1956 door alignment issues

[jmjnewbold]

I inherited my grandpa's 1956 thunderbird. I have been around this car since I can remember, but it wasn't until I inherited it that I noticed to doors aren't aligned right, they don't seem to close all the way, and the window does not line up with the hardtop. I would really like to drive the T-bird around town, but I am worried about the doors opening while Im driving, and since the doors down seem to close getting the car broken into while Im out eating or shopping. I have a bunch of photos so hopefully you guys can give me some ideas on what to adjust. The front of the door matches great with the front fenders, but the back has a massive gap and the window does as well. Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

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[jmjnewbold]

Here are some additional photos.

 

[fordrodsteven]

First thing I have to say regarding adjusting doors is.... Patience! it takes a lot of patience. On my '55 the doors had similar problems. I would adjust the doors then a year later they were out of adjustment again. This happened for three years in a row. I decided to investigate further and found that the supports underneath (on the floor) and the bottoms of the door post were not good solid metal and were moving after being adjusted. The fender was also flexing in and out causing the door to hit, rub, chip paint on the forward edge of the door and rear edge of the fender. I had to fix the bottom of the door posts, the floor and the supports below the floor. I fixed it with some fabrication, grinding and welding then I adjusted doors that stayed adjusted. the main issue was that the door post was moving inward and outward at the bottom when opening and closing the doors. Your car looks to be in pretty good shape so it probably just needs a good adjustment.
A few of the guys at the local Thunderbird club have told me that the doors did not fit up from the factory exactly perfect either. One guy said he bought his brand new and the drivers door was way off and he had to adjust it quite a bit. He said he even had to rework the curve of the door at the bottom to get it to move inward so as to line up better with the rocker panel and abutting body section.
Anyway. regarding adjustments:
The front hinges have slotted holes where they bolt to the post and you can adjust top / bottom inward / outward.
The spot inside the door where the hinges bolt in also have a little adjustment where you can get it to raise or lower the rear of the door and work to set the gap at the front edge of the door.
I also used shims (washers) behind the hinge flange at the door posts to raise or lower the back of the door which also enabled me to increase the gap at the front edge of the door.
Then the final item I adjusted was at the rear door post to get the latch mechanism lined up and holding the door shut properly.
The last thing I have been told is that some guys lightly trim the gasket seal to allow the door to close / latch easier. The guys told me that when they put on new gaskets that they tend to hold the door latch from fully engaging unless you literally slam the door.

I hope I have helped and didn't leave anything out. Good luck working the adjustments!

 

[eboose7]

From the pictures you posted, it appears that your car has been restored at some point. I had a door fitment issues with my car prior to the restoration. When I had my 1956 Thunderbird professionally restored, the body man explained to me that the doors were often made to fit with shims at the factory. The location of the shims should be carefully noted, if the car is disassembled, because the shims have to be returned to the factory position for the doors to fit as they should. The doors will not fit properly unless the shims are replaced exactly.

 

[Towball78]

Hi,
Yes panel alignment on any car requires a lot of patience. I've been in the body repair industry for over 20 years and now teach apprentices in this field. I'll give you some tips which should help with your door alignment issues.
1. Remove the slam plate/striker from the 'b' pillar, also lower the window. This will allow the door to close naturally without and additional pressure. (I can see in the photo that the door has been hanging low at the back for a long time.
2. Hold the door in the closed position (or have someone do this for you) and look at the gap against the adjoining panels.
3. Adjust the door so The body lines align perfectly. It looks to me that if you start by loosening the top hinge and move the door forward slightly where it bolts to the door will be the best place to lift the rear edge of the door enough to align the body lines. It will close the gap slightly at the front top. If that gap is too tight do this to the bottom hinge.
4. I think the window frame/ track will need to be loostened to allow the door to fit the opening properly first.
5. With the body lines aligned. Check if the door aligns flush at the back edge. If the top is flush and bottom sticks out it may be necessary to give the door a twist. ( the car is over 60 years old. Who knows what type of lif it had in the past) the door may have pressure from the rubber seals so a little even pressure holding it in where the catch is located will give a honest indication of how it fits.
6. Once the door fits in the hole correctly you can then re- attach the striker/slam plate to the 'b' pillar. This will also need adjustment so the door closes perfectly.
7. With the main door closing correctly you can then proceed to adjust the window frame and mechanism.
I hope this helps.
Good luck,
Adrian

 

[rtg]

my 55 doors were not on the car when i bought it, i have attached them ok, but they are binding at the front fender and the door vertically. i don't know how to move the door back from the front fender.
Rich

 

[Pete J.]

Doing mine now but when putting the right side door back, it seems the metal check strap is too long. it is about 3 inches longer than the driver side strap, so I can'c bolt the hinges to the inner door.

 

[Pete J.]

Figured it out....check was stuck on rollers on farthest in notch on strap, pried it loose and it goes to the right position.

 

[Pete J.]

To move them out the hinges on the post should be moved toward the outside on car .

 

[Ward 57]

Very interesting. My '57 passenger door fits very well and the front and top edges align perfectly.
My problem is that the lower rear edge from the door handle down had a significant outward misfit. No signs of any body work but now a second window has cracked from what I assume is stress. Will these doors start to warp with no apparent reason?

 

[Cuul59]

Very interesting. My '57 passenger door fits very well and the front and top edges align perfectly.
My problem is that the lower rear edge from the door handle down had a significant outward misfit. No signs of any body work but now a second window has cracked from what I assume is stress. Will these doors start to warp with no apparent reason?

Hi Ward. My ‘57 sounds a lot like yours…the top of the doors is aligned but the back verticals stick out. If I adjust the striker then the door won’t close. How did you finally correct this on yours?

 

[Ward 57]

Mine fits exactly the same way. I've read on here that the door seal can cause that so I trimmed mine but with 60 years of metal memory it made no difference. The driver's door fits perfectly. Our birds are notorious for door miss-fits.
I have not found a solution. But I did find why my window broke, When I replaced it probably 20 years ago the glass shop didn't seat it in the carrier far enough so it stuck out into the front channel just a smidgeon and finally chipped the front lower corner and tempered glass hates chips especially on the edge.