Door Install and Alignment
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,037
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From: Kasson, Minnesota
Door Install and Alignment
Soon I will be putting my doors back on the cab and just looking for any tips/tricks and ideas for installing and aligning. Thanks for the help.
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2006
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From: Williamson, NY
In the future before you remove the doors, hood. deck lid, etc, drill some 1/8" indexing holes through the hinges and body. Then when you reassemble you just use the the same 1/8" drill bit to get it all lined up before tightening the bolts.
The way I might go about aligning the doors w/o indexing holes if the fenders are not on the truck yet, is to start with the door hinges mounted to the doors. Place door on the truck so that it latches on the latch pin and then loosely screw in your hinge bolts to the body. Then move the door in the door opening until all your edge gaps are even and then have a helper tighten the bolts. It is my opinion that you need to align the doors first, so the gaps are even and the door opens and closes well, since the this is the only way to adjust the cab-to-door gaps. Then mount your front fenders and using shims adjust the body lines and fender to door gap.
The way I might go about aligning the doors w/o indexing holes if the fenders are not on the truck yet, is to start with the door hinges mounted to the doors. Place door on the truck so that it latches on the latch pin and then loosely screw in your hinge bolts to the body. Then move the door in the door opening until all your edge gaps are even and then have a helper tighten the bolts. It is my opinion that you need to align the doors first, so the gaps are even and the door opens and closes well, since the this is the only way to adjust the cab-to-door gaps. Then mount your front fenders and using shims adjust the body lines and fender to door gap.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 4,701
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My tip is to get a buddy. I did mine myself, and it was horrible. I started by tightening one bolt in the door at middle travel. Then I bolted it to the cab and started jockeying it around until the seams and body lines were about even.
The drill trick sounds easier, but I think yours is already apart, right?
The drill trick sounds easier, but I think yours is already apart, right?
Postmaster
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,312
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From: Eldorado Ca. USA
you don't adjust (these) doors with shims, only the body panels. Shims can be anything you want. I have seen large washers, horse shoe lookin shims, pieces of some sort of heavy duty fiber board. Essentially anything can be used as a shim, as long as it can withstand the abuses of the task you are going to subject it to. If you do a Google search for automotive body shims, I am sure you can find something useful.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,037
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From: Kasson, Minnesota
Drill trick sounds good...Too bad my truck was pretty much taken apart before. New doors, fenders, hinges, etc. Thanks for all the replys. I have a Door stand from Eastwood that works on a 2-ton Jack and I was planning on using that to at least get the doors attached. There is so much play with the mounting plates in the door piller and door that it looks like it's going to be a job to get things aligned. But, first things first....Get the doors on the truck and then go from there.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Kasson, Minnesota
I'm working on at least one of my doors. (I have NOS doors) Kind of a PITA doing it by myself. Anyhow, I have the lines matched up pretty well, but I had a pretty large gap between the door and cowl and not so much in the rear and the doors shut without shimming out the striker bolt. I didn't like that and most of the trucks I've seen don't have to big of gap between the door and cowl. So, I adjusted the door a bit more to lessen that gap and increase the rear of the door to cab gap, but in order to get the door to shut, I had to shim out the striker bolt with one fender washer. Just wondering if that is something these trucks tend to need, I didn't think I needed to shim anything. Here are some pics. It seems to look decent.
The other thing is, the door seems to shut a bit hard after I put in some new OEM weatherstripping on. Does it do that just because everything I have is new?
The other thing is, the door seems to shut a bit hard after I put in some new OEM weatherstripping on. Does it do that just because everything I have is new?
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Posting Guru
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Originally Posted by bucks77ford
The other thing is, the door seems to shut a bit hard after I put in some new OEM weatherstripping on. Does it do that just because everything I have is new?
Laughing Gas
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 868
Likes: 3
From: New Glasgow, Nova Scotia
Until the weather strip is broken in the doors will shut hard but not too hard. As for the body line, espeacially the cowl line, close is as good as you'll get. None of those old truck lined up very well, as fit an finish wasn't important on a truck back then. If you thought the doors were fun , wait for the hood, if you're fussy it could take minutes or days to get those lines right.I pre-drilled as was mentioned above on this rebuild, I had to learn the hard way too.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Kasson, Minnesota
I just hung the drivers side door and didn't go to bad. What a differenence in fit though. Gaps are much tighter throughout. I don't have the hardware and weatherstrip on yet. I'm glad I don't have aftermarket doors. I would be scared to see how they fit. These NOS doors fit well, but still a good deal of difference between the two. I'll post some pics later after I get the hardware and weatherstrip on.
New User
Joined: Jan 2008
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Originally Posted by 1977 Explorer
Hey guys,
How about doors from an extended cab fitting a standard cab? Does it work?
(My 76 regular cab, from a donor 75 ext.)
How about doors from an extended cab fitting a standard cab? Does it work?
(My 76 regular cab, from a donor 75 ext.)