Technical Pushing top of door in

^^^ What's a telephone book? Haven't seen one lately.^^^

You could give it a go with your laptop or phone.

 

DO SOME HOMEWORK FIRST!! You need to know if any A-Piller repairs were done FIRST prior to you owning the Car. Bend to fit may be the end repair but I always want to know the Why First! The door glass working well gives me signs that something else is the culprit. How does the door line up at the B-Post? Diagnose, diagnose, diagnose. Then get out the Correct tools. My first guess (and only that) would be some poor rust repairs at the bottom of A post and floor pan.

 

Yeah, measure twice or more.
Does the windshield fit well?
Is the cowl the same shape side to side?
Make a pattern of the leading door edge, compare to other side.

 

Look underneath the Car at the floors for signs of pan replacement or A-Post to toe board work. A poorly done job their will draw the A-Post inboard keeping the hinges in line but tipping the Top of the door outboard. Another thing to do is measure from the bottom of A-Post to the frame rail on both sides and see if they are the same. Do an X measurement from the Bottom corner of the Dash at A-Post to bottom side to side. Lots of ways to find out where if anything in the Body Shell is the cause of the bad door fit before you dive in and start bending things. Make sure what you're doing is a Fix and not just changing one problem for another, like a Window Glass that won't roll up and down nicely. (Instructions from Body Shop 101 back in 1962.)

 

I've seen body men put their knee against the door at the bottom of the window and grab the door at the top and jerk

 

If the door below the window opening fits well I'd never do any adjusting to the door below window opening, and never mess with hinges or hinge pins. It appears to just be from the top leading edge, so putting blocks on the opposite edge while pushing in on that edge that's out should fix it. Just try pushing it in with the other edge blocked, then remove the block and check fit. Keep going until it's where you feel it's OK with you.

 

I've read this thread several times (whenever it gets bumped) and I have to admit I cannot picture how the telephone book/2x4 trick works in this case.

A couple more pics would help. How does the bottom fit, panel gap and such?

 

THANKS everyone for your tips. I'll post how i make out.

 

I don't think anyone has asked yet. Being there is no photo from 10 feet away, Is it Chopped by chance?

 

No it's not chopped

 

Had a 40 chevy coupe with the same problem-out about 1/2" or more. I tried a lot of "fixes" but at a car show an "experienced" fella walked up, took a look and said "you ought to fix that, I know how." Cost me on cup of coffee and he said just get two 2x4's, placed 'em on each side on the inside and pry down easy, check after each attempt. It worked, but like a goose i forgot to put something underneath the boards on window frame so i wound up with two nice dents there, but they were worth it. Think I elevated the car some and used like 6' boards. Go easy if you do this, lots of pressure on the contact points.

 

A 2x4 is a lever that allows lots of force with a small movement. Think of prying the door up, or forward a little bit. That's not what is suggested here.
A short section can be used to hold the door open by placing it or the phone book between the door inner and the opening in the body. Both of those are shaped with lots of strengthening compound curves.

So that is what would be used here with the door top needing to be bent in a bit. Since it's steel, you can't just push it closed with the door closed, it springs back. You need to push it past the point where it should be, and actually past it's elastic point to where it deforms to the curve you want.

Open the door, use something to hold it open slightly, then push against the top of the door trying to bend it at the window opening so it fits the body opening. You do need to be careful how much force is used, sneak up on how much it is moved, and of course, try not to mar the opening where the 2x4 or book is.

 

That is how you do it, very common repair even today on late model cars.

 

Seen it done for decades, and done it a few times myself. Simply pick a spot opposite the high side and put a block between there and the door opening on the car. Then push firmly where it's high. Remove the block and check to see if it moved enough, and repeat until it's in enough at the high spot. Really nothing to it.

 

I used to work in a body shop (fitter not panel beater) after paint and re-fitting the rubbers doors often needed tweeking.
Once an owner arrived early to collect his car and saw the doors being brutalised in the normal way.
So it's always best to avoid that, because trying to explain to Mr Very Angry who thought body work was an intricate highly accurate science, will use up way too much time and patience!

 

Customer “ my door doesn’t fit the roof”
Me “ no problem” (takes car in shop away from customer view and performs a highly trained knee factory procedure then, takes car to customer”
Customer “ cool thanks you guys are geniuses”

 

That was a very common thing to do when I worked at a Chevy dealership in the 1990’s.

 

Yep. I’ve done that many times.

 

I’m really looking forward to the OP returning to show us his method and results. I do hope he can get that top bent into place without affecting any of the other gaps, or ruining any paint. Sounds like it should take him about 15 minutes to do the work.

 

Like the suggestions above open the door sit in the car with your knees against against it, grab the top of the door and give it a good strong pull and you' be set !

 

Going to get back on it this week. The door is going to get painted any way so if I scratch or wrinkle the paint it'll be no problem

 

I keep a rolled up old carpet I use for all sorts of autobody situations where you need to block something without denting or marring it. I would use that between the door and the car, maybe with a piece of cribbing in the middle if it proved to compressible.

 

Are the hinge pins worn ?

 

No new pins. No movement at all but a good question