Average Joe Restoration

Do your door hinges on you Mustang need to be replaced or rebuilt, maybe your door needs to be removed and replaced? If either of these scenarios is playing out for you then you will have to realign the door to the car at some point. This short article and video will demonstrate the basic principles of Classic Mustang Door Alignment.
 

The door that I am aligning is a new reproduction door From Dynacorn International, so far it's a nice piece and I am very pleased. The procedures that I am using to install and align the door on my 1967 Mustang coupe should apply for the 65, 66 and 68 model as well.

Have your fender removed from the car; if you don't remove the fender you will wish you had after several hours of frustration. Also get yourself a helper, it will make things progress quickly and successfully; I went at it alone.

Preparing the door

Install the door hinges on the door and make sure that the lower hinge is in the closed position; this will give you a straight shot at it on installation.

Install the door latch; having the door latch installed will help with aligning the door, especially if you've taken on the job alone and then install the door lamb sticker plate.

Prepare the door jambs and gap gauges

Before I mount the door to the Mustang I prep the rear door jambs and rocker panel with my panel gap gauge made out of pop-sickle sticks (you can use paint sticks), this will set the initial gap as well as help protect the jambs and rocker from an impact with the door edges.

Mounting and Aligning the Door

Once the door is mounted and the striker plate is adjusted so the rear of the door is aligned pretty well I move to fine tuning the door alignment.

Door Hinges 101

• Each door hinge has a body side hinge and a door side hinge; each of the sides plays a role in aligning the Mustangs door.
• The body side of the hinges allow adjustments to be made up, down and front to back
• The door side if the hinge allows adjustments to be made up, down, inboard and outboard.
• Each adjustment should be made to one hinge side at a time, tighten the bolts and then move to the next adjustment.

Problem and Solution

P: The gap between the top rear of the door and the quarter panel is to close, you need to widen the gap.

S: Make the adjustment at the top body side hinge, nudge it forward until you achieve the appropriate gap.

P: The bottom rear of the door is sticking out and is not flush with the body.

S: Make the adjustment at the top door side hinge, pull the top front of the door outward and you will see the lower rear of the door drift inward.

• Top rear in or out = lower door side hinge
• Bottom rear in or out = upper door side hinge
• Setting gap and angle = body side hinges, up down, forward or back

I hope this article has taken some of the mystery out of installing and aligning the door on your Mustang; if you have questions or some tips or experience you would like to share please leave your comments.