Striker pin adjustment needed?

[DMC-81]

Hi there,

Now that I have my new window motors in, I'm adjusting the latches and locks in addition to the DLM mod. I think my driver's door also needs a striker pin adjustment. The rear pin seems to be lower because when the door is closed, the door is lower in the frame ( see pics). What are your thoughts, and what's the proper way to adjust the pins?

Also, when I open the door, the rear latch releases first, which often causes the front latch to stick. When this happens, the outside handle can't open the door, but the inside handle always does. I assume that a latch adjustment will fix this, but will striker pin misalignment case this?

Thanks for your feedback.

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[Jonathan]

We often hear of doors that don't close far enough, but I have not heard of many doors closing too far.

I presume it could be a striker pin adjustment issue. It can't hurt to try and improve their positioning considering what else you said about the doors getting hung up and not opening from outside.

Common advice on adjusting the pins:

It is more art than science.
Make tiny, tiny changes and then tighten the pin back up and see how it affected the door closing. Be iterative about it, or methodical. This is where you can try and be scientific about it but rest assured you will be hoping to feel it into a good position using the Force before you're done.
Remove the door seals completely from the car before starting. Check for how they align without the seals. Some door alignment issues are more related to door seals pushing the door in the wrong way than the pins being misaligned.
With the seals removed, do one pin at a time. You can completely remove the front pin and then see where the door comes down with only the rear pin in place.
You can try to snug up the pin just barely tight and then see if the door closing can help you find the ideal position.
You can also use some sort of marking (tape, a liquid, a powder, whatever) to try and see where the pin comes into contact with the latches as it closes and you can't see it anymore. Keep in mind it is all moving on an arc and you want it to travel through the initial portion of the latch this way.
Be patient and give yourself plenty of time to work on this.
Be also ok if it isn't perfect by the time you're done. Not all cars are destined to have perfect opening and closing.

[PJ Grady Inc.]

Hi there,

Now that I have my new window motors in, I'm adjusting the latches and locks in addition to the DLM mod. I think my driver's door also needs a striker pin adjustment. The rear pin seems to be lower because wh/en the door is closed, the door is lower in the frame ( see pics). What are your thoughts, and what's the proper way to adjust the pins?

Also, when I open the door, the rear latch releases first, which often causes the front latch to stick. When this happens, the outside handle can't open the door, but the inside handle always does. I assume that a latch adjustment will fix this, but will striker pin misalignment case this?

Thanks for your feedback.

39590

39591

39592

39593


Your door appears to be sitting too low in both the front and rear. It would be advisable to start by carefully inspecting both the inner surround and glue on fender (A-post) & quarter panel (B-Post) seals for tears and/or packing down. If there is wear I'd suggest that you replace them as the door should then rest higher and be more rattle free. It is likely you will then need to loosen the strikers and bring them up and out a bit which will further enhance the alignment with less risk of rattles when you're done with adjustments. If you do this it may been necessary to loosen the fender and quarter and bring them out a tad at the bottom but it's very easy if you're going to change the seals anyway.
We offer a door seal kit made to our specification that is particularly suited for this with less tendency to pack down over time than the original seals.
Rob

[DMC-81]

Thanks Jonathan and Rob! Yes, as it stands now, the front side of the door rattles a bit when driving. I assumed that was caused by striker misalignment. Also, the inner seal is torn and folding down in the usual spot right by the sunvisor.

I forgot to mention that I'm going to replace both outer and inner seals as part of the process. Do I replace both inner/outer seals and then adjust the striker pins, or the other way around?

Basically what order do I do:

1) inner seal
2) outer seal
3) striker pin adjustment
4) latch & lock adjustment

Thanks again.

[PJ Grady Inc.]

Thanks Jonathan and Rob! Yes, as it stands now, the front side of the door rattles a bit when driving. I assumed that was caused by striker misalignment. Also, the inner seal is torn and folding down in the usual spot right by the sunvisor.

I forgot to mention that I'm going to replace both outer and inner seals as part of the process. Do I replace both inner/outer seals and then adjust the striker pins, or the other way around?

Basically what order do I do:

1) inner seal
2) outer seal
3) striker pin adjustment
4) latch & lock adjustment

Thanks again.
The procedure we follow in the shop is to remove the surround and A/B post seals altogether. (The next part is tricky and defies a less than long winded explanation. We remove or at least peel back the headliner in the affected locations and grind off a portion of the outer fiberglass seal mounting lip and re-contour the inner lip to make the seal clear the door better.) I'd suggest you skip that involved step and simply replace the surround seal and then make your preliminary striker adjustments. After the door releases smoothly and you have just the slightest play when trying to jiggle the door with the drop glass down you are ready to glue on the A/B Post seals. Use a dollar bill and adjust the fit to allow the bill to slide out from the closed door with just a slight drag on it. Slightly tweak the strikers in or out as needed after gluing on the outer seals. Next apply a good quality rubber lubricant to allow the seals more protection and less friction which will help them to seat to the door. We find the "Winze"r & "Wurth" line of lubricants and adhesives to be by far the best for this work and is the only brands we use in this application (They only sell to the trades but we can supply these chemicals if you want them). If you still get binding on the seals when closing the door it may be time to visit a professional with the necessary tools and experience to modify the body edges. Too much info here would just give most people enough rope to hang themselves if you know what I mean as it's tricky and potentially very dangerous without the proper equipment. Latch and lock rod adjustments can be performed on an as needed basis after this procedure is completed.
Rob

[DMC-81]

Thanks for the detailed explanation Rob. In this world of 140 characters or less, I appreciate someone taking the time to elaborate a bit. I'll follow your advice and avoid re shaping the fiberglass for now.

I'll PM you about parts for this job.

Cheers,

[dn010]

I just went through this. I have yet to put on my passenger side outer seals since I have huge gaps with that door but my driver side is done. I read somewhere else that Rob grinds the fiberglass structure but I did not do that to cure my issue. Over the years driving with torn seals it was evident that the door headliner boards were too large on the door and were extending past the stainless roof portion where it mounts (my boards were replacements from DMCH about 12 years ago). The headliner was black where it kept rubbing the seals when opening/closing the door and trying to adjust it forward/back on the door just tore the seal more. I had to recover the boards anyway so while I was at it I shaved down the sides of the boards where it would rub and now have 0 issues with the seals rubbing on either side. This just happened to be my issue, not saying the same would be yours.

I did as Rob described, I replaced the inner seal, then adjusted the striker and then went on to the outer seals once the doors closed smoothly and properly. I still have the problem of the front of the driver side door closing too far "in" but for me that needs to be a door adjustment and that is for another day when I can renew some patience for standing there adjusting for hours.

I'm not sure whose seals you're going to get but I ended up with DPI seals and if you're looking at the same I will give you one big warning- and that is the seals have some kind of tanish/white goop that is down in the "U" channel where the seal slides over the lip of the body. That goop oozed out in places and is not easy to clean up so now portions of the seal seem stained white. I can't imagine what kind of mess it will be should I ever need to replace seals again in the future.

[David T]

Adjusting the striker pins can be a quite finicky adjustment. As the pin enters the latch the door moves in an arc making it difficult to visualize exactly which way to adjust the pin. It must also be adjusted as to height. It it is too long or short it will hit where it is not supposed to. That is done by adding or removing washers. In some extreme cases it requires grinding the head or the fiberglass body. Ideally the pin should enter the latch without touching the sides of the latch or guide and the head of the pin not hitting the door.
Next is 'locking positions". There are 2 and both latches should click into each (and both!) simultaneously. Finally there is a problem of dirt and lubrication. In most cases it has been over 30 years and the grease has turned into a sticky glue and the dirt makes it worse. The latches should be removed, cleaned and relubricated. Then you do do all of the door adjustments.
The order is:
Make sure the doors have not been removed and the hinges have not been adjusted and the doors line up with the body and the adjoining panels.
New door seals
Adjust anchor pins
Go over internal door adjustments
If necessary adjust torsion bars.

It is possible to remove 1 pin while you concentrate on getting the other adjusted. Once 1 is done you can do the other. Can make it easier doing 1 at a time.

[dn010]

It is easy to see the pin/latch relation without the outer door seals installed, close the door slowly while watching and you can get an idea of which way you need to go with the pins.

[Roberto]

I found it very useful to slacken the striker pin just enough so that when the door latch comes down to meet it it pushes it into position. The secret is to hold the exterior handle up ALL the time whilst gently pushing the door down. Don't let go of the door handle, keep it in the up position until you bring the door back up again. That way the door latch doesn't close on the striker pin. Hope that makes sense.
Let me know how you get on.

Roberto

[Edwin5814]

I found it very useful to slacken the striker pin just enough so that when the door latch comes down to meet it it pushes it into position. The secret is to hold the exterior handle up ALL the time whilst gently pushing the door down. Don't let go of the door handle, keep it in the up position until you bring the door back up again. That way the door latch doesn't close on the striker pin. Hope that makes sense.
Let me know how you get on.

Roberto

+1

Thanks this worked for me. Tighten the striker pin finger tight. Pull up and don't let go of the door handle as you close and then open the door.

[DMC-81]

Excellent feedback everyone. Many thanks. :thankyou:

I'll post my results.

Cheers,

[DMC-81]

I found it very useful to slacken the striker pin just enough so that when the door latch comes down to meet it it pushes it into position. The secret is to hold the exterior handle up ALL the time whilst gently pushing the door down. Don't let go of the door handle, keep it in the up position until you bring the door back up again. That way the door latch doesn't close on the striker pin. Hope that makes sense.
Let me know how you get on.

Roberto

Interim update: I was able to mostly correct the driver door misalignment within 10 minutes using this technique and a thin wooden shim at the bottom of the door. Then I used painters tape to mark reference points to further adjust. When i removed the rear pin, I discovered that it was very loose....root cause! It corrected the door getting stuck as well. :yesss:

After I put the new seals on, I'll fine tune it.

Thanks all for the great advice!

Question: is there a torque spec for tightening the striker pins?

[Patrick C]

After I put the new seals on, I'll fine tune it.

Thanks all for the great advice!

Before you do that, lubricate the new seals well and let the car sit in the hot sun for a few days so the seals take the shape of the door better.

[David T]

Interim update: I was able to mostly correct the driver door misalignment within 10 minutes using this technique and a thin wooden shim at the bottom of the door. Then I used painters tape to mark reference points to further adjust. When i removed the rear pin, I discovered that it was very loose....root cause! It corrected the door getting stuck as well. :yesss:

After I put the new seals on, I'll fine tune it.

Thanks all for the great advice!

Question: is there a torque spec for tightening the striker pins?

Very tight! Make sure it doesn't move as you tighten it.

[DMC-81]

Before you do that, lubricate the new seals well and let the car sit in the hot sun for a few days so the seals take the shape of the door better.

Thanks for the tips.


Very tight! Make sure it doesn't move as you tighten it.

Thanks David. I was hoping for a spec, as there is a plastic/fiberglass infill panel involved. I don't want to crack it. I understand the pins are an M12? A zinc plated 8.8 grade M12 bolt has a general tightening spec of 55 ft/lbs on a Fastenal chart. Do you know if it's more or less than that?

I noticed the pin's tendency to move while tightening. I'll watch out for that.

[David T]

There is no torque spec. The fiberglass is only captured between the captive nut and the striker pin. I doubt you can overtighten it or strip the threads. if you want a torque aim for over 55 ft/lbs. Do it in steps so it doesn't move around. Before you really crank on it make sure it is right where you want it.