New Hinge Alignment with NO Reference Marks

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Russtypickle

Junior Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2024
Posts
10
Reaction score
27
Location
Vancouver Island
First Name
Russell
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
Blazer
Engine Size
350
Hi All, I've finally started the painting on my K5 project. The inside is painted but I replaced the doors hinges (holes were oval) with new ones. I removed the hinges from the pillar and painted the pillar and the new hinges. I'm now fitting the doors and trying to get some reference marks so that I can mount the door and hinges. However, as soon as I take the front fender off to mount the door and hinges, I'm going to lose my references so it's likely going to mean taking things on and off 100 times to get it right. Does anyone have any advice on getting this right? Is putting the weather stripping on helpful, etc?

Any and all help, suggestions, tutorials :) would be appreciated. I'd like to get a decent game plan before starting.
You must be registered for see images attach
 

CalSgt

Full Access Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2021
Posts
1,817
Reaction score
4,234
Location
CA
First Name
Casey
Truck Year
1980
Truck Model
Chevy K-10 Custom Deluxe
Engine Size
350
Honestly Sir…

It’s a trial and error thing to fit doors. Had you asked before I would have recommended fitting the doors first before painting the jambs and leaving them on from that moment forward.

I had mine on and off 20+ times to get them fit before starting bodywork, I didn’t dare take them off once adjusted.

Some shops that paint with doors removed get them fit first then drill small holes in the hinges/doors/body then use the hole and a rod to get them almost perfect during reassembly
You must be registered for see images attach
 

Russtypickle

Junior Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2024
Posts
10
Reaction score
27
Location
Vancouver Island
First Name
Russell
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
Blazer
Engine Size
350
Thanks CalSgt, ya, I knew before I took them off and painted them that it was going to be a grind re-aligning them, I just didn't want to paint it with the hinges on and end up with the crack between the hinge and the body. I love the hole idea, I should have posted sooner :) How's your project coming along, have you finished the painting stage?
 

PrairieDrifter

Full Access Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2014
Posts
4,118
Reaction score
6,189
Location
North Dakota
First Name
Mason
Truck Year
84,79,77,76,70,48
Truck Model
Suburban k10, bonanza k10, k30, k20, c10, gmc 1/2ton
Engine Size
350, 350, 350, 350, 350, 350
You need the seals to do the alignment. Also pull the striker off the door jamb. You're gonna be taking it off and on a bunch. An engine hoist can be handy.
 

legopnuematic

Licensed Junk Dealer
Supporting Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2016
Posts
3,265
Reaction score
9,348
Location
MO
First Name
Spencer
Truck Year
1971, 1̶9̶7̶4, 1976, 1979,1̶9̶8̶5, 2002
Truck Model
Dart Swinger, Sierra 10, C10 Cheyenne, C10 Big Ten, Silverado 10, Ram 2500
Engine Size
225/6, 350 c.i., 350 c.i., 5.9l Cummins
My advice is to remove the fenders, or at minimum remove the bolts/loosen core support and pull as far forward as possible.

Then with hinges on the a pillars, and striker installed, slot door into aperture, install bolts from hinge to door. With the door panel removed you can get a torx or allen (whatever the striker might be) you can loosen and adjust the striker with the door latched. Adjust hinges as needed to flush things up and set your gaps at rear of door as the quarter is a fixed datum. Get it where you want it and tighten everything up, then align fenders to doors.

You can install and adjust the door with the fender on but it makes it a lot more work in my opinion.
 

Russtypickle

Junior Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2024
Posts
10
Reaction score
27
Location
Vancouver Island
First Name
Russell
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
Blazer
Engine Size
350
Thanks, I am planning on taking the fenders off for sure. Anyone have a trick for aligning the hinges so they don't bind against each other? I assume there will be a little messing around just to get that right.
 

Russtypickle

Junior Member
Joined
Mar 9, 2024
Posts
10
Reaction score
27
Location
Vancouver Island
First Name
Russell
Truck Year
1985
Truck Model
Blazer
Engine Size
350
I should have mentioned too, the doors are stripped (no glass or hardware) and really light. I'm going to start by installing the weather stripping around the jamb in the morning and shimming the sill so the door sits at the correct height (I'll just tape the top - did it today and works well), Once that's done I'll remove the fender and fit the hinge (round one of many). If anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears.
 

CalSgt

Full Access Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2021
Posts
1,817
Reaction score
4,234
Location
CA
First Name
Casey
Truck Year
1980
Truck Model
Chevy K-10 Custom Deluxe
Engine Size
350
Thanks CalSgt, ya, I knew before I took them off and painted them that it was going to be a grind re-aligning them, I just didn't want to paint it with the hinges on and end up with the crack between the hinge and the body. I love the hole idea, I should have posted sooner :) How's your project coming along, have you finished the painting stage?
Mine is almost done, I need a few bits and pieces then it’s a driver.

You must be registered for see images attach
 

bucket

Super Moderator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Joined
Aug 3, 2010
Posts
31,688
Reaction score
32,014
Location
Usually not in Ohio
First Name
Andy
Truck Year
'77, '78, '79, '84, '88
Truck Model
K5 thru K30
Engine Size
350-454
Install the weatherstripping, but leave the striker out. Install the hinges to the cab and door, but keep all bolts a little loose. With a helper (very important with this method), carefully close the door and have your helper keep the door snuggly closed and in a position with reasonable gaps, while you snug up all the hinge bolts. It's often better to tighten the door/hinge bolts first, then the cab/hinge bolts. At that point, you can make adjustments, as needed. Once the door is adjusted, Install the latch and striker.

No matter if the fenders are there or not, the doors have to be fitted to the cab. When the front clip is installed, you may have to adjust the front of the doors in or out, but that is easy to do with the fenders installed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WFO

Snoots

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2013
Posts
9,234
Reaction score
20,186
Location
Georgia
First Name
Roger
Truck Year
1973
Truck Model
Jimmy Sierra
Engine Size
350 w/203
Long read but, worth it.

Preparing the door

Install the door hinges on the door and make sure that the lower hinge is in the closed position; this will give you a straight shot at it on installation.

Install the door latch; having the door latch installed will help with aligning the door, especially if you’ve taken on the job alone and then, install the door jamb sticker plate.


Prepare the door jambs and gap gauges

Before I mount the door I prep the rear door jambs and rocker panel with my panel gap gauge made out of pop-sickle sticks (you can use paint sticks), this will set the initial gap as well as help protect the jambs and rocker from an impact with the door edges.


Mounting and Aligning the Door

Once the door is mounted and the striker plate is adjusted so the rear of the door is aligned pretty well I move to fine tuning the door alignment.


Door Hinges 101

The body side of the hinges allow adjustments to be made: up, down and front to back.

The door side if the hinge allows adjustments to be made: up, down, inboard and outboard.


Each adjustment should be made to one hinge side at a time, tighten the bolts and then move to the next adjustment.


Problem and Solution

P: The gap between the top rear of the door and the quarter panel is too close; you need to widen the gap.

S: Make the adjustment at the top body side hinge; nudge it forward until you achieve the appropriate gap.



P: The bottom rear of the door is sticking out and is not flush with the body.

S: Make the adjustment at the top door side hinge; pull the top front of the door outward and you will see the lower rear of the door drift inward.


Top rear in or out = lower door side hinge

Bottom rear in or out = upper door side hinge

Setting gap and angle = body side hinges, up down, forward or back


Alignment of Specific Parts

We’re only going to focus on a few parts in this section because there are only a few panels that are considered bolt-on, while the rest are structural or welded-on parts. We’re going to look at the hood, deck lid, fender and door. We won’t concern ourselves with the bumper assemblies, grilles, headlamps or other miscellaneous parts.

Door
The door can be difficult, so pay attention! Doors have always been a challenge and require more analytical thinking than other parts. Today’s automatic door glass drop-downs, airbags, electronic latches and locks don’t make them any easier, either. The principal still remains the same, though: the door or doors must be aligned to the closest welded-on parts first (quarters and rockers) before aligning to the bolted-on parts (fenders and other doors).

Think about it! If you’re replacing both same side doors on a four-door hard top, you’ll install and fit the rear door first because the rear door is bound by the quarter panel/dogleg and the rocker panel. Both of these parts are welded on and provide no adjustment, so you’ll fit the rear door to the quarter/rocker opening and then fit the front door to the rear door and adjust the fender to the front door if necessary. That’s the baseline principal, and usually experienced technicians, given all the weight in the doors, like to load their doors before final paint to assure themselves that everything fits properly – which means the latches are hitting the strikers in the middle and the glass is contacting the weather-stripping without slamming or spring-back and popping. The cheapest place to address issues is in front of the paint booth doors.

Can you run out of adjustments when fitting a door? Sure. What do you do then, bend something? You have to, because something bent it out of alignment to begin with. How you do it will determine how much damage you do or don’t do in the process.

If your door is sagging at the rear and dragging on the striker, verify that the hinges aren’t worn out before bending anything. Open the door and lift on the rear of it. If there’s noticeable movement vertically, you may need bushings, hinge pins or new hinges. If new hinges aren’t available, there may be rebuild kits available from the aftermarket.

If the hinges are good but the door won’t take an alignment with the available adjustments … something has to give. In this case, the door is dragging on the striker, so it needs to come up at the back. Loosen the top hinge on the body side slightly. You don’t want to loosen the hinge bolts more than just a half turn on the upper A-pillar. With a jack, a block and some towels, with the door half open, carefully lift the back of the door with a floor jack. Lift the back of the door with pressure on the door frame, not the door edge/flange. Use caution. With the pressure on, use a bar and a 3-lb. hammer and strike the top hinge firmly and squarely forward to slip the hinge.

Repeat the process of striking the upper hinge with the bar and hammer. Release the jack and check the latch-to-striker alignment. There should be no dragging either on the top or bottom of the latch opening. If it closes properly, you’re done after tightening your bolts.

If the door still sags and you’ve determined adjustment in both hinges is maxed out…it’s time to take your actions up a notch. There are several ways to do this, but I’ll discuss two of the least destructive.
The device that looks like a couple of sockets on the opposing ends of a piece of wire is used between the hinge halves and with the door closed on it to bend or “spring” a door into alignment laterally. Go easy! A little bit makes a big difference, a lot is too much and it’s harder to go back. Check the latch-to-striker position now. It’s good, great! Go to the bank and pick up your money.

Another way to do this involves other devices where the door latch closes over the tool and the jamb is used as a fulcrum to lever the door up or down as needed. Use caution and watch the paint where the fender and door intersect at the top.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
45,320
Posts
980,728
Members
38,354
Latest member
bryanedge117
Top