1955 ford Fairlane...I am thinking of purchasing this car, however all 4 doors do not align properly (at the bottom) when closed. The owner says they will need to be adjusted. Is there a way to adjust these or has the car been stuffed hard??
2006-08-02 13:46:34 · 6 answers · asked by Mark and Sarah S 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
MC is right you can "shim" the hinges. However there is usually some adjustment available in the door itself. You can loosen the hinges at the door and move it as the hinges are bolted into slots that allow for movement. This is a two or three person job, as the doors are heavy and will immediately drop to the lowest adjustment as soon as you loosen the bolts. You will need someone to hold the door in position while you re-tighten the bolts. After that you will need to adjust the stiker post on door jamb. It will be mounted to a plate with large phillips screws. You can loosen these screws and tap the striker with a hammer up/down or sideways to make doors latch well. you will need to do this after you align the hinges.
2006-08-02 14:07:21 · answer #1 · answered by kstrucker69 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As others have said, they can be adjusted. If you are looking for perfect alignment and gaps, don't buy the car. A 51 year old car will not align to perfect adjustment without major body work. The quality standards were not very good back then, and this is the first year of that body. A friend has a 55 Ford that I am helping him work on. His doors are nowhere near perfect.
2006-08-03 06:36:47 · answer #2 · answered by monte 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
55 fords have a door hinge that bolts through the door ta a floating plate inside the door this allows you to align the door in and out at the top and bottom the U shaped shims allow you to align the door up or down on the length of the door these are placed at the A pillar by the front of the door where it bolts to the body If the door is out at the bottom it should be in at the top if not the door is racked! If the door is out at the bottom say a 1/4 inch it should be in the same at the top if not stay away from the car
2006-08-02 14:07:28 · answer #3 · answered by Denny O 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
These older car doors can be adjusted all over the place, (easy). Be sure and check that the bottom portions of the doors aren't full of filler from poor rust repairs -- this could give the illusion that they are just 'misaligned'.
2006-08-02 14:31:40 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The frame could be warped. You can have that checked. If is, you don't want it. If it's not, a simple adjustment may solve the problem.
2006-08-02 13:53:14 · answer #5 · answered by blackfangz 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they make u shaped shims that can go under the hinge to adjust the door, fairly simple to do....
2006-08-02 13:50:47 · answer #6 · answered by MC 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋