Aligning the door on a 1926 coupe

[jiminbartow]

The passenger side door on my 1926 coupe sags a little so that the body belt on the door is about 1/4” lower than the body belt on the body. It does, however, latch properly. I need to raise the door so the the belts are even. What is the method by which this can be done? I am thinking that the top hinge can be bent slightly forward and the bottom hinge can be bent slightly toward the rear while the center hinge remains the same so that the door tilts upward, but will continue to latch properly.

Is this feasible? I seem to recall reading somewhere and seeing this done in an old period photo with a special tool that I recall had a long handle. What say you? I’m not going to try it without more information, advice and opinions. Jim Patrick

BCA3D7A0-FFFB-4EF5-A8D7-D79943FEB661.jpeg (78.71 KiB) Viewed 2719 times

[John kuehn]

I have a 24 Coupe that has a door that dropped some on one side. I won’t try to change anything because surprisingly it still shuts well as the other side does. Up to late 24 T closed cars had wooden door pillars and frames. I don’t want to disturb the original wood on the body pillars or the doors so I not going to do anything with it.

Your 26 Coupe has metal doors and metal door pillars which probably is more forgiving than wood. What you can do on metal doors is to move the metal door hinge slightly by taking it off and putting it in a vise to bend it in or out depending which direction you want to move the door. That’s a trial and error method that would work.

I worked on metal doors and frames at an Air Force base that had dormitories. The metal doors were getting sags and etc. Straightening the hinges would help and if not enough carefully moving the frame in or out using a tool that I made would fix the sag or gap.

I used one side of the hinge that was the same type and welded a 3 ft” bar on it and screwed it to the frame surface to move the hinge area enough to make the door fit just about right.
This method will work on auto and truck doors as well as metal doors and frames in buildings.The process is the same.
The tool you mentioned is one that was used for auto use in that era.

[Allan]

Rather than get heavy handed, I would shim the bottom and middle hinges first to see if that works. You don't even need to remove the hinges. Cut the shims from some good quality, thick gasket paper, slot them so they will pass the screws and insert them between the hinge and the door. Two thicknesses on the bottom hinge, one on the middle one, tighten the screws and see where it lands. Then you can play further to refine the results. Once you have the desired result, you could remove the screws and make new shims without the slots for a final result.

Hope this helps, and preserves the paintwork!

Allan from down under.

[jiminbartow]

Great idea. I hope I can loosen the hinge screws in order to shim them. I once tried to loosen the screws many years ago and they would not budge. My coupe was originally a rusted hulk that spent many years outside, before I restored it, which is probably why, but I will give it a try and hopefully will not damage the screw slot. Is there anything better than “Blaster” catalyst, for loosening the screws? Thanks again. Jim Patrick

[speedytinc]

Great idea. I hope I can loosen the hinge screws in order to shim them. I once tried to loosen the screws many years ago and they would not budge. My coupe was originally a rusted hulk that spent many years outside, before I restored it, which is probably why, but I will give it a try and hopefully will not damage the screw slot. Is there anything better than “Blaster” catalyst, for loosening the screws? Thanks again. Jim Patrick

Kroil awalys works for me

[John kuehn]

I forgot to mention the shims in the hinges. That will work in some cases I found on metal doors and frames. The real issue can be if the surface under the door pillars or the doors has been been bent inward or outward to far. That’s when you have to straighten it back out when it’s really been sprung. Your 26 may not have been sprung outward to much. It probably hasent so shims may be the first choice.
As far as loosening tight and seized hinge screws in metal doors use a screwdriver the EXACT size of the slot head screws and use a hammer and carefully give it some solid taps over and over while trying to turn it. The screwdriver I used had a 1/2” hex shoulder under the handle that you used with a 1/2” box end wrench helped with leverage as you tried turning it.
Since it’s a car you want to be careful not to damage the paint. Use lots of Kroil or WD 40 while you tapping the screw. If that doesn’t work using a cold chisel will do the trick. You will probably want to replace the screw since the slot may be damaged as you got it out with the chisel to get it to start to turn.
Can you get up inside the door pillars to squirt some type of oil on the backside or it totally enclosed. And if you can get one screw out then you may can squirt some oil on the inside through that hole. Good luck!

[jiminbartow]

I ordered a can of “Kroil”. When it arrives, I will give it a try. Thank you all for giving me a direction to go. All sound advice. Jim Patrick

[Jerry VanOoteghem]

I ordered a can of “Kroil”. When it arrives, I will give it a try. Thank you all for giving me a direction to go. All sound advice. Jim Patrick

Kroil, "The Oil That Creeps" Good stuff!. My friend Mike Catlin would be ticked however if I didn't also suggest Gibbs.

Anyway, while this might seem obvious, it doesn't matter whether the shims go bewteen the hinge & the door, or the hinge and the pillar. Maybe the screws in one or the other location are more agreable?

I'l also add, that I'm always impressed at how nice your Coupe looks every time you post a photo of it! Beautiful car!

[TXGOAT2]

I would make every effort to get some penetrating oil on both ends of any screws that you will need to loosen. I've found it helpful to apply oil to the screws or bolts several times over a period of several days BEFORE attempting to loosen them. Using the correct screwdriver, as mentioned above, is very important. Placing the screwdriver in the slot and tapping it lightly with a small hammer as you apply and re-apply penetrating oil to all accessable areas of the screw assembly can help. During the oiling and soaking period, opening and closing the doors and driving the car to set up vibration can be helpful. Patience will usually reward you. Brute force will not.

[Mark Gregush]

After soaking with Kroil, use an impact screwdriver with tip ground to fit the slot.

[jab35]

Is it possible the door misalignment is due to frame or body mount deterioration? jb

[varmint]

You really need to to see if the pillars are plumb and the top is level to see what the real problem is. Otherwise, you may end up with this.

passenger door sag

The real fix is bending the frame back up or wood blocks between the body and the frame until the next full restoration in years to come.

[tmodeldriver]

Hi, Jim. Due to the fact that the passenger door has been opened about 5000 times to the driver's door once maybe you have worn hinges and pins. With the door open a few inches lift up the back of it and check how much wiggle is in those hinges. It could be that you need to make new pins or maybe even ream those hinges back closer to round and make oversized pins. Just an easy thing to check before you start fighting those hinge screws. Good luck. Bob

[Allan]

Jerry makes a good point about placing the shims. Either side of the hinge will do, providing it is the same side for each hinge.

Allan from down under.