1957 Heavy Doors

[TBBLUE02]

My 1957 T-Bird doors are aligned perfectly - good gaps all around. Also, they are properly greased. I must use a lot of muscle to close these HEAVY doors. Is there a way to use less muscle to close these heavy doors. OR, am I just an old guy who wants to have them close like the new car thin metal doors. Thanks.

 

[jack-in-sac]

Are you referring to the weight of the door or the latching? The latches can be adjusted.
As to closing; even if when closed the alignment is good you may have worn hinge pins. the result can be difficult closure as the door needs to be shut hard enough to raise the rear of the door to meet the latch correctly. worn hinge pins are common because of the age and number of closures over the last 65 years and the wight of the doors. If when the door is open and you lift up on the rear of the door it wiggles then you will have found your problem. Two fixes that I can think of are: 1. new/replacement hinges and 2. use of replacement oversize hinge pins. The second is the more common fix. The pin replacement does require drilling or reaming out the hinges to fir the oversize replacement pins. By the way most of us here are old guys too. Whe everything is correct the door closure should not be difficult unless you are on a slope.

 

[Frankie the Fink]

Exactly 100% correct. Open the doors completely and grasp the handle or the bottom and lift up and down and see if there is movement, if so its generally the hinge pins or bushings (as noted above), Also close the doors almost completely then slowly close them and see if the door moves up as it latches; if so same issue (assuming the latches are adjusted properly)

if needed Dorman makes nice oversize pins ...
The other lamentable but possible scenario, is that you're just an old guy - like many of us.

 

[CSPIDY]

I totally agree,
The fact you have good gaps is a blessing
But
The hinges could be an issue
The doors will tend to make a banging sound when closing
I installed the bushings and stainless pins on mine
Many of the Tbird suppliers sell them
But
I still must give the door a good strong push to close

 

[Ward 57]

You have to understand these cars were built in the later 50's when scrap steel was cheap from de-commissioning Liberty ships Etc. after WWII. EVERYTHING on the cars was heavy. Knock on any body panel and you hear the thunk of solid steel, unlike new cars where they have curves and creases to eliminate any 'Oil Caning' from the thin steel.
If all the gaps are correct when closed your strikers are aligned correctly. When closing softly if they bind a bit your hinges may be worn but just swing them closed a little harder from 1/4 open and you will hear a solid sound as it latches. No harm done but you will get looks from nearby observers as they are not used to the sound. You can also throw your hip into it but they will never latch like the new cars with a bump of the heel of your hand to latch.

 

[TBBLUE02]

You have to understand these cars were built in the later 50's when scrap steel was cheap from de-commissioning Liberty ships Etc. after WWII. EVERYTHING on the cars was heavy. Knock on any body panel and you hear the thunk of solid steel, unlike new cars where they have curves and creases to eliminate any 'Oil Caning' from the thin steel.
If all the gaps are correct when closed your strikers are aligned correctly. When closing softly if they bind a bit your hinges may be worn but just swing them closed a little harder from 1/4 open and you will hear a solid sound as it latches. No harm done but you will get looks from nearby observers as they are not used to the sound. You can also throw your hip into it but they will never latch like the new cars with a bump of the heel of your hand to latch.

Couldn't agree more. There were probably a few decommissioned WWII era ships that contributed to making cars of that era. Who knows, maybe even a few U,S, Navy war ships are in the mix. That alone could make the rock solid sound we hear when closing the doors.

 

[Frankie the Fink]

All of that is true but the effort to operate doors shouldn't require undue strength.
My 5'4" 125 lb Mom drove us kids around daily in her Pontiac Silver Streak and a
1955 Buick, behemoths by today's standards. It should not take more than a firm
push for the doors to close and latch You can't judge 50's cars by the way modern
cars are built. Talk about your "tin lizzies"..

 

[jimntempe]

When I was looking to buy I saw several baby birds with very hard to close doors. Assuming your doors aren't sagging too much, you should be able to close the doors without too much drama or slamming. Mine close without much effort even with new weatherstripping. It may be that besides worn hinges some folks have too much wear on the door latching mechanism itself. Here is a video of my door being closed.

 

[Frankie the Fink]

Nice video and I would say that is a pretty good example of the effort required - a firm push does it.

 

[CSPIDY]

Body off restorations is another reason some doors don’t fit well
Getting the body shims correct is critical

 

[TBBLUE02]

Thanks to all on heavy door fixes. I added to the suggestions by spraying some WD-40 with silicone to all moving parts and surfaces - the doors now work easily with only light pressure