Door alignment 1930 Tudor Model A

[Timsalways]

Hi, I been searching to find out how to align the doors on my 30 Tudor Model A. And this is what I came up with. I got a gap of around 3/8 inch at the bottom rear of both doors. Everything else is ok. When people would tell me "your doors open", I would reply "That's the way they made em back then", Till I seen close up a 1928 Model A. I realized I have a problem.

What I am going to is pull the bolts out for the cross member, then cut the cross member then push the sides of my body out to meet the doors. Then re-weld it then re-attach the bolts.

Any advice will be much appreciated, I might make a video and post on youtube while doing it, I got a vacation coming up in a week.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

SOOOO,!!! You're gonna' "BUTCHER" IT, are you!! Get smart & wait for some CREDITABLE advice, or, are you just tryin' to "SHOCK" us? No worry, we're well INSULATED against FOOLISHNESS!!
Bill W. (OH! I see your little green light on, just waitin' for a reply!!)

[Timsalways]

I guess I could live with it. You think Bill it is a bad idea? And yes I had those little rubber wedges out, replaced them with new ones.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by Timsalways

I guess I could live with it. You think Bill it is a bad idea? And yes I had those little rubber wedges out, replaced them with new ones.

Tim, I was just being smart assed, The Dog was prompting me. Study it out, those doors can be tweeked/adjusted to fit well. If the door is low in the back, it will make it out from the body. As others have said, the doors are all STEEL. Just be glad you don't have some BIG mis-alignment problem, like when someone welds a 1/4 panel in KROOKED!!! (NO! NOT on Vermin, his parts are straight) Dis-regard the RED car, Buster T. pushed the wrong button!
Bill W.

[Spokes]

Originally Posted by BILL WILLIAMSON

Tim, I was just being smart assed, The Dog was prompting me. Study it out, those doors can be tweeked/adjusted to fit well. If the door is low in the back, it will make it out from the body. As others have said, the doors are all STEEL. Just be glad you don't have some BIG mis-alignment problem, like when someone welds a 1/4 panel in KROOKED!!! (NO! NOT on Vermin, his parts are straight) Dis-regard the RED car, Buster T. pushed the wrong button!
Bill W.

I like the Red Car is it a 4-Banger ??

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Originally Posted by Spokes

I like the Red Car is it a 4-Banger ??

Naw, Spokes, it's a 4-Hummer! It's a funny lookin' Shay, re-pro Model A?? modifed to look more like an era "HOT ROD"---Pinto powered & automagic trans, thinkin' about buying it, in case I can't drive Vermin SAFELY, in my crippled up condition. I DID modify Vermin's seating to help with legroom. Bill W.

[Timsalways]

It don't have to come out much

[Marco Tahtaras]

I don't see the problem as severe enough to compensate by cutting up the floor. And yes, my first reaction is a rougher choice of words.

Assuming it has nothing to do with the lower door rubbers, the typical cause for this on a Tudor is the steel roof bow that ties the quarters together right over the rear of the doors. A slight reduction in the arch will spread the quarters at the top. Unfortunately that is tough to address on a finished car.

Again, the issue seems very minor. It seems to me the doors could be twisted that little amount without causing any bind in the function of the windows.

[Timsalways]

Originally Posted by BILL WILLIAMSON

SOOOO,!!! You're gonna' "BUTCHER" IT, are you!! Get smart & wait for some CREDITABLE advice, or, are you just tryin' to "SHOCK" us? No worry, we're well INSULATED against FOOLISHNESS!!
Bill W. (OH! I see your little green light on, just waitin' for a reply!!)

Well I did it! Looks great! Thanks to all your advice. The rubber things at the bottom had to come off. And I was able to prop a piece of 2x4 at the door latch, pull the bottom corner of the door closed, using a measuring tape I was able to do it quickly! Thanks to all!

[gtrob2003]

Originally Posted by Timsalways

Well I did it! Looks great! Thanks to all your advice. The rubber things at the bottom had to come off. And I was able to prop a piece of 2x4 at the door latch, pull the bottom corner of the door closed, using a measuring tape I was able to do it quickly! Thanks to all!

Can you post 'staged' pictures? I have the EXACT same problem as your original pictures and no idea how to fix it... wife's door popped open as I was driving down the street!! Luckily she (and no one else) was in the car, other than me!... Body lines are perfect, tops of both doors are touching header, bottoms of both doors are 1/2" out from car and the passenger door is sagging maybe a 1/16" preventing the latch from latching unless I lift and close (aka. slam) the door at the same time.

[700rpm]

If you cut it you will regret it. And so will the next owner. Twisting the door is a more plausible solution. Best to find the real cause of the misalignment, and fix that, rather than do some farmer fix on it.

[Mike V. Florida]

I believe that the wood in the doors is bad/installed wrong.

[Timsalways]

Originally Posted by Mike V. Florida

I believe that the wood in the doors is bad/installed wrong.

I will look into that, meanwhile, I will not be cutting with out more research! or at all.....

[swo4rd]

wood in the door of a 1930 tudor sedan??????I don't think so…

you must mean in the door jamb?

never cut the body or frame to make things fit…study the problem completely and then make adjustments…I suspect Marco's observation is correct but the note on the rubber anti-squeak is also a problem. i found the passenger side door on one of my tudors had the hinges ever so slightly bent.

[RB35]

How is the horizontal alignment, meaning, do all of the trim lines line up? Have you checked the vertical alignment of the hinges? All in a row? I'm piecing a '29 sport coupe together on new subrails. Was a field truck with a wooden box hanging out the trunk. My doors started out 3" out at the bottom and slowly finding things to straighten, including the 'b' pillars. Now down to about 1/2". Sometimes closing a block of wood in the lower hinge will nudge the corner in, but be real careful.
RB

[George Miller]

First off I would leave it like it is.Its not that bad. But if you are going to do it twist the doors as Marco and others have said. If you are strong enough you can garb the top and bottom then twist it. I have done it before, but not on a finished car.

[bikejunk]

Can you push on the door and close up the gap? are the hinges sprung (bouncy binding) preventing the door closing fully , again as someone mentioned its tough on a newly painted car.

[Timsalways]

Originally Posted by bikejunk

Can you push on the door and close up the gap? are the hinges sprung (bouncy binding) preventing the door closing fully , again as someone mentioned its tough on a newly painted car.

Yes, I can close the gap by pushing the bottom of the door with some or little effort. What now?.......I want to put a 2X4 at the latch area. What do you think? I'm open for suggestions. Remember, the top is fine, and all my line's are good.

[Marvin/TN]

Should be an easy fix, use a soft block at the top of the door, I.E. a rubber sanding block, push the bottom of the door toward the sill. Do it a little at a time and only push on the door bottom in an area that will not bend the door outer skin. I have aligned a lot stronger doors than a Model A door. I use to jack up modern cars so that I could grab the bottom of the rocker panel and put my knees against the bottom of the door and pull with my arms and push with my knees. May be hard to do that with a Model A.

[Marvin/TN]

Put the block at the top of the door, read above what I wrote. I have been in collision repair for about 44 years. Fixed a lot of twisted doors.