did an awesome job....... Tx walt