How do I improve my door alignment and shutting?

[Spitfire1500]

Hey everyone,

I had the great pleasure of being the passenger in Chris' Mk3 Spitfire which has had a fair bit of work done to the engine (I now want to do the same!) at the Three Moorhens meet on Monday in Hitchen. Apart from how effortlessly it climbed up the revs and how well it handled, I noticed other positives as well, which extended to other Triumphs in the Car Park.

And that was how nicely the doors shut. No need to slam, they just fell straight into the apertures without so much as a gentle clunk.

I have to give my doors a very good slam - and even with my adjustment paint still gets chipped off.

What I would really like to do is improve my doors in such a way that it feels like a good, solid vehicle (which it doesn't at the moment!).

Thinking the worst, I am wondering if the sills weren't done properly and this has reduced the aperture that the door closes in. Although I can't see anything is amiss here, I could well be wrong of course.

Would adjusting my doors really give it that 'new' feel, or would I be better off getting both the sills re-done? Has anyone else noticed anything similar in their GT6s or Spitfires? How did you improve it?

Could it be that part (or all) of my hinge mechanisms need to be replaced?

I have an endless list of things that want doing to the Spitfire and since it's going to probably be off the road during winter, I may as well get it done (seats, overdrive, possible engine work - maybe getting a 1500 spitfire engine fitted, interior door handle again, perhaps a re-wire to get rid of any possibility of electrical gremlins, as well as uprating the alternator wires). Since my Corsa passed it's MoT today first time with 3 advisories (Now 2, I fixed one) I can now focus on the Spitfire once more.

Any help greatly appreciated - my b post, sills and doors will be grateful!

Kind regards,

David

[piman]

Hello David,

we need a lot more information, and better still pictures. What is the gap like at the hinge end, even all the way, bottom parallel with the sill and does it catch at the rear, top, bottom or all along?

Alec

[Steve Cureton]

Not sure if yours is the same as a Herald but I had the same problem until I freed up the little slider that sits in the alloy block on the B post. When these are seized it's not even obvious that there is a slider there so look carefully, better still, remove the block as it will make freeing the slider so much easier. My doors don't quite shut with a clunk now, but they certainly don't need a teeth-rattling slam anymore.

[Spitfire1500]

Many thanks for your replies Alec & Steve,

I have now uploaded the following photos:









As it stands, I did a little more adjusting today, but it still doesn't go in without a good slam. By the looks of the photos, is this as good as it will get for me?

You can see where it catches on the wing by the paint chips.

Kind regards,

David

[JohnD]

Looks to me as if it's just a little bit too far back - shutline at valance and witness marks on door jamb.
If you loosen all the bolts that secure the hinges to the bulkhead, you can jiggle the door about to reposition it.
Prob best to loosen two on each hinge completely and then adjust with the other two bolts almost tight, one to each hinge, until its right.
The bolts go into captive nuts behind the panel, so don't worry about losing them!

John

[junkuser]

Looks like the bulkhead is too far back to me as the door is at the back of the opening but the front top corner is still ahead of the corner of the curved step in the bulkhead in front of the screen.
If you adjust the bonnet forward to give room for the door to come forward there will be a large gap at the back end of the bonnet top.
Would be easier to explain if I could draw circles on pictures.

[willows40]

It looks like the gap is too small as it looks to be touching at the front by the screen and catching at the back, Either live with it, use a grinder and hammer and make the gap at the back bigger(bodge) or cut the sill, middle sill spread the tub reweld back together with extra metal to fill the gap or fit new sills.

cheers andy

[Spitfire1500]

Many thanks for your replies John, junkuser and Andy,

I was having a look at the rusty bits on my car where paint had bubbled and found two holes in the other door (which at least closes slightly better now) and having a look at what I saw and what was pointed out, it looks like it is a case of the gap being too small, as both doors are pushed right into the 'A' post. I don't plan to bodge it, I think I'll wait until the sills fail (which they will eventually) and get them re-done at that point.

As for doing an awful job at covering up the rusty bits with filler primer today, I think tomorrow is going to be spent sanding, filling and zinc priming.

My door alignment will have to wait until absolutely necessary I think, since I have no power in my garage. Might get someone to do the sills for me when the time comes.

Kind regards,

David

[Spitfire1500]

Hey everyone,

Sorry to bump the thread.

I've managed to find a good set of rust-free doors in Stafford, so I'm planning to collect them and put them in, after I've done something about the adjustment.

It looks likely that the doors/sills are going to take priority over everything else at the moment (hood, seats, etc). My plan is to have another go at adjusting the doors and hinges but that won't be happening until next week at least.

If the adjusting doesn't get me anywhere, I will probably get the sills redone. Does anyone know how much it will cost to get the sills redone?

Kind regards,

David