Is there any way to fix misalignment like in these pics? The bottom of the door is WAY outside the cab. It doesn't even come close to sealing. Attachments: https://talk.classicparts.com/images/attachments/42fbfc4f02383ec7.jpghttps://talk.classicparts.com/images/attachments/42fbfc5e02383ec1.jpg
RE: door alignment Yes but it's tricky ~ first you must have perfect door hinges , no play in them , it looks like you have installed the weather stripping , it must come out before adjusting the door . There's adjustment in both hinges , watch out else it'll begin to sag by the time you finally get the bottom pulled in . Only loosen the screws enough so it takes a goodly bump to move the door else it'll drift as you tighten them up again . These trucks didn't have the best fitting body work when new as GM cared not a whit about the jigwork when building up the cabs since every truck was sold twice over at that time.... -Nate
RE: door alignment I'm not sure what I need to do. Since the lower part of the door is out to far, what will move it in closer to the cab. I know the hinges slide in and out a half inch or so to adjust gaps, but how can I make the lower half closer to the cab? I see that the lower hing is angled a little. Did you mean that I have to move the door up or down on that hinge to get the door to move in or out?
RE: door alignment The hinge is adjustable not only on the door but on the cab as well so if you slide the lower hinge in a little bit , this will draw the bottom of the door in . Remember you'll need to losen the upper hinge at the same time so it can pivot a bit to avoid side loading the hinge pin. -Nate
RE: door alignment but the thing is, the hinge attachment to the cab has slotted holes for variability, but the slots are oriented vertically. They probably move a good 1/2" up or down, but side to side I don't think you could get more than 1/16". . .and I need way more than that. I was considering taking off the lower hinge and machining out the holes to essentially slot them in the other direction. I was wondering if anyone has done this or if I'm asking for trouble.
RE: door alignment Maybe i'm seeing things...but it looks like your cowl panel in front of the door is creased (door sprung?) if thats the case, the front door frame will be pulled slightly forward. (i had to resolve this on my cab...and pulling the crease out fixed it).
RE: door alignment just wondering...are your door off anything over a 1 ton? because if so they might look the same but sometimes the door lines is angled out more than a 1/2 through a 1 ton...just a question for thought. Jesse Hazell Chevy Duty Tech.
I know this is an old thread but the bottom of my driver door sticks out a little. SO this thread should help with my door alignment.
As far off as it is you might have hinge warpage from being opened too far. As Nate said, there can be zero slop in the hinge pins or alignment is a lost cause. To test, open the door just far enough to grab the rear edge and wiggle. With it swung wide open the test is not valid. I'd test in two steps: first loosen all bolts and maybe with a helper see if it will fit into place and if not, remove the hinges and see if the door itself will fit the hole. If it does the hinges are the problem. The panels fit notoriously bad on these old trucks but they were not bought to look at and there is a good chance they went from the show floor to the farm co-op and got a couple rolls of barb wire and a bundle of steel fence posts thrown in them on the way home. Yours is painted but when starting from scratch we drill or mill the factory holes way oversize to allow for much more adjustment, then use a longer bolt through a thick 3/8 washer to hold long enough for the washer to be tacked to the hinge straps. Later if there is no problem from the thick washer we weld it in place or if there is interference we fill up the gap from the back side and drill a hole using the washer as a guide before removing it. One customer wanted Rolls Royse like coach work so we made kerf cuts on the bottom third of the door, re-contoured it to match the cab perfectly and welded up and finished out all the cuts. Same thing for the hood, fenders (no welt just fit up perfect), vent doors, and even the filler panel between the bed,cab, and running board. Of course it cost him a Rolls type bill which is fine if that's your thing but it does away with the whole purpose of these old trucks. Being no dummy he used the truck in front of his business as a sign and charged it off as advertising.
This diagram for bending a hinge might help. I haven't reached this part of my restoration so I can't vouch for it personally.
