I have been trying to get my doors to fit properly. I got the driver door to line up. And then the passenger side wont line up. I am starting to think body mounts are bad or out of alignment. Both doors are off about the same amount from fitting correctly. Also the passenger door popped out when I was pushing in on the driver side door.
I think I will make sure mounts are on tight. If the mounts are tight then maybe new bushings are in order. I have tried all the alignment information from previous posts. I really think the body is out of alignment.

jerry

 

Solid mounting points are paramount when aligning any sheet metal, cab, doors, fenders, grill, everything. Chances are better than good that the rubber mounts are bad. Best part, they're not expensive nor hard to replace. Now if your mount areas are rusted, that is a problem. What kind of old Ford truck are we talking about?

 

Also pictures are always useful when diagnosing a problem from a distance .

 

sorry I had to go to work. My truck is a 1955 f100. Will try to take pictures of the mounts tomorrow. I found the front mounts for the cab. The rear ones didnt have time to look at them. Will jack up truck tomorrow and look. But like you guys the bushings are probably toast. Kind of like building a house with a bad foundation. Anyone know who can give me a good deal on the body bushings for my 1955 f100?

jerry

 

Well I jacked up my 55 f100 and checked the body mounts. The mounts where all tight except the driver side front. I then tightened the mount and both doors shut better then before. If just tightening one mount helps then new monts should be better. Any tips on how to change rear cab mounts?

Jerry

 

Providing your front cab mount wings are in good condition, changing mounts is relative easy. Take the front cab mount bolts out, jack up the cab at the corner you want to change the mount, then swap out the gromets. Same procedure for the rear cab mounts. I get most of my stuff from Mid Fifty. They are very knowledgeable in the mid fifty ford F-100's. When you replace the cab mounts, make sure all the metal parts (front and rear) are not worn or rusted. If so, you can replace those as well. If your front frame wings are damaged, changing all the mounting components will not solve the problem.

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but most of these old cabs never where square to begin with. My last 54 it took me days to get them hanging right. Hinges, weatherstriping, cab squareness, latch position, etc. all play into the doors looking right and shutting correctly. My door openings were skewed so I had to stretch the cowl area and cab opening using the good ole' 2x4 method. Once it did it my doors lined up great. Make sure your mounts are solid and then you may have to look elsewhere for the problem. How is the squareness of the cab to the frame? Are your door openings the same measurements on the left and right side? Did you work on the cab corners or hinge mount areas? Do you have any rust causing weakness where the hinges mount? As for the rear cab mounts, new arms and rubbers take some fiddling but they go in pretty straight forward. Good luck!

 

Something sounds really wrong when you say you pushed on the drivers side door and the passenger side door popped out. I have three of these trucks and have never seen any movement close to that in the cab when its mounted on the frame correctly. Unless your gonzilla or the jolly green giant, there should not be that much flex in the cab.

 

I have never seen door popping open on opposite side. I think I probably didnt latch other door enough. There is no rust on hinge mount on cab or on door. It always off at the bottom rear. Its the same on both sides. The front mounts look like they should be replaced. I am going to replace them and go from there. I read midfiftys has them at a decent price.

jerry

 

I misunderstood, I thought you said the passenger door popped open instead of "out". Still sounds like way too much give in the cab if it will do that. Yes Mid Fifty is one of the better sources becasue Sy puts a lot of time into making sure the parts she sells are the best quality.

 

the people at midfiftys are great. They suggested replacing the front mounts first. then see how it goes.

Jerry

 

If you want the most experienced one, ask for Dianne. Also if your front mounts are bad, your rear ones are probably as well. Before you spend the money for the adjustable rear mounts........if everything is in good shape, the standard mounts will work just fine for the rear (if you need them).

 

Yes, always start with squaring the cab before fitting any other parts. Measure side to side front to back, and the diagonals, take your time to get it right, it will pay off later. Take the door latches and the weather stripping off when fitting them into the openings, then replace and adjust the latches. I find the easiest way to adjust the doors is with a helper. Loosen the hinges on the doors (not the pillars unless they need to move in and out) block, shim and lever the doors until they center in the opening, then while holding it there, have your helper retighten the hinge bolts from inside the cab. If the top or bottom of the door needs to move in and/or out to align with the cab sides adjust the pillar end of the hinges. Once the painting is completed, replace the weather stripping. Use the soft hollow center rubber door weather stripping. The right type can be found by the roll at Pep boys.

 

Stop by your local lumber yard and pick up a bundle of door/window wedges. They work great for setting your door, fender, and hood gaps. Just slip the wedge in and tape it at the gap you want, then you can concentrate on shimming everything to fit.

 

Exactly that. It took my wife and I less than 10 minutes per side. Me on the outside with the Mk1 eyeball, and her inside with the ratchet. I'd had the dorms and hinges completely off too.