1957 Door slams shut

[TBBLUE02]

My driver’s door will not hold fast in either of the two hold positions. It closes back on me at the slightest incline. I could not find a part number in any catalog. If you know the part number or a way to make the door stay in the two hold positions, please advise.

My vehicle is a 1957 T-Bird with no power windows. There is a 6-inch notched arm pined to the A pillar. It fits into a hole in the door's front. This arm rests on or is attached to a spring which I believe to be the culprit.

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[ICON 56]

FYI these cars were never gap right. Show us a picture of the striker plate do you see where the door is hitting when closed.....

 

[TBBLUE02]

FYI these cars were never gap right. Show us a picture of the striker plate do you see where the door is hitting when closed.....

The door closes properly and the fit and gaps are as good as a 1957 vehicle gets. The problem is that the door will not stay open even on a slight inclines. It has to be on a 100% level surfice otherwise it closes. With the slightet hint of gravity and the door closes all by itselt!

 

[Tbirdr]

This is diagram of door check arm and spring. You will need to get inside door and see what’s going on. Best I can do for you. Good luck with your problem

 

[83ragtop50]

Good luck and let us know what you find. While searching for a '55, '56 an '57 to purchase I saw a large percentage that had the door check arm missing. I wonder why.

 

[Tom Alpers]

It looks very hard to get to in order to replace. If you do wind up replacing it keep track of the steps and repost them here.

 

[TBBLUE02]

This is diagram of door check arm and spring. You will need to get inside door and see what’s going on. Best I can do for you. Good luck with your problem

Thanks! I'll see if the check arm and spring assembly can be removed without having to remove the door trim. Probably not. Next I'll have to find a spring that will do the job. Any suggestions?

 

[Tom Alpers]

Thanks! I'll see if the check arm and spring assembly can be removed without having to remove the door trim. Probably not. Next I'll have to find a spring that will do the job. Any suggestions?

You can buy an entire new assemble from the usual suppliers. I can't think of where you'd get the required spring by itself.

 

[TBBLUE02]

This is diagram of door check arm and spring. You will need to get inside door and see what’s going on. Best I can do for you. Good luck with your problem

I searched for hours but could not this pdf. Where did you find it? Thanks again it definitely helped me 'see' what is hidden inside the door.

 

[clubairth1]

If you don't have a set I would get at least the electronic version?
These cover ALL Fords between 1949-1959. Wonderful exploded diagrams as above so you can see where things go. The down side is it has no repair instructions of any kind so be sure and also get the factory shop manual.

The printed versions are still out there and are around $100 for the 2 volume set. The USB/CD versions are around $40.
Here is the cover. One volume is all illustrations and the other is text and where you will find all the part numbers.




If you need the door check arm I do see them at Dennis Carpenter.
Door Check Arm

Note that the 55-57 T-Birds us the same part as the 55-56 Ford car so that is a lot of cars it was installed in
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[TBBLUE02]

If you don't have a set I would get at least the electronic version?
These cover ALL Fords between 1949-1959. Wonderful exploded diagrams as above so you can see where things go. The down side is it has no repair instructions of any kind so be sure and also get the factory shop manual.

The printed versions are still out there and are around $100 for the 2 volume set. The USB/CD versions are around $40.
Here is the cover. One volume is all illustrations and the other is text and where you will find all the part numbers.

View attachment 34143


If you need the door check arm I do see them at Dennis Carpenter.
Door Check Arm

Note that the 55-57 T-Birds us the same part as the 55-56 Ford car so that is a lot of cars it was installed in
.
.I found this book on Amazon for $59.75 + $4.99 shipping. https://www.amazon.com/1949-1959-Parts-Accessories-Catalog/dp/B006ON52T6?tag=thunderbirdforum-20

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[clubairth1]

Yes that is it!
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[TBBLUE02]

Is the door catch spring mechanism located in the door frame interior, welded or bolted on? I will be putting the T-Bird into winter storage soon and will be trying to fix the door slamming problem. I could not find the spring mechanism anywhere. Seems that everyone has the check arm but not the spring which holds the door in two open positions. (See Aug 7th, 2025 for pic)

 

[65Konabird]

My driver’s door will not hold fast in either of the two hold positions. It closes back on me at the slightest incline. I could not find a part number in any catalog. If you know the part number or a way to make the door stay in the two hold positions, please advise.

My vehicle is a 1957 T-Bird with no power windows. There is a 6-inch notched arm pined to the A pillar. It fits into a hole in the door's front. This arm rests on or is attached to a spring which I believe to be the culprit.

Sounds like the detent spring in the door check arm is worn or broken,that’s usually the issue. Unfortunately, OEM part numbers are hard to come by, but CASCO or Larry's Thunderbird might have a reproduction or rebuild kit. Some folks have had luck carefully reshaping or replacing the spring