door gap/quarter panel

[reborn55]

Need a little advice on how to go about fixing upper door gap on 57 2 door hardtop. Looks like th top of the quater needs to come down and the actual quarter panel/door post needs to come out about 1/8 to 1/4 inch. I am not a body man so no elaborate fixes--just possibility of home repair. thanks293294295296

[Rick_L]

You didn't show us how the bottom of the door as well as the rear bottom fits to the quarter, but since you mention the top only, you probably need to be shimming the body mounts rather than adjusting the hinges. But you may need both.

Danchuk has an excellent article on their website on shimming the body mounts to get the door gaps right. CCI has published one too.

[mikev8nut]

What does the rest of the gap look like at the bottom of the door to quarter.bottom of Door to rocker etc. it may just need some adjustments at the hinge depending how everything else lines up.
Mike

[mikev8nut]

Rick bet me to it lol.
Mike

[reborn55]

Will take some tomorrow---problem is the quarter sits higher than the door and the quarter appears to actually sit in more than the other side does--if you lay a straight edge across the body where the door and quarter meet, there is more clearance between the straight edge and the body on the right side than on the left side--hope this make sense. The gap at the top is not what I am worried about it is the fact that the quarter is higher than the door. Hope I am making sense. Once you get past the first couple of inches the gaps are good

[willis]

start at rocker to door gap. make sure they are same the entire length of the door. get that rite then move to the quarter gap.Also check to see if the quarter has been replaced if it has it is prob. the quarter itself. the after market quarters DO NOT fit like the oem. also make sure the body mounts are in goo shape as well. they can rust and let the car shift outta shape. pretty much start from the bottom and work up and work from the rear towards the front when aligning parts.

[warren57]

GM has a manual called "55 56 57 Chevy Body Adjustments Guide". 22 pages.
I down loaded it from somewhere, maybe in the library on this site, or a member post.
Pretty much the same info as the supplier websites have, but you might want to take a look.

[Bihili]

problem is the quarter sits higher than the door and the quarter appears to actually sit in more than the other side does

First check your Door hinge pins for excessive wear.
With the door open lift up on the rear of the door. Do the doors move up & down? If not then take door panel off to make first adjustment. Where the door attaches to the hinge, loosen the top & bottom hinge bolts. This will allow you to adjust door height and gap.

Try this first before you move to the second adjustment.

[sleeper55]

This is very interesting, My buddy cant get his door correct on his 57 wagon. Maybe he needs to look at body mounts

[chevynut]

Bihili, I don't really think worn door pins would cause one not to be able to adjust a door correctly. IMO they'd have to be worn pretty bad. I've bought dozens of hinges and I've found that in most cases the pins aren't even worn, the bushings are. Still, you should be able to compensate for wear by door adjustment. However, I would replace the bushings if they're worn because the door will move up and down a lot. I replaced my bushings, but I'm using the original pins...they check out good with a mic.

Body mount shimming can have a huge effect on the fit of a door, especially on a HT or convertible. Even a sedan's or wagon's cowl can be moved by shimming.

[Rick_L]

I agree with chevynut's comments. After having multiple Chevy trucks with worn bushings, pins, and other hinge problems, I was really surprised to see how good my 55's hinge bushings were. Plus there's so much adjustment - which the trucks didn't have.

[MP&C]

My buddy cant get his door correct on his 57 wagon. Maybe he needs to look at body mounts

I think part of the issue on the wagon door alignment may be that the upper window frame is typically not parallel to the opening above it. The 150/210 two door wagon actually uses two door sedan doors, which are sloped down at the back of the door to match the sloping roof of the sedan. Where the wagon has a straighter roof, this normally leaves a wider gap at the top rear of the door than in the front...