Door too low on striker

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rich006

rich006

Learning as I go
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On my '74 Swinger, the passenger door looks perfect when closed but hits the striker about 1/8" lower than it should. It lifts up into position as it rides onto the striker. This makes the door a bit hard to open and shut (my wife and kids complain about it). To my novice eye, the hinges don't seem to have any play in them. Is it worth trying to adjust this or will I more likely make it worse?

Leading edge looks good.
IMG_2489.JPG

Trailing edge is close. This pic shows it as the door is closing, just before the door engages the striker.
IMG_2492.JPG

Here's another angle of the door just before engaging the striker.
IMG_2491.JPG

When the door is closed, the trailing edge lines up perfectly with the quarter panel.
IMG_2490.JPG
 
Make sure the striker is good.
Is the rubber insulator intact?
If so.... adjust striker and or repair door hinges with new pins and bushings.
 
My 67 Dart convertible drivers door has the same issue. with the door fully open there is no significant play in the hinges. with the door almost shut there is enough play to account for the sag and i can lift the door up and make it shut perfectly.

My bet is the lower hinge / pin is warn. I thought about using a repair kit but they require drilling the hinge out and inserting a bushing. (I don't like the repair kits) Or buy a replacement hinge set from AMD or the like.

You might be able to shim the lower hinge between the hinge and the door which would raise the handle end of the door.

Good luck
 
Open the door, grab the end of it and lift up and down. Is there play?

If so, change the door hinges or rebuild them.
 
1. There is zero play in the hinges. If I lift the door while it's open, the whole car moves as a unit. Lifting the door while shutting it does not make it easier to shut.
2. If I lower the striker, then the door when closed will be too low next to the quarter panel.
 
Unit bodies have a tendency to sag over time. Convertibles are more prone to sag.
I dont know what has been done to your cars body. It looks like the door needs to be moved forward on the upper hinge. If its body sag, it usually affects both doors at the quarter panel but the fender to door gap stays the same.

Your door to fender gap seems wide at the top. Moving the door hinge on these cars is not easy in an assembled condition.
You could try to move it straight up by loosening the hinge to door bolts.
 
If you're confident the hinges aren't worn then the only thing left is to adjust it at the hinge. A small adjustment at the hinge will translate to a large change at the other end of the door. Bolts on the cowl side adjust the door up and down. Bolts on the door adjust the door in and out from the body. Try this:

  1. Get a helper. They can lift the end of the door while you loosen/tighten bolts. Don't touch the bottom hinge. Remove the striker so you can check alignment quickly (you can use tape to mark it's 'original' position).
  2. With the door open, crack the one outside bolt loose that goes into the cowl on the upper hinge. It can be good and loose.
  3. Limber up and reach up behind the dash to find the access hole for the 2 bolts on the inside. If it helps, remove the glove box liner. Loosen one up plenty.
  4. Don't try to adjust the hinge with the door wide open. Have it open enough for your helper to support the end. Crack the remaining bolt loose enough to be able to move the hinge. Have your helper lift the door a little past where it needs to be. It may only move the hinge 1/8" forward on the cowl. Tighten the bolt you just cracked loose. Close the door and check alignment.
  5. Repeat as necessary until satisfied, then tighten all the bolts and replace and adjust the striker.
 
Your door has sagged. Loosen top hinge (Three bolts) and adjust door to be flush with top of rear fender. Now adjust the striker to fit new door height, neither lowering or raising the door when closing.
 
rich006 said:
On my '74 Swinger, the passenger door looks perfect when closed but hits the striker about 1/8" lower than it should. It lifts up into position as it rides onto the striker. This makes the door a bit hard to open and shut (my wife and kids complain about it). To my novice eye, the hinges don't seem to have any play in them. Is it worth trying to adjust this or will I more likely make it worse?

Leading edge looks good.
View attachment 1715213981
Trailing edge is close. This pic shows it as the door is closing, just before the door engages the striker.View attachment 1715213982
Here's another angle of the door just before engaging the striker.
View attachment 1715213983
When the door is closed, the trailing edge lines up perfectly with the quarter panel.
View attachment 1715213984
Click to expand...
Looks like the upper hinge could go forward a touch and it looks like the whole door could go up a couple eighth's. I would move the door up to match the fender height which only involves the door bolts before messing with the hinges. It's do-able but like others said you really need a helper and it's usually a couple of attempts of trial by error.
 
rich006 said:
1. There is zero play in the hinges. If I lift the door while it's open, the whole car moves as a unit. Lifting the door while shutting it does not make it easier to shut.
2. If I lower the striker, then the door when closed will be too low next to the quarter panel.
Click to expand...

70Duster440 said:
If you're confident the hinges aren't worn then the only thing left is to adjust it at the hinge. A small adjustment at the hinge will translate to a large change at the other end of the door. Bolts on the cowl side adjust the door up and down. Bolts on the door adjust the door in and out from the body. Try this:

  1. Get a helper. They can lift the end of the door while you loosen/tighten bolts. Don't touch the bottom hinge. Remove the striker so you can check alignment quickly (you can use tape to mark it's 'original' position).
  2. With the door open, crack the one outside bolt loose that goes into the cowl on the upper hinge. It can be good and loose.
  3. Limber up and reach up behind the dash to find the access hole for the 2 bolts on the inside. If it helps, remove the glove box liner. Loosen one up plenty.
  4. Don't try to adjust the hinge with the door wide open. Have it open enough for your helper to support the end. Crack the remaining bolt loose enough to be able to move the hinge. Have your helper lift the door a little past where it needs to be. It may only move the hinge 1/8" forward on the cowl. Tighten the bolt you just cracked loose. Close the door and check alignment.
  5. Repeat as necessary until satisfied, then tighten all the bolts and replace and adjust the striker.
Click to expand...

This is about as good an explanation and solution as you can get IMO.
The only difference is I use a floor jack with a piece of 4x4 and a towel over that to support the door instead of a helper.

It really does make it a nice job if you note that 70Duster440 says to remove the striker and adjust the door to fit the opening first, then reinstall the striker and adjust it to match where the door is.
A lot of people use the striker to align the door as it closes,(like your door is now)and this is just wrong as you are aware of what it causes.
The door needs to be aligned and THEN the striker put back to match.
 
Why is it wrong. I need to adjust my passenger door and that was my plan
TrailBeast said:
A lot of people use the striker to align the door as it closes,(like your door is now)and this is just wrong as you are aware of what it causes
Click to expand...
 
Mikes270dart said:
Why is it wrong. I need to adjust my passenger door and that was my plan
Click to expand...

Well, it is the easy way to make minor adjustments but the striker shouldn't be used to align the door.
The door should align correctly without the striker, and then the striker adjusted for support and depth after the fact.
When the striker is used to align the door you have those spots where the door latch drags on it either opening or closing.
The dead giveaway on this is when you release the door latch and the door falls lower when it comes off the striker.
They just open and close so much smoother.
 
Mikes270dart said:
Why is it wrong. I need to adjust my passenger door and that was my plan
Click to expand...
Different methods for different people. When I get close I adjust the striker so the door looks good and where it's supposed to be, and then go again on the adjustment if necessary so the door is not hanging up on the striker as it opens and closes. If you've ever had the nut fall out the back and had to go fishing you kind of quit pulling them all the way out unless necessary.
 
Last edited:
Murray said:
The nut on the back cannot fall out, it is in a "cage".
Click to expand...
In a perfect world. The cage can rust loose or could be spun or broke out from previous tampering. You can and will occasionally lose one into the qtr.
 
Last edited:
Using the striker to align the door puts stress on the striker mounting area that it wasn't designed for. That, and slamming the door is why A bodys tear around the striker.
 
rich006 said:
On my '74 Swinger, the passenger door looks perfect when closed but hits the striker about 1/8" lower than it should. It lifts up into position as it rides onto the striker. This makes the door a bit hard to open and shut (my wife and kids complain about it). To my novice eye, the hinges don't seem to have any play in them. Is it worth trying to adjust this or will I more likely make it worse?

Leading edge looks good.
View attachment 1715213981
Trailing edge is close. This pic shows it as the door is closing, just before the door engages the striker.View attachment 1715213982
Here's another angle of the door just before engaging the striker.
View attachment 1715213983
When the door is closed, the trailing edge lines up perfectly with the quarter panel.
View attachment 1715213984
Click to expand...
Old body shop trick.... put half a roll of paper towels vertically in the door jamb down by the lower hinge. Close the door and then lean on it a bit to stretch the lower hinge. Do it easy and check alignment each time.
 
furyus2 said:
Using the striker to align the door puts stress on the striker mounting area that it wasn't designed for. That, and slamming the door is why A bodys tear around the striker.
Click to expand...
The extra weight on the striker pin actually will cause the metal to fatigue around the striker base and it will break away in a perfect circle. It happens as the car is driven and the body flexes repeatedly working the metal until it fails. On my 68 when driving home from CA, the passenger side failed and the door jammed closed. I was only able to open it by going through the passenger compartment after removing the rear interior side panel.
 
I don't know if anybody is following this thread but I'm hoping to get advice about my 65 Dart convertible. My driver's door is low about 1/4 in. and has no play in the hinge. I know the upper hinge needs to be adjusted but cannot see how I can access the three hinge bolts. Took off the kick panel, no access there. Do I need to remove the dash? I hope not, I'm afraid that's beyond my ability.
 
This Jegs tool is bogus. The way it "adjusts" the door is to tweak the door sheet metal itself to bring it into alignment. This way is OK but can be easily done with a 2X4 at the bottom of the door, no need for a special tool. Been doing this for years. At a 1/4" drop, you need to adjust at the hinge, the bend/tweek method is OK for smaller adjustments.
 
I did it! Getting to bolts required a backwards headstand but my door closes well now. Still about a 1/16 low when closed but I can live with that. In the end, just repositioning the striker may have been what fixed it.
Thanks.
 
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