I am having a hard time adjusting my passenger side door close to where I want. I can get the roof and rocker panel gaps pretty good (not perfect yet), and quarter panel gap pretty good, but I'm left with a gap at the a-pillar between the door and body. The door barely touches the door-to-body weather stripping and I'm able to fit my fingers in that gap pretty easily. It's like I need a way to tilt the door in and out... need to push the top of the door IN toward the car a little bit more to seal the door up against the weather stripping better.
I can get the hinge bolts loose and get it lined up good... tighten the TOP hinge bolts and it's sealed up great. But as soon as I tighten the lower hinge bolts, the a-pillar bows out and creates the gap. When I get it all tight, the door a-pillar is flush with the body. On my driver side, the door a-pillar is pushed in a quarter inch or so.
This is a door pulled from another car. My old door was dented up badly and this door is in great shape. I guess the a-pillar could be bent but I'm hoping not. I have new hinge pins and bushings, new striker, new hinges, and even new hinge mounting plates and screws.
I've been setting the new striker first, then trying to line up the gaps. Maybe my technique is wrong, I have never done this before but I want to do it right. Pictures are below, any help would be appreciated! I have the fender off so easy access to the hinge bolts.
This gap increases a little bit at the top:
Gap at the top of the door:
See-through a-pillar:
A-pillar is close to the body:
I can get the hinge bolts loose and get it lined up good... tighten the TOP hinge bolts and it's sealed up great. But as soon as I tighten the lower hinge bolts, the a-pillar bows out and creates the gap. When I get it all tight, the door a-pillar is flush with the body. On my driver side, the door a-pillar is pushed in a quarter inch or so.
This is a door pulled from another car. My old door was dented up badly and this door is in great shape. I guess the a-pillar could be bent but I'm hoping not. I have new hinge pins and bushings, new striker, new hinges, and even new hinge mounting plates and screws.
I've been setting the new striker first, then trying to line up the gaps. Maybe my technique is wrong, I have never done this before but I want to do it right. Pictures are below, any help would be appreciated! I have the fender off so easy access to the hinge bolts.
This gap increases a little bit at the top:
Gap at the top of the door:
See-through a-pillar:
A-pillar is close to the body: