Check out the gaps in my doors.. Ugh!

[krs09]

Well i've posted some of my issues on this fourm and all you guys have been life savers so i figured to see what you think about one of my new problems. My doors have some pretty big gaps in the roof around the T panel. The doors feel like they do need to be aligned but it seems even if i do get them aligned im not sure it would fix this issue. What do you think. One pic shows a top shot where you can see the rear of the doors look pretty flush where as the front is rasied pretty high. The other side shot you can see the door of very off line. What can i do? I read about striker adjustment but will that really do the trick?? What you think ??

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[Michael]

When it comes to Deloreans, gap thickness is not an exact science. As long as your doors are closing and latching properly, I wouldn't mess with them. If the gaps bother you, you might try to adjust/shim the adjacent panels, but don't mess with the doors.

If I recall, the later production cars had the doors fitted and adjusted first, then all the other panels were attached and adjusted to fit the doors, not the other way around.

[ramblinmike]

Well i've posted some of my issues on this fourm and all you guys have been life savers so i figured to see what you think about one of my new problems. My doors have some pretty big gaps in the roof around the T panel. The doors feel like they do need to be aligned but it seems even if i do get them aligned im not sure it would fix this issue. What do you think. One pic shows a top shot where you can see the rear of the doors look pretty flush where as the front is rasied pretty high. The other side shot you can see the door of very off line. What can i do? I read about striker adjustment but will that really do the trick?? What you think ??

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I noticed the T-Panel looks asymmetrical. Better make sure your torsion bars aren't rubbing hinges or your roofbox isn't separating from the fiberglass.

[Kenny_Z]

Remove your tpanel and take a look at this area:


As you can see my Tpanel looked like yours.


It was being forced up by that piece of fiberglass coming loose which was also causing the torsion bar to touch the hinge. I'd start here to get the Tpanel in line with the doors. I don't think it'll do much for your door gap but it will save you a thousand or so in repairs if that driver's bar snaps.

[DMC5180]

It's more important that the doors open and close properly. (free from binding, twisting, dragging against the inner door seals etc.) All of the other panels can be adjusted to fix gap issues. When working with the door fitment it is a compromise. The doors may have twisted over time, the doors may be centered in the openings but when compared to the opposite door may seem out of alignment front to back. Compare the gaps at the front and back edges on the roof. What do the gaps between the T-panel and doors look like when both doors are full open. If can post more pictures of the doors Open , Closed , Front and Back it would help us visualize the situation and allow us to make recommendations to correct the issue.

[David T]

To properly do the striker adjustment you need door seals in good shape. Once the striker (anchor) adjustment is done you do NOT adjust the doors to other panels. You align other panels as best as you can to the doors. It is all a big compromise, you can't get perfection. To adjust the Tee panel all you can really do is adjust it side-to-side to make the gap at the top of the doors even for both doors. Even then many cars will have the doors rub the Tee panel when the doors are fully open. Make sure when you do the anchor adjustment you do both anchors, the heads of the pins do not strike the door, both latches click simultaneously and you hear both latches click TWICE into the second locking position. The doors should not rattle when driving and you should not have to slam them to get them closed. You should be able to push the door closed with one hand from the outside. From the picture it would appear something (the right door or the right rear quarter panel) was replaced at some time in the past.
David Teitelbaum

[mluder]

You may also be dealing with the issue I have - Bent door.

This can happen a few ways.

Most common is over tensioned torsion bars which cause the doors to bend like a taco around the point where the tol curves down to the glass. I have a little of this as my doors line pretty well along the top edge and then appear to over close below the rub strip. It's not a panel adjustment because the front fender and rear quarter line perfectly with the rocker panel.

I have also heard that the doors which are two pieces of metal sandwiched, crimped, and welded together (front and back / inside and outside) can break their welds and the door changes shape as the panels move independant of each other.

Finally - What I think happened in my case - My previous owner backed out of the garage with the door opened and the door hit the jamb causing it to tweak. This allows the back edge of the drivers door to line up clean to the quarter panel but there is a bow along the a pillar which cannot be corrected. It also means that the rear striker pin has had to be ground down (shortened) or the door won't fit over it.

There are no easy fixes for any of this short of getting new doors. I have learned to live with it though it bothers me every day. Most people don't even notice it. One day I will fix it.

Cheers
Steve

[Ron]

To properly do the striker adjustment you need door seals in good shape. Once the striker (anchor) adjustment is done you do NOT adjust the doors to other panels. You align other panels as best as you can to the doors. It is all a big compromise, you can't get perfection. To adjust the Tee panel all you can really do is adjust it side-to-side to make the gap at the top of the doors even for both doors. Even then many cars will have the doors rub the Tee panel when the doors are fully open. Make sure when you do the anchor adjustment you do both anchors, the heads of the pins do not strike the door, both latches click simultaneously and you hear both latches click TWICE into the second locking position. The doors should not rattle when driving and you should not have to slam them to get them closed. You should be able to push the door closed with one hand from the outside. From the picture it would appear something (the right door or the right rear quarter panel) was replaced at some time in the past.
David Teitelbaum

+1

If the door(s) must be realigned (usually because someone has messed with them trying to get perfection), the trick seems to be to double check that the roof box is sound then align the bottom of the door first (The only way I saw to do this was to relieve the pressure on the torsion bar so I didn't have to fight the pressure while moving the hinges or have it shoved against anything -- But I had to allow for the tension...so it takes a few tries. A PITA), and finally align the rest of the panels last, as said by others.

[AirmanPika]

I have similar door alignment issues that have plagued my car since I got it. Mainly on the passenger's side where I think there was damage to the car in the past (the old doors were rather beat up). I think I'll ultimately just have to take my car to a vendor to get the right alignment. My attempts have all ended in vain. The main issue I face is the alignment is chewing up my weather stripping. Visually I'm about the only one who ever notices the alignment issue since I know my car.

[krs09]

Hey guys (and girls). Wanted to show somemore pics of my F'ed up doors. My passenger door is worse for sure but they are both pretty bad. Im thinking of taking it up to PJ Grady's to see if they can help me out. What do ya think?? Looks like a pretty big gap along the pillar and along the front of the roof (im sure theres gonna be some nice wind noise). My other problem is the huge gap between the windshield and black trim piece above the windshield (shown in pic 4). Any idea how to fix that?? Looks like a good bit of work. Ugh.

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