Door hitting latch
 

I removed my drivers side hinges on my 49 thinking they needed rebuilt as the door would hit the latch and would come up about 1/4” to close each time it closed then hard to open. The pin was fine, no wobble at all, just needed new springs. Now put it back together and have the same issue. Gaps are fine when closed, but door hits the latch comes up and closes.

Which adjustment do I have to make to resolve this? Hoping to get my driver door fixed so I can start on my Altman latches this weekend. I read doors should close nice before starting them.

I drilled a 1/8 hole in the hinges before removing them so I could at least get back to original, but not sure where to adjust now.

Thanks in advance

Re: Door hitting latch
 

if the gaps out side of the door are good, I would think the latch and striker plate are
mis-aligned. id start by trying to adjust them. remember that the latch should light up with the center of the striker plate & not cause the door to move up or down. You may have to make the mounting holes bigger to allow for adjustment.

Re: Door hitting latch
 

I should have said the gaps are good when closed, but that’s probably because it’s moving the door up when hitting the latch. I thought I could just close the door, loosen the bolts on the door then it would go into place since it was there in the latch, but doesn’t seem to do that. Is there an article or write up in the door adjustments?

Re: Door hitting latch
 

If the hinges don't have a lot of slop, then just loosen the six bolts on your inner door panel, shove the top of the door inward toward the door jamb, and pull the bottom of the door outward away from the jamb. Then re-tighten the bolts and that should raise the rear of the door to properly meet your striker catch. The door may be reluctant to slide, so you might have to beat on it with the heel of your hand. Careful, a little adjustment makes a big difference.

PS: Ignore the witness holes you drilled. If the door was low at the back before you drilled it, all it did was make you put the adjustment back to its previous incorrect setting.

Re: Door hitting latch
 

if the hinges are tight and good shape like you have said, take the door panel off and the lower panel off the inside of the door and with the door shut, loosen the 6 bolts. you will actually see the bolt move when you loosen the last one, and the adjustment will be done. it may not though.

my actual method when I have this problem is more unorthodox. they adjusted hinges with pipe wrenches I have heard, so if my drivers door is sagging when open and the latch lifts it, I actually open the door slightly to clear the running boards and use a block of wood at the back/bottom and a floor jack to lift the door slightly. it doesnt adjust the hinge, it bends the door slightly where the hinges attach. I just know saying it out loud that someone will have a problem with it, but if you think about it, if the hinges are tight and good shape, its probably 70 years of leaning on the door getting out that has sagged the metal of the door skin at the hinges and a jack pops it right back up. I have a truck now that has a tear on the inner skin from swinging in the wind for a decade and its amazing how flimsy just that tear makes the door attachment. not a lot, just a pump or two, the truck wont come off the ground or anything. works nice.

Re: Door hitting latch
 

Thanks, seems like I was close with a few adjustments. But going to have to start over. Two of the top hinge nuts on the door were stripped when I took them off. I ran a tap through the holes thought I had it, but now after so many times loosing and tightening they won’t stay tight.
Think I’ll try to weld up the hole and tap it again. I can’t seem to gain access from the backside for the top nuts. May even drill a 4th hole and tap it not completely sure.