door doesn't close

[ty-rone]

Basicaly, my passenger side door doesn't close properly. It latches shut, but it seems to sit about 3/4 of an inch low in the frame of the door(at the top). It doesn't put enough pressure on the weather stripping to seal it and water can get in(today I bent the door so it shuts against the weather strip because we are due rain). I have hear of other people having similair problems, but deep down I am afraid the frame of the car is bent. Would this be one of the signs of that? Or could it just be a door and hingr problem? I am trying to get the beast painted soon, but the quality will depend on the damages. I am not going to drop big money into a paintjob on a car with a bent fram. So if you guys coulod help me out I would really appreciate it.

p.s. I have some pics of the door, but do not know how to paste them on here.

 

[notchback]

the pins need replaced...you can temp fix it by raising the stud that the latch clamps to.

use a torx drive and loosen it up...then raise it a little. (the one in the door jamb)

it will hit it harder...but raise the door in the closed position.

 

[ty-rone]

So it doesn't seem like a frame issue?

I was told to check for movment in the hinge, so I tried lifting the door. The problem is while I lift the door the rest of the car moves too. I didn't notice any movment in the hinge, but can't be certain. It seems to me when I look at the lower hinge that the bushing is tilted forward.

Now which hinge would i be adjusting and could you give me a little more info on how to do it.Thx.

 

[jrichker]

Hinge pin & bushing kits are available at many auto parts stores. Or see http://www.texasmustang.com/ or http://www.mustang-unl.com/lmparts.htm. Usually less than $7 for the kit with one pin & 2 bushings.

Th hard part is to get the old pin out. Some were spot welded in, others were hammered so that the end mushroomed. Either way, it takes a grinder or cutter bit in a drill or Dremel tool to cut the pin or grind off the weld. Once it is off, tap the pin out with a hammer. Only remove one pin at a time so that you don't have the full weight of the door to manage. I highly recommend that you have a helper standing by to hold the door.

Once the old pin is out, lower the door and tap out the old bushings. Put the new bushings in and have the helper lift the door in place so that you can slide the new pin in. It may have to go in differently from the way it came out. That's OK, as long as you put the cotter pin in the hinge pin.

The important thing to remember is that the hinge pin isn't supposed to move once you are finished. If it does, then you will end up like me - the pin moved, it wore the door hinge instead of the replaceable bushings. Now in order to fix it right, I have remove the whole thing again and drill out the hinge to the same size as the bushing and use 2 sets of bushings in each hinge rather than one set. They are fixed now, but it cost me $40 for the drill bit & special size reamer to do the job.

 

[ty-rone]

Ok, thank you. Once monsoon season ends here i will go out there and give it a shot.

Does this sound like the problem to you though? Would the lower hinge control how the door fits in the door frame?

again, I have pics i can post on here if it is possible.

 

[blastit116]

yes i the pin is wore out whitch it probably is it would sit low and leak water

 

[The Shape]

Yeah I did both pins on both doors on my GT and they work great now. My 4popper needs it badly, thinking about doing it this weekend. It isn't really that hard, it is a good idea to tape an old towel or something on the edge of your fender though to keep the door and fender from hitting while you move it around. Also Jrichker is right you really need a buddy to help.

 

[ty-rone]

I Am not worried about dinging up the fenders or anything. The whole reason I am worried about this is because I am sending it to get painted soon. So if I ding a fender....dahwehll.

 

[The Shape]

Well if you aren't worried about dinging anything it will make the job even easier. Just make sure you have some good cutting disk for your dremel get a friend and a six pack and go to work. (beer makes all jobs easier)

 

[ty-rone]

Beer makes everything better....after all I am Canadian

Yeah, well I am buying some new/salvaged gt doors anyways. Just want to make sure it's worth spending the $$$ first. I figure I might as well because my car has a GT body kit on it, but still has the lx door moulding. This way I get the moulding and new doors. It's win win!

 

[The Shape]

Well while doing the pins is the perfect time to swap doors.

 

[ty-rone]

Thank you!