The drivers door on my 1976 XJC does not fit well. There is no evidence of crash damage to the door. As the photos show, the front vertical edge of the door does not lineup with the fender, (too far inward) and the bottom rear edge of the door is sticking out too far.
Before I loosen all the hinge bolts and start flaying away, is there a procedure for getting these alignments correct?
Thank you,
Phillip
Photos, 1. hinges 2. rear of door 3. door front and fender alignment
I can’t help advise on aligning the door but it may well have been built that way. British Leyland’s period of ownership seems to have produced somewhat poorer build quality and S2 cars seem the most afflicted. Panel alignment and gaps are common issues for cars from that period including mine.
David
Do not loosen all the bolts. Open the door all the way and support the door so it does not move. Then loosen the hinge to body bolts on the top hinge and shim out the top of the door slightly. This should also pull in the back of the door at the bottom. Repeat as needed till it is lined up.
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BTW I had a 76 4 door. My favourite car to drive of all time. I have always lusted after an xj6 or 12 coupe but I suspect it will never happen.
Phillip,
I think you are lucky and you can adjust the door without having to fiddle with the fender side of the hinges but just from the door side.
This is what I did.
Loosen all screws but leave one on the bottom slightly tight, enough to hold the weight of the door but loose enough to allow the hinge to pivot.
Adjust the top of the door, slightly tighten one screw.
Same procedure for the bottom.
Make sure that after you adjusted everything you release any tension on the hinges as it would accelerate wear.
To raise the door, as you have to do this with the door open, l used a hydrolic jack at the center of the door.
Best,
Aristides
Phillip,
I am good at this, You have to take an aggressive approach…I will do what it takes. Just like Jerry did above…
1st fix the hinge and the pin have to be working as they should…so fix them
2nd…on the assemble line an expedited way is buildt into…hanging the door…this means you can shut the door and then tighten down a hinges bolt and open the door and tighten the rest. But, now stuff is in the way…like the fender …pull the fender…and adjust it on re=assemble.
3rd…the upper window frame will likely need to be bent in or out…takes a lot of force…sometimes slaming the door on a 2x4 or putting your knee and pulling in.
The set up Jerry has above is great…add a jack and pieces of wood…2x4’s 4x4 etc…
Leave you with this…maybe take it to a body shop…not a paint shop…go to one that has a big frame machine…they set doors all the time…probable can do it in 2 hours = $200…at least tell you if the hinge is good enough and if the fender would be best to remove…
Also, for extreme measure watch You tube “RUSTY BEAUTIES” by Elin…under his spitfire…he literally cuts the rocker off and resets welds…nothing stops Elin (yes his name is Elin)
And for Jerry above…there is a youtube video on E Type gaps…before paint…Also, there is a way to “diamond” the door on E’s… It pulls the lower parts in…take a big adjustable wrench and bend the flanges…air gap…go for a drive with a cigerrete and put near window to see where smoke escapes…
Mitch
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Look carefully at the alignment and the gaps; door to fender, fender to bonnet, door to body, Phillip - and compare both sides…
The fender position is adjustable, but that interacts with the bonnet, and bonnet should also show even gaps to the body at the rear. The point being to identify which part is causing the misalignment - and hinge adjustment may bring the door front in alignment with the fender…?
The gap at the lower rear is more ‘interesting’. The doors are very wide and, as David remarks, build quality may be involved - the door is simply twisted. As the alignment seems OK further up this seem the simplest explanation - and cannot be fixed by adjustments…
One possible remedy is brute force, properly applied, to bend the door back to shape - it has sometimes worked in other contexts…
You can also remove the door panel to see if there is a clue inside the door?
Frank
xj6 85 Sov Europe (UK/NZ)
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Thank you all for the wonderful responses to my problem. It is a great thing that others on this forum will extend the effort to help a fellow Jag nut. I will report back with my results.
Phillip