74009 Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 (edited) Hi all, I'm currently working on a 1986 GT/E Hatch. It's on the road, which is good news. It seems to have been garaged for more or less all its life because the paint is very good and it doesn't really have any rust or rot. I'll post some pictures when I work out how The thing that I'm scratching my head over at the moment is that, because the hinges are worn, the driver's door sags a bit, so when you close it the glass doesn't pop under the seal at the top. Also, when closed the door sticks out a bit at the bottom rear. The hinge plates are simply welded to the door / body but I'm worried that an attempt to improve things by bending them might make it worse. In the Haynes manual it talks about drilling out the hinge pins and replacing them with larger ones. Has anyone found any other ways to overcome this problem? Thank you Stuart Edited October 19, 2010 by 74009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cam.in.head Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 there is an official tool for adjusting the hinges but basically it a long slotted bar made to engage the hinge plates that are attached to the car & bending them as req to make door fit correct.this should only be done when hinges are not worn rather than as a way of compensasting for wear. the doors on these cars are heavy & can wear their pins even at a relatively low mileage.personally i have run an 8mm drill through both parts.(its the door bit that wears)& then fit new standard pins. if the wear is severe then you would need to drill larger & use oversize pins. or you could drill larger the door part & fit an insert to bring it back to standard pin size.many ways to do it. others may have different solutions. these doors are quite time consuming & fiddly to align perfect but well worth the effort of removing & refitting several times to get right.the door should be aligned with the striker removed from the body so you can be sure its the hinges holding the door straight not the striker pulling it up at the last bit!also remember that bending the hinges also theoretically moves the door gaps at the sides.moving it closer to wing gap or vise versa .. also that taking a top corner in will bring the diametrically opposite bottom corner out. have fun !!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
74009 Posted October 20, 2010 Author Share Posted October 20, 2010 Thanks cam.in.head - looks like I've got my work cut out then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brown Job Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 Interesting. I have a 4-door in which the lower rear corner of the driver's door sticks out a long way - almost 1/2". BUT, the door is not significantly dropped on its hinges and closes easily and well. Anyone any idea why this distortion would occur? Have just assumed the lower hinge was welded on in the wrong place - panel fit wasn't always a big issue in the 70s! BJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cam.in.head Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 there are a few possibilities. if the door sticks out at the back bottom corner then for the hinge to have been wrong then it would be in at the opposite side ie front top corner.more likely if all lines up everywhere else that the door is either bent or has been reskinned in the past & they havnt quite got that area flat before fitting the skin.another poss is if that pillar has ever been involved in a bump & pushed inwards taking the rear door inwards slightly.or a bad sill repair. Hi all, I'm currently working on a 1986 GT/E Hatch. It's on the road, which is good news. It seems to have been garaged for more or less all its life because the paint is very good and it doesn't really have any rust or rot. I'll post some pictures when I work out how The thing that I'm scratching my head over at the moment is that, because the hinges are worn, the driver's door sags a bit, so when you close it the glass doesn't pop under the seal at the top. Also, when closed the door sticks out a bit at the bottom rear. The hinge plates are simply welded to the door / body but I'm worried that an attempt to improve things by bending them might make it worse. In the Haynes manual it talks about drilling out the hinge pins and replacing them with larger ones. Has anyone found any other ways to overcome this problem? Thank you Stuart things like this are sometimes difficult to get spot on.probably worth sticking a new pair of hinge pins in first to see what happens. due to it being a long heavy door it doesnt take much wear in the pins to make the door drop .either way it can only end up the same or better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brown Job Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 Thanks Cam-in-Head. Car is completely original forward of the "C" pillars on offside. There was impact damage, but it was on the nearside and (separately) to the boot. I reckoned that poor repairs and accident damage could be taken out of the equation, and that's why it was a bit of a puzzler. Maybe it really is a misaligned hinge and/or a degree of dropped door on hinges. BJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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