door alignment

[Chris A]

Hi all,

The door or plates need a little adjustment because the plate on the door is rubbing on the top of the plate on the car. Sorry don't know the correct names for these items. Neither part seem to be adjustable for height. It looks as if the 2 options I have are:-

1. Somehow adjust the door hinges to angle them higher, but how, Please.

2. Get the mole grips out and bend the flange on the plate on the door.

I prefer option 1 if possible. I can see the door is held in place by 2 hinges each with 2 nuts/bolts and what looks like an Allen bolt.

The wear looks worse in the phot then it really is, it isn't a hollow just rubbing it slightly flat.

The part that might need the mole grip method is the flange at the top.

Thank for any/all thoughts on this.

[Pete Lewis]

the striker  is the B post part  it is on adjustable caged fixing, there is a grippy pad which may be sticking the striker in place loosen screws and  a tap with a small hammer should free it up   do make sure the small tapered slide underside is free and well greased up , , the spring to return can fail , repair is very DIY as not available anywhere

this wedge also stops the door opening on body movements , the tongue and staple are belt and braces 

the dovetail on the door is not adjustable and its hardened so bending is an unlikely and def not a preferred action .

i dont think the hasp( tongue)  and staple is  adjustable much (only fitted on convertibles )

if you lower the B post striker , the door will be allowed to drop more , you may end up with the top hinge requires adjustment to raise the door rather than drop /lower the striker

all a balancing act of chicken and egg

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

1 hour ago, Chris A said:

Hi all,

The door or plates need a little adjustment because the plate on the door is rubbing on the top of the plate on the car.

How are the door gaps? If they're okay just lightly loosen the catch plate on the b-post, there are three screws, and gently close the door a few times; this will adjust the plate into a better position. Don't loosen it so much that it flops about as it will only drop once you open the door again. Check that the hinges aren't worn and allowing the door to drop when opened as this means the catch will pull the door back up when closed, and wear it away. If the hinges and door gaps are fine then as I've said just drop the catch-plate slightly.

[Chris A]

Right, so far it seems I need to balance a chicken & egg, tap with a hammer . .  😁

I get the idea, thanks for the help.

Should I want/need to adjust door hinge(s) is it simply a case of slacken the nuts/bolts and Allen bolt on the frame and lift the door a little.

I haven't got immediate access to the car. Well I have but I'm watching the Tour de France, my other favorite activity, ok, along with smoking a good cigar (done earlier this pm) and drinking whisk(e)y (that comes later this evening). 🙄

[Colin Lindsay]

Adjusting the hinges will be via the three bolts on each hinge on the bulkhead, not the bolts and screw on the door. It helps if you support the door on a jack; put a long piece of wood across the bottom of the door to protect the paint, and you'll find it will lift surprisingly easily - forward or backward movement can then be achieved by sliding it along the wood. You'll need to have it open slightly for this to work (unless you have no sills fitted) but if you gap it by the bulkhead gaps, the tub end seems to sort itself.

[Chris A]

30 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said:

Adjusting the hinges will be via the three bolts on each hinge on the bulkhead

That's good as they are easy to get at, not sure they will be easy to undo as it looks as if when the car was resprayed in the past the hinges were in place and are painted. 

Thanks Colin

[Pete Lewis]

if you need to shift the hinge (do the striker first)  do not gorilla the hinge bolts the tapped plate is the weak link , easy to strip them if over tightened 

Pete

[Chris A]

I will try adjusting the striker first, slacken it and a tap with a hammer, to see if this works and only if not think about the hinges. I might even live with it rubbing rather then risk the hinges.

I'll also have a closer look at the how the trim on the door lines up with the body work, I know it isn't 100% but is pretty good and wouldn't want to make it worse by raising the door.

Thanks Pete, no wonder you are a 10th Dan.

[NonMember]

7 hours ago, Chris A said:

I'll also have a closer look at the how the trim on the door lines up with the body work, I know it isn't 100% but is pretty good and wouldn't want to make it worse by raising the door.

To be honest, the alignment when shut is more likely to be messed up by adjusting the striker than the hinges. Even in good condition, the hinges have a small amount of play, which translates to a fair bit of movement at the back of the door. It's not at all uncommon for the door to be lifted a quarter inch by the latch mechanism, causing the wear you're seeing. The fix, unless the door is actually sitting too high when closed, is to adjust the hinges, not the striker.

[Chris A]

OK, so probably best to go gently on the hinges then rather than striker. Although if moving the striker is simple then I might move it first all the same to see how it turns out, I can always back track.

Humm...

Now just need a dry day so I can get out there 

[ahebron]

On 30/08/2020 at 02:11, Chris A said:

Right, so far it seems I need to balance a chicken & egg, tap with a hammer . .  😁

I get the idea, thanks for the help.

Should I want/need to adjust door hinge(s) is it simply a case of slacken the nuts/bolts and Allen bolt on the frame and lift the door a little.

I haven't got immediate access to the car. Well I have but I'm watching the Tour de France, my other favorite activity, ok, along with smoking a good cigar (done earlier this pm) and drinking whisk(e)y (that comes later this evening). 🙄

Good to see your whisky habit is not impinging on the Triumph time
You will find that tea is the prescribed drink whilst working on your Triumph.
Mostly served in a chipped mug and available at any time but mostly recommended when  you have spent hours progressing backwards.

Adrian

[NonMember]

10 hours ago, ahebron said:

Mostly served in a chipped mug

I have a set of three completely plain white mugs for tea. They weren't always plain - they started life as half a set of "TSSC 10th Anniversary" mugs but it turns out the inks they used in 1987 were not dishwasher safe. One of the original set is chipped - the Herald one, which seemed appropriate at the time as the only original TSSC car I've ever scrapped was a Herald.

[Chris A]

I rarely drink & work on the Triumph at the same time, the tea either gets cold or spilled.

If I did I suppose I ought to use my bright red 'Force Ouvrier' union mug with their logo on 'FO' to warn people away and not interupt.

[ludwig113]

you have to have tea in the garage! i bought an insulated fishing brand Camouflaged cup, i can't always find it but the liquid stays warm 😎

[Chris A]

31 minutes ago, ludwig113 said:

you have to have tea in the garage! i bought an insulated fishing brand Camouflaged cup, i can't always find it but the liquid stays warm 😎

I don't have a garage 😤 but do have an insulated mug, my wife's really, it is Mexican - Day of the Dead !

[Colin Lindsay]

Last time I had any kind of cup in  the garage it was boiling water to soften bushes; I just go back into the house and have tea in comfort. Being me, I's spill coffee or tea over something important so prefer just to do it over the carpet.