Something is not right with the door

[frippe123]

I'm working on fitting the doors before I brace the cab and start repairing the floor. I have removed the drip rail and fitted the passenger side door so it looks ok. The driver side door however I'm unable to adjust accordingly.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Slj...ew?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_6u...ew?usp=sharing

Even with the drip rail removed the top left most corner is almost nudging the door frame. The left side is of the door has around 1/8 clearence in the middle. Bottom of door is almost touching. Top right corner have plenty of space. The door hangs a little low but if I raise it up it will even get closer to the top left. Any suggestions?

[Desoto61]

These cabs were not super hi-precision built, even assuming the cab wasn't tweaked or twisted or shifted over the years. Unlike later vehicles the adjustments are fairly crude.

As you know there are is some adjustment in the hinge bolt holes, but the factory service manual discusses bending the hinges or the door (by placing a block of wood between the door and frame as a fulcrum) as needed to get the right alignment.

It's not uncommon for people to also look at using rams on the cab "re-square" a door opening, or grind or build up a door edge to get the right alignment. It's probably also the reason there are blocks at the top and bottom to help align the door in the opening.

I had mine looking pretty good on the cab dolly, but after I got it all painted the alignment was not quite right and with paint on it's tough to fix, so now is the time to get it dialed in and give yourself some space to work with when you do the final install.

Do you plan on leaving the drip rail off, or was that just part of the cab repairs? The weatherstripping in the doors is pretty basic, you will get leaks without the drip rail, you will probably get leaks with it.

[Matthew Welcher PWA]

As i recall and will look for the manual, it speaks of using a block of wood between the front door jam and door itself, as a wedge so to speak to get the door into proper alignment. "Old school" body repair but it eorks quite well to align the door. I will try to find pictures and manual details.

[Matthew Welcher PWA]

Power Wagon Body shop manual

[frippe123]

Thank you Matthew and Desoto, been spending one more day working with the door/door opening. The drip rails are only removed to gain access to all the rust and to assess the issues. I checked and trued my dolly but that didn't help at all unfortunately. I think my issue is that the door opening is romb-shaped. I haven't verified it 100% though. Any tips in resquaring the opening with a hydraulic ram without crushing anything? I'm missing maybe 1/8 of an inch.

[Desoto61]

I can't speak from any experience, but I would take some careful measurements and see where things are out. It could be that the cab is bent out of shape from age and use, but it could be that it was just built that way. Anything adjusted with a block of wood is not high precision and these cabs were built by men not robots, so I would not expect the consistency we're used to with modern vehicles. Fixing a cab bent out of square vice a cab built out of square could be different jobs.

Also once you try to push or pull you will move something else. If you're not careful you'll just push the problem somewhere else.

As for not crushing things the key will be to spread out the load as much as you can when you go to push. Boards or plates to prevent point loading anything will be the key.

Also, the hinges on the door have a tendency to sag, crack, or bend as well, so I'd take a good look at the door, it may be the piece that needs adjusted.

(I keep thinking of things as I type this) One idea would also be to put some cheap paint or maybe masking tape around the door opening and/or the door itself as you are opening and adjusting. On my doors they look OK closed, but some of that is because they are "adjusting" themselves as they close, and I have damage to the paint where they are rubbing that wasn't apparent until there was fresh paint to show it. Part if that is the doors sagging a little more with the weight of glass and interior bits, and some is a little sloppiness in the hinges, the fact it doesn't sit the same on the frame as it did on my dolly, etc.