tkcutlass

After much trial and error, the best I can get with most gaps even and level the top door gap is considerably larger.
Is this to be expected?
I spent quite a bit of time on the driver's door, but after using two air wedges from HF the passenger door went much faster.
Will anything closer require adding and possibly subtracting metal from the door edge? (welding/grinding)





Air wedges helped position the door

cfair

I redid my door hinges on my ‘66 98 convertible and burnt a couple of Covid quarantine days doing it. This stuff is deeply time consuming.

First off, convertibles are harder to align than hardtops since the frame can bend just a bit during normal use (just a bit more than hardtops). In effect you have a variable target for getting it perfect. Hopefully have the Olds specs for your Cutlass/442, my memory is 3/16” for my big cars.

When I was gapping, I bought some 2-3 foot strips of plastic in 3 thicknesses: 3/16”, 1/4” and 5/16”, I used them both as measure sticks to see if gaps changed along their axis, but also to wedge the door in place to get the hinges just right.

Next, give some thought to doing this with the windows and electric motors inside. They add weight and what’s perfect with windows out, may sag just a bit with that weight in. I got this wrong.

Next, it looks like you’re close, but not quite happy with the side view. Have a look from the front to the rear of the cars to make sure the door vertical sidelines are parallel to the body. I got this wrong too

In case it helps, I have a long thread somewhere about doing this on my convertible. And an associated one about adjusting windows afterwards.

This is an optimization, perfect may not exist. I have a friend with a ‘67 firebird and her front door gaps at at top have to be 5/16’s. They didn’t _build_ those all that well.

Cheers
Chris

Fun71

Yep. When I jack up the front of my car I can't open the doors, or if they were open before lifting the front, I can't close them. The frame bends that much.

cfair

Mine too.

You may also see the rear quarter of the car separate at the top rear of the front door when you go over bumps. My 98 has a giant rear end it does this from the weight.

I figure it’s part of the design. The a-ha for me was the length of the splined slip joint from the driveshaft into the transmission. It can slip a pretty good distance.

Cheers
Chris

tkcutlass

Should I match the height door to quarter even if the bottom gap gets a little larger.
I guess it's pretty close now, but the top of the gap would be nice to get a little closer.

cfair

Tim,
Remember, from here, the hinges will only get older - i.e. they'll start wearing again in 10 years or so. If you start just a little bit high from parallel, perhaps in use the doors will sag to a position you like for a bunch of years. If you start smack on parallel, they'll only sag low again over some period.

Approach 1
Get the door height (with door panels, glass, regulators, and motors _out of the door) maybe 1/16" or 1/8" above the quarter to allow for weight-related settlement & body flex.

Approach 2
Or put all the heavy pieces inside the door (glass, window motor, regulator, shoot - even the door panel), _not_ installed, just sitting in there to weigh on the hinges, then adjust to 1/32" to 1/16" high on the rear top. The idea here is to simulate the weight load on fresh hinges to make a better adjustment.

It sounds weird adjusting it to slightly non-parallel on the bottom horizontal gap, but figure that over time weight, bumps, time & flex will do their thing. What's weird is that the human eye can see 1/16" gap line difference pretty easily, as well as hear a whistle from a badly aligned window.

I'm no professional paint & body man, just a guy who's been down this road. Aim at minimize gaps & whistles, then you'll wind up close or perhaps really happy.

Hope that helps.
Chris