Early Bay Front Door Alignment

hambone · Post by **hambone** » Wed Jan 13, 2010 1:50 pm

Well, the passenger side door is structurally misaligned. The door latch is actually hitting the pillar slightly.
Also, the door appears to be sagging. It also sticks out more on the top rear outside corner than near the dogleg.
This is more than just ajusting the striker plate, I've tried that and it hasn't helped. Also tried fiddling with the hinge mounting bolts, no help.
This is beyond my expertise, and am considering taking the bus to a body shop. Any suggestions, or advice on reputable body shops in Portland? I can't imagine it would be too expensive for a qualified shop to fix.

Bookwus · Post by **Bookwus** » Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:46 pm

Hiya Bob,

Is your "A" pillar solid around the top hinge mount?

hambone · Post by **hambone** » Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:49 pm

Yeah, it's all solid. Nose isn't original though, was replaced in the mid 70s. They did an OK job except for this door alignment issue that I'm sick of dealing with. I'm thinking the hinge mounting pads must be bent forward and slightly up. Maybe even a new hinge pin? Oy.

Bookwus · Post by **Bookwus** » Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:52 pm

Is this something you could try tapping with a ball-peen hammer? You know, a little experimental tapping around that top hinge. Just to see if you are affecting any sort of positive change?

hambone · Post by **hambone** » Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:55 pm

I'm a bit concerned about running out of space close to the nose. I think it needs a good hearty hit to get things to move.

vistacruzer · Post by **vistacruzer** » Wed Jan 13, 2010 4:25 pm

i have a hammer hammy

Post by **Amskeptic** » Wed Jan 13, 2010 10:38 pm

hambone wrote:I'm a bit concerned about running out of space close to the nose. I think it needs a good hearty hit to get things to move.

Hippie and I dealt with that very thing. An eight foot length of 4X4 and a sledge hammer tapped the hinge assy forward a tad. Expect touch-up paint in your future. The above is predicated on a tight gap at the rear of the door opening. If you merely have a vertical misalignment where the top of the door sticks out further than the bottom, loosening the door hinge bolts and tapping the upper hinge closer to the body should do it.
Colin

hambone · Post by **hambone** » Thu Jan 14, 2010 9:57 am

I may need some guidance with this if anyone has the time. I sure don't want to make things worse.
The hinge capscrews need to be replaced too, they are getting sort of chewed up around the socket head. That shouldn't be a big deal.

Post by **Amskeptic** » Thu Jan 14, 2010 4:36 pm

hambone wrote:I may need some guidance with this if anyone has the time. I sure don't want to make things worse.
The hinge capscrews need to be replaced too, they are getting sort of chewed up around the socket head. That shouldn't be a big deal.

Get fresh hinge screws from your junkyard forays. I'd like to come up with a serious 4X4 up against the B-pillar, and use a hydraulic or scissors jack with another serious 4X4 to take up the space between the hinges and aforementioned B-Pillar brace. Then you can carefully expand the opening and carefully discover how much "spring" you have to compensate for. Hippie and I tried this, but we did not have the full tool set-up to make it happen. It is a very strong area. Your bus was not properly pulled out after whatever prior front end hit.
Colin

hambone · Post by **hambone** » Fri Jan 15, 2010 5:12 pm

So when will you be in Portland?

hambone · Post by **hambone** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 8:39 am

Th' fellers have advised me that it's a wobbly top hinge pin due to wear and causing the door to sag. Some guys in a dark parking lot so you never know....
Decay, a delightful schoolmarm.

This kit is for fitting '69-76 Bus door to '77-79 Bus. I don't think I can use it.
http://www.busdepot.com/details.jsp?partnumber=8623

It must be beastly to drive the old pins/bushings out...hammer and chisel?

Edit: I'm having a hard time finding an early bay hinge pin...
Edit again: Samba searches turn up no helpful info on this procedure, can you believe it? I can't believe no one has encountered this before.
Bus Boys says part is NLA, must fabricate.

hambone · Post by **hambone** » Tue Jan 26, 2010 12:39 pm

These used pins are available, but I'll bet the bushings are worn too on my door (requiring a slightly larger pin and reaming):
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/ ... ?id=715231

The pins have a slight "nail head" towards the bottom. Can someone recommmend a suitable replacement?

Post by **Amskeptic** » Tue Jan 26, 2010 8:51 pm

hambone wrote:These used pins are available, but I'll bet the bushings are worn too on my door (requiring a slightly larger pin and reaming):
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/ ... ?id=715231

The pins have a slight "nail head" towards the bottom. Can someone recommmend a suitable replacement?

Do you actually feel the door "click" as you lift up the rear of the door?
Colin

hambone · Post by **hambone** » Tue Jan 26, 2010 10:02 pm

Oh yeah. Bookwus observed the hinge from inside the bus. You can lift the door a good couple inches, it goes KLUNK from the hinge area. Mainly the top one. But it only moves when the door is almost closed, when it's wide open you can't get the KLUNK.

hambone · Post by **hambone** » Wed Jan 27, 2010 8:31 am

I do oil those hinges at least a couple times a year. I'll bet the PO didn't though. This seems to be an old problem.

I'd imagine both hinges should be replaced, but probably won't know until the door is off.

Itinerant Air-Cooled

Itinerant Air-Cooled

Early Bay Front Door Alignment

Early Bay Front Door Alignment