Duster door question

[sasquatch]

I recently purchased a 72 Duster to start restoring. The drivers door is the original, but the passenger door has been replaced. When I bought it the door was shut and it would not open. The guy I got the car from said it used to open and close, but it had been sitting for a year and didn't work when he got back in it. The door looked like it was out of adjustment, and just needed some TLC to get it working again. After having the door off, adjusting the hinges, and freeing up the locking mechanism, the door still barely shuts at all. Then I noticed that the glass didn't seem to meet exactly the way it should. Now I am worried that the door is not correct. All the body lines on the door matches the rest of the body. What year doors will work exactly with the 72? Is there a way to tell what year the door I currently have is? I appreciate all your input

 

[dusted72]

I believe anything before 73 is the same. 73 and after they changed the interior door handle and arm rest location. As long as the door doesn't have a little "wing" window it will work

 

[dusted72]

Oh ya post some pics of your door just the inside the outside all look the same.

 

[340duster]

Could be something wrong with the glass mechanism. Even 73-76 doors will fit, just in inside stuff is completely different (both the inner door frame (metal) and the vinyl parts. The other possibility is the glass is from a different year. For example a 1970 door glass is different from a 1972. and the 73 and up(?) is different from the earlier stuff.

Post some pictures and we can help

 

[sasquatch]

Thanks guys. I will take some pictures and post them this weekend.

 

[2 Darts]

Suggest that the hinge pins and bushings be checked for wear.
The bolts for the door fit into threaded holes in plates. The plates are not welded into place to allow for adjustment of the door. Similarly, the latch can be loosened and re-adjusted for alignment.

I've done this myself on the Demon. I must have looked like a circus clown juggling the door with my leg and getting all twisted around to tighten the bolts to consumate the adjustment.

Dusted72's comment is worth considering. The Scamp/Swinger door fits the Duster/Demon opening if the PVW (pivoting vent window) assembly is removed. That was precisely why I was juggling with the Demon because a PO had put a HT door in it. FWIW, the wrong door fit great in terms of latching and body lines matching.

Due to the PVW assembly, a ventless door's glass can not be installed. There's no place for the forward track to attach, the the forward portion of the glass will not seal properly at the window sill.

 

[sasquatch]

Well I worked on my door again this weekend, and finally got it to shut better than the drivers door. I ended up having to put a spacer between the hinge and the door to move it towards the rear of the car. All the handles are in the same place as the original door, and it has the correct glass, so I'm going to assume that it is the correct door. My camera is not working at the moment, or I would post pictures.

Now that the door shuts, I got inside and tried to roll up the window. When the window almost reaches the top it acts like it wants to come to the inside of the car instead of rolling up all the way on the outside. If you push on the top a little bit while you roll up, it will go where it is supposed to. I tried to fix it by adjusting the position of the window track/assembly where it bolts to the bottom of the door. Then I noticed the same thing happened on the drivers side.

Is this a common happening in dusters due to the curved glass? Do yall have any suggestions how to adjust further?

Thanks