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.

Help me with my doors?

rgretzinger

rgretzinger

1/2 ton status
Joined
Dec 8, 2010
Posts
167
Reaction score
0
Location
Longvew, TX
When I close my doors i have to slam the ever living hell out of them to get them to close all of the way. By "all of the way" I mean the door is completely closed, no gap between the window and weather stripping (74 K-5) and if you try to shake the door it is very solid and not loose. Does everyone have this problem or is this just me? What can I do to make it easier to close all of the way? Thanks y'all.
 
two things will effect this...

1. your hinges are worn, or misaligned, making the door physically not line up with the door opening in the body.

2. your striker plate is also mis aligned, you can adjust the striker, and striker plate to fit better, which should make the door easier to close properly.

on a personal note, i went through 3 broken windows from slamming the door before i finally bit the bullet and paid a bodyshop to align the door. wish i would have done it at least after the first window broke.
 
Yeah you can look at the doors and tell the they are not perfectly aligned. I am going to have a full body paint done in the next three months. Is this pretty easy for a body shop to do and what did it cost you?
 
your hinge bushings are more than likely shot... VERY common... open the door about a foot, grab it by the back corner and lift it up and down, if it moves, the bronze bushings in your hinges are bad... a kit costs about $20... you also see it as you go to close the door, the striker will actually be lifting the door into place as it closes.. you'll have heavy wear on the top of the striker... not an overly difficult project.. any competent bodyshop can do it in a couple hrs...
 
to be honest i dont recall, but it was less than normal because it was at the place i worked at. so im sure i got a sweetheart deal.
 
I just went outside and checked the door opened it and tried to lift the bottom of the door. The hinges did have a small amount of play maybe a 1/4 inch or so. Sounds like it's the hinge bushings. I am assuming that since the doors are all the same the bushing kits aren't year specific?
 
It's a pain to get to all of the hinge bolts, but you can align the door yourself. I won't type out the steps since we have a SEARCH function, but when you get it done right, the door will float right onto the striker with barely any effort.
 
On the topic of this... My doors close beautifully. Nice and easy but they rattle like mofos. New seals and rubber stops?
 
Excuse me if I'm a retard but how do you get that on the striker? Mine look like they are one piece?
 
British Slave said:
And just how is my answer stupid? That's what you do. Unscrew the striker bolt, slide the bushing on, and screw the bolt back in. Now, enjoy that answer, you won't get anymore.
Click to expand...


Pretty sure he was referring to himself being stupid
 
Dude chill out!! My "stupid questions get stupid answers" comment was just refering to how dumb my question was if all you have to do is unscrew it then it's a really stupid question.
 
This something i need to do as well. My strikers are heavily worn and i know the passenger doors bushings are bad for sure.
 
figure i'll throw a couple adjustment tips in here... if the bushings are tight and you need to adjust the gaps, here's a few from a former frame machine guy...

first, it's a wise idea, to take an awl and make a scribe mark on the door around the hinge first, to notate the doors original position before adjusting..

if the door needs to be tipped in, or out, at the top or bottom, this is done by loosening the bolts that go into the door...

generally the best way to make adjustments is to leave one bolt somewhat tight, on the opposite hinge from where the door needs to move.. so it can pivot on that bolt.. in other words, if the bottom of the door needs to come in, loosen all the bolts, except the top most bolt, then move the bottom of the door in..

the door can also be adjusted totally up and down to some extent by those bolts, in that case, you'll loosen them all.. just be aware that not only will the door move up and down now, but in or out at the top or bottom.. a floorjack and 2 x 4 are always handy for raising and lowering the door...

now, the bad... if the door needs to be angled down or up, front to back, you need to adjust the bolts thats go into the cowl.. this can be problematic, as they are nearly impossible to get to with the fender on... also one bolt on the top hinge is accessed from inside the cab, thru a hole, up above the e-brake lever..

unfortunately, it's usually best to remove the fender for these adjustments.. then reinstall/adjust the fender.. even if you can manage to get the bolts loose with every assortment of 1/4" drive swivel-y tool or wrench you own, you can't tighten them once adjusted...

if anyone needs help with gap work, feel free to pm me...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom