I have to slam the crap out of the doors on my 73 supreme to shut them and after they are shut, they do not firmly close. You can still rattle them back and forth about 1/4 inch. Any suggestions?

 

U need to move your striker bolt in so it pulls the car door in closer,,Had the same problem...mark the location of where the bolt is now,,Losen it up and move it back just a little and then tighten it and test the door out..Adjust until u have no play in the door when it is closed..

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Almost sounds like the bushings in the hinges might be going as well. Does the door sag when you open it?

 

No, I don't really notice any door sagging.

 

How does the rubber seals and bumpers look all around the door? If it is all rotted, compressed, or partially gone, door rattles will be evident when going over bumps.

After replacing the half-missing rotted seals on my old Ford, i was amazed at what weatherstripping does for structual integrity...

 

Yeah, window/door seals are shot. So I have ordered replacements.

 

Cool!
Adjust the striker so that when closed, the door panel is flush with the quarter panel.

After seal replacement, the door will be VERY hard to get shut for a few weeks until all the rubber had had time to compress down. This is normal.
The doors will then close very solidly - you will like it.

 

Great advice, guys! Thanks again.

 

As Chad mentioned you should probably rebuild the hinges on your car, especially if it is a 2 door. After 30 years the bushings and pins get worn out and the doors sag even if you can't tell. Actually, I would think this would be your main problem, not a misadjusted latch. FWIW, I would go ahead and do both. Adjust the latch, and replace the hinge pins and bushings. You can usually get kits from the HELP section at your local auto parts store to rebuild the hinges. It is less than $20.

 

My were doing the same thing and I changed the bushing and pins and the problem remained..After adjusting the striker the problem was resolved..I did have some up and down play in the door though before i changed the bushings and pins