Door not shutting

[dsmGST91]

Hey guys on my 73 'vert...heres the deal, the door used to shut fine. Now its not. The two "clamps" or whatever you would call them will not open up to accept the knob on the body of the car. You cant force them up with a screwdriver, nor will locking/unlocking the door. Unlocking or locking it moves the rod that comes out of the door panel, but doesnt move the clamps. The door will shut, but you have to absolutely SLAM it to get it to stick. Obviously I want this taken care of but I'm not sure what could be wrong. Also, it looks like it would be one hell of a job to try to take it out of the door, once you got it from behind the glass, you'd have to disconnect the rods and pull it through behind the door panel? Anyone else have any similiar problems?

 

[krash kendall]

Mine was doing that recently. There are a couple of rods on the door mechanism that are interlinked via a sliding bushing. One of them snaps into the centre of it and retains a washer to help keep the hub in its slot. If this rod has popped out it could be causing your problem. The other rods have a fixture built onto them that hinges open to release them (you may need a small screwdriver to pry them). At the very least, you will need to remove the door panel, if not the whole mechanism. At least then you can inspect it and get your head around how it works (or why it doesn't work).

 

[chepsk8]

Um, have you checked the chassis? If the car is setling, yell "HELP"!!

Yes, the mechanisms do jam. I had that happen as well. Most important is the alignment of the door latch to the striker, and if the striker is badly worn.

 

[krash kendall]

Good point Dan, I didn't notice it was a convertable!

 

[dsmGST91]

No no, the mechanism is jammed. Its not supposed to be clamped shut when the door is open right? Obviously I cant tell what its doing when the door is shut, but the door does shut if you slam it really really hard, so I guess its biting a little bit. I will check it out later today with your advice krash.