What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

Doors out of alignment- How to fix????

T

tuner-automotive

Registered Member
Joined
May 7, 2005
Posts
74
Reaction score
0
Location
oregon
1990 GMC Jimmy 4x4 FS

My frt doors are starting to rub at the frt fenders when you open them.
It hasnt creased the fenders or doors yet as it just barely rubs but its gonna get worse before better.
I have inspected the hinges and cant find any cracks or breaks as I suspected they were cracked or broken .
What can I do to fix this issue?
It seems very common on GM vehicles.
 
The bushings in the hinges are probably worn out. Open the door and lift under it from the point farthest from the hinge and see if it wiggles up and down. You can buy those bushings in the 'help' section at most any auto parts store.
 
Yeah I was checking that in the tech thread.
Pretty cool,.
ive always loved that jeeps could do that.
Anyways , Yes , the door pivots up and down .
How much is are the quick pins?
 
if you buy the universal pins or the gm pins in the HELP! section, they are about $4.99 a pin... 2 per door so ~$20 total...
 
i dont mean to highjack the thread, but i think i might have a similar problem. when i shut the driverside door, it doesnt stay flush with the rest of the body...there is no body damage to the door or the rest of the body. as a result, it is causing some rust by the weatherstripping, what can i do to fix this? thanks guys i really appreciate it.
 
Other reasons you doors are not lining up properly is that the bolts and the hinges themselves are not aligned right, the striker bolt plastic boot can break off making you door sag or hard to shut.

Jesse
 
Striker has nothing to do with sag.

If your hinges are good, the door cannot rise or fall, unless the striker itself has moved which may force the door up or down as it closes, but you'll see where metal is contacting. The door should be adjusted so the striker isn't pushing the door up or down as it closes. It's purpose is to hold the rear of the door in place while it is shut.

Your door alignment isn't going to change (from stock, thats what I'm getting at here) unless the body gets tweaked, you loosen up the hinges, or the hinges are worn out. Gradual worsening of door sag is hinges.
 
Mushy body mounts, and rusted supports holding those mounts cause alignment problems all the time too....
 
with door open or closed I can grab the outer end of it and lift it up about 1/4 - 1/2" .
I belive its the hinge not the striker.
I dont belive Im going to do the removable pin dealie as I live in wet cliamte and i have power doors and dont wanna go thru that whole hassle.
Its gonne be interesteing getting those pins out.
I see you just cut them out , but that means removing the doors and to remove the doors you have to disconnect the elctricals in the doors and then feed em back thru the rubber boot.
Anybody know of a better easier way to do this.
 
Nope, thats how you do it. The "quick disconnects" for the door wiring are inside the cab behind the dash near the kick panel.

Someone else may be able to comment, but I'd probably go about it by disconnecting wiring, supporting the door, and pulling as much wiring through the door jamb as possible, unbolting only the door from the hinge, not the hinge from the body. You can try marking the hinges relation to the door before removal, but I've never been able to see clearly in there to make use of that.

IIRC the wire protective covers are riveted to the door jamb and door, you'll have to drill those out to remove the door. I have sheet metal screws in mine, rivets are a better choice, not enough metal there to keep screws from loosening up in my experience.

If you can support the door well, you probably won't need to pull the wiring all the way through the door jamb, but the doors are very awkward to hold in place yet out of the way, with no hinges.
 
thanx.
Im gonna have my brother help with it so Ill put something under the door to hold it place after removing the door to hinge bolts.
Then my brother will just hold it steadt while I remove the old pin and drop in the new one.
 
He's going to be there awhile.

Thinking more about it, you may not be able to drill the hinge pin holes out for the new pin bushing with it mounted to the truck. It's not just replacing the pin, the pin wears the hole in the hinge oblong, the hole is drilled out and a bronze bushing is installed along with a new hinge pin. :(
 
Last edited:
My buddies '85 had some serious door problems, we picked up new pins and bushings from the local parts house and had them replaced in less than an hour, now they close like new.
 
I got the kits from the dealer. They include a bushing and a pin. I was able to do just one hinge at a time and I never had to completely remove the door from the truck. I think I did one door in under an hour. As long as the wear is only in the bushing and pin, then you should be able to do the same. If the hole in the hinge is wasted, then you're in for a little more work. The dealer does sell an oversized bushing, so you just drill the hole out bigger and put the big one in. If the stuff is rusted together the whole job will be a lot harder.
 
Somebody else said they had done the hinges without pulling the door, how the heck do you get to the bolts loose covered by the fender/door edge?? I couldn't get a box end or socket even close to fitting, at least not with the lower hinge still tight.
 
hey dont post much here but how we do it is unbolt the door support it dont dissconest the wires then take a air hammer with a punch end and grind it flat hit the pin with it then install new pin and bushings 15 min job per door hope this helps
 
I don't remember it being that hard. I think I opened the door and then loosened the hinge from the door but left it tight to the truck. Then I tapped the pin out with a hammer. One hinge holds the door from falling on the ground while you work on the other.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom