53 to 55 Driver's Side Door Sag

[Russ U.]

Looking thru the archives, I see different suggestions for fixing door sagging issues on 53 to 55 cars - dash support, door hinge pin change, and rubber body cushions. Please take a look at the pics below, and offer me some advice about what steps I should take to get the driver's side door back into alignment.

The first pics shows my 53 in 1957 with the door nicely aligned. The second pic shows the door 50 years later and badly out of alignment.

Thanks for your help guys,

Russ

[Roy B.]

Re: 53 to 55 Driver's Side Door Sag

Need a pic looking directly at the door ,not at a angle.

[Roy B.]

Re: 53 to 55 Driver's Side Door Sag

Hay you have my 52 chevy

[Russ U.]

Re: 53 to 55 Driver's Side Door Sag

Hay you have my 52 chevy

Roy-

I don't have any pics of the 53 door looking directly at the door right now. I will post a pic when I can take one.

The Chevy in the pic is owned by an old hot rodder. I hope to see the car in person in the next few months.

Thanks,

Russ

[Russ U.]

Re: 53 to 55 Driver's Side Door Sag

Need a pic looking directly at the door ,not at a angle.

Roy-

Here are the door pics:

[Roy B.]

Re: 53 to 55 Driver's Side Door Sag

Roy-

Here are the door pics:


First the front door lower gap is tight and the top to wide ( need to move the upper hinge inward) it will line up the side door molding to the 6' mold. Or adjust both hinges to get a even gap.

On your first early pic your door striker need to be adjusted and pushed inward so that the door is flush with the body. Then the rear fender needs shimming to help close the door rear gap. That's the best I can come up with by the pic's I see .Hay drive it up to my house were not that far away!!

[Russ U.]

Re: 53 to 55 Driver's Side Door Sag

On your first early pic your door striker need to be adjusted and pushed inward so that the door is flush with the body. Then the rear fender needs shimming to help close the door rear gap. That's the best I can come up with by the pic's I see .Hay drive it up to my house were not that far away!!

Thanks for your help, Roy.

My mechanic told me this afternoon that the hinges and striker look pretty worn out. So I will have to look into that. The rear finder shimming idea is new to me. So I will have to explore that as well.

The car is closed to you than you think. Right now the car is in Chico. 53 #276 has not really been used for 20 years, and it shows. I am going to get the car in shape for driving, but that will probably take some time as I hunt down parts.

I will likely have 53 #276 out for the next All Corvette Day at Thunderhill. I think that is in October.

Thanks again,

Russ

[Tyler T.]

Re: 53 to 55 Driver's Side Door Sag

On the subject of door alignment I thought I would relay a conversation with my paint/body guy today. My 55 is in pieces and he is doing minor body work and paint the end of the week. He has done at least 6 c1-c2 for NCRS judging with most being TF cars. Has had several cars featured in corvette mags so I trust his knowledge and judgment.

I raised the question about drooping doors and while not discounting a car could have weakening at the posts he opined that most misalignments are due a lack of knowing how to do it rather than any weakness at the posts or as pointed out worn hinges will have an advese effect any adjustment . His one caveat was that the car had not been hit so hard that it was twisted at the frame or the car was assembled from several cars.

His first step is to check to make sure there is no frame twist or misaligned body parts. If there is you can deal with some if you understand how. You shim the body as level as you can and then start with the door at the post. Using the hinges you adjust the gaps on the door at the post. You then get the back of the door level with the fender by shimming the front at the radiator. This shim adjusts the verticality of the posts, so to lower the back of the door you add shims to the front. You then add/subtract shims at the floor points under the seat to twist the rocker in or out so the bottom of the door aligns. If you remove all the shims at one point and it is still out you have to raise the body at all points and reshim. To deal with minor frame twist you just have to start out with enough shims on the low side to level the body to the high point. The back shims tilt the rear section but he usually tries to only use shims here to get it level.



Tyler

[Roy B.]

Re: 53 to 55 Driver's Side Door Sag

On the subject of door I thought I would relay a conversation with my paint/body guy today. My 55 is in pieces and he is doing minor body work and paint the end of the week. He has done at least 6 c1-c2 for NCRS judging with most being TF cars. Has had several cars featured in corvette mags so I trust his knowledge and judgment.

I raised the question about drooping doors and while not discounting a car could have weakening at the posts he opined that most misalignments are due a lack of knowing how to do it rather than any weakness at the posts or as pointed out worn hinges will have an advese effect any adjustment . His one caveat was that the car had not been hit so hard that it was twisted at the frame or the car was assembled from several cars.

His first step is to check to make sure there is no frame twist or misaligned body parts. If there is you can deal with some if you understand how. You shim the body as level as you can and then start with the door at the post. Using the hinges you adjust the gaps on the door at the post. You then get the back of the door level with the fender by shimming the front at the radiator. This shim adjusts the verticality of the posts, so to lower the back of the door you add shims to the front. You then add/subtract shims at the floor points under the seat to twist the rocker in or out so the bottom of the door aligns. If you remove all the shims at one point and it is still out you have to raise the body at all points and reshim. To deal with minor frame twist you just have to start out with enough shims on the low side to level the body to the high point. The back shims tilt the rear section but he usually tries to only use shims here to get it level.



Tyler

If your door alignment looks good from the out side and inside it looks like this , no readjustment will correct it. Your dash fell!!

[Russ U.]

Re: 53 to 55 Driver's Side Door Sag

Tyler & Roy-

That's great info guys. Thanks a ton. I passed the info to my mechanic, so I hope to resolve the sag issue on my 53 at some point. I was amazed at how easily the door shut on the 54/55 in the mid-50s US Royal Tire Movie. I want my door to shut like that.

Russ

[Rick S.]

Re: 53 to 55 Driver's Side Door Sag

On your first early pic your door striker need to be adjusted and pushed inward so that the door is flush with the body. Then the rear fender needs shimming to help close the door rear gap. That's the best I can come up with by the pic's I see .Hay drive it up to my house were not that far away!!

Roy,
Today was my first time in Calif and we were driving in on I-80 and stopped at Emigrant Gap at the Vista View. In one word "Wow". You live in a beautiful area.
Rick