Door striker pin

[steve6864]

I continue to have problems with opening my door.After installing a new latch(front) and new rods inside the door,the action was greatly improved.I also completely dis-mantled the lock.I still needed light pressure on the mirror to get a clean release from the front striker pin.Without warning after it was working as described to open to move the car for a wash.After the wash I could not get it to budge off the front pin.I have seen other cars with the rounded large end of the pin tapered down quite a bit.Is this a recommended adjustment?I now have the pin completely off the car and of course that solved the problem,but,I`ll not drive it that way.I`ve tried loosening the pin and opening and closing the door hoping it would "settle" into the correct position.I`ve tried painting the pin to see where it drags.Neither of these have produced satisfying results.So do I file down the end of the pin?Thanks,Steve6864.

[Jonathan]

Hey Steve,

In any of your trial and error adjustments have you added or removed washers from the striker pin? You of course know the movement up, down, left, and right, but perhaps if the striker pin was "longer or shorter" it might help? If it is hanging up and clunking into the latch, try it with one of the washers removed. Once you snug the striker pin back up after having removed it from the captive nut to remove the washer, gently close the door noticing how you are doing for interference.

[DMCMW Dave]

We had a custom striker pin made up that gives much more range than the stock unit. If that would help give us a call. I'll post a pic tomorrow.

[outatym2001]

Please see my post number 8 in the thread below regarding Door Striker Pins made from stainless steel.
And I have more pictures in post number 10 too.
http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?322-Door-Striker-Pin-Alignment

[mluder]

My driver's side door is bent out of whack. Subsequently the front pin has like 4 spacer washers on it and the rear pin has the little "knob" on the end cut off. I tried to replace it but found out it was too long in stock format so I put the modified one back on. Door works mostly fine except the screws on the latch rub the fiberglass around the strike.

As previously mentioned, you may simply need to adjust the number of spacers to move the pin in or out.

Cheers
Steve

[steve6864]

Didn`t really get an answer as to why I see so many shaved pins.What is optimal,no washers so the large part can`t go in very far or several washers so the large part barely goes in?What hapeens to a perfect door when you eliminate the large end? Meaning is it neccessary? Thanks.6864Steve.

[outatym2001]

I don't know why you see so many shaved Pins. I wish Toby Peterson owner of DMC Northwest would jump in and let us know what he thinks. He's owned a D for maybe going on twenty years.
Optimal is for the Door Striker Pin to not stick out too far and hit the Door Latch. The Pin also needs to stick out just far enough so the Latch grabs onto it.
That little knub on the end of the Pin I assume is so the Latch does not let go in case of a super major crash that may cause a door to fly open.
In my case I had to use my Dremel tool to shave away a portion of black plastic to allow the Pin to recess in a fraction of an inch so the Latch would not hit the Pin.
Any clearer???

[steve6864]

We don`t want the latch to hit the pin?I`m gonna try a threaded rod with no large end and see.I don`t think I want or need to start grinding away plastic.Thanks,everybody.6864Steve.

[David T]

You do not want the head of the anchor pin to rub or push the door as it closes. The latch is only supposed to engage the shank of the pin as the door closes. You adjust by adding or removing washers. Sometimes you also have to grind the head of the pin. In those cases the screws holding the latch in the door rub the plastic trim. You can grind them a little too. If you have to remove the large head of the anchor pin something is WAY off! Try doing only 1 pin at a time. (remove the other pin). It takes a little fiddling (fetteling) to get it just so. The door closes in an arc so it takes a little trial-and-error to get the pin so it glides right up into the latch without hitting the sides. Make sure the pins are adjusted so both pins go into 1st and second locking positions simultaneously (or at least as close as possible). Removing, cleaning, and lubricating the latches will make everything work much smoother. The oil and grease is 30 years old! Adjust the pins when the car is on flat, level ground.
David Teitelbaum

[steve6864]

Thanks,David,but,my grease isn`t 30 years old.At least I hope not.The actuation is not the issue,it`s the drag.I`ve never messed with the washers so that sounds promising.Aggravating to have 3 of the 4 perfect and one that drives you nuts!Warmer weather ahead so I will be trial and erroring this weekend.Thanks,6864Steve.

[DMC5180]

When you close the door, does it shift forward or backwards at all? Does the latch seem to click simultaneously with the rear, before or after? There is a nice You tube video made by Martin G. showing how to adjust the latch and lock rods so they don't hang up. I don't have the link for it at the moment.

[Bill Robertson's Sock Puppet #1]

Always adjust striker bolts with inner weatherstripping removed (put it back afterwards). It is not at all unusual for bolts to be shimmed differently front & rear -- there was tremendous variability one body tub to another. Rub marks on the latch will tell you if a bolt is protruding too far, wear marks on the head will tell you if it isn't protruding far enough. Remember also that the body tub sags slightly with weight of passengers in the car -- you may have to strike a balance between optimal operation empty and optimal operation loaded. Fastest and easiest way to position the striker bolts is to lightly snug them down, let the doors themselves move them where they want them (hold exterior release handles up), then tighten the bolts the rest of the way.