Door Alignment - Comments

Door Alignment

The doors on my 1987 MK1 Golf Convertible hang slightly.
I have fitted a small washer in the top hinge which has leveled the door but the gap now is too small between the door and front wing and too large at the rear of the door.
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I wish to know how to adjuct the doors on my MK1 Golf

Yes you can shim the door to correct the sag, but there are the other adjustments that have to be broken and re-made on a Vert.  The door edges have to be adjusted by moving the hinge or the pin side of the door in or out as needed, You only have to shim one of the hinges, and that is the only hinge that you have to do.
That is if your hinge pins are good and don't need replacing.

There is also the Window glass that may have to be repositioned as the glass won't engage the Seal in Parallel and is cattywhompus (my dads word for screwy).

The only Proper way to adjust the doors is to make sure that both hinges are set at the proper angle, and don't put your weight on the door when entering or leaving the vehicle (biggest cause of sag).

You can remove the door from the car (Carefully removing any wires for the speakers and or motors for the windows.   Validate that the hinges are Equal distant and not canted one way or the other as in to the front or rear of the car, and up or down.  Re-hang the door verify the gaps and position, then rinse and repeat as needed.

There is a tool by Eastwood for hinge adjustments that allow you the Fulcrum to re-straighten the doors and hinges on the car.



 

Briano1234 said

Yes you can shim the door to correct the sag, but there are the other adjustments that have to be broken and re-made on a Vert.  The door edges have to be adjusted by moving the hinge or the pin side of the door in or out as needed, You only have to shim one of the hinges, and that is the only hinge that you have to do.
That is if your hinge pins are good and don't need replacing.

There is also the Window glass that may have to be repositioned as the glass won't engage the Seal in Parallel and is cattywhompus (my dads word for screwy).

The only Proper way to adjust the doors is to make sure that both hinges are set at the proper angle, and don't put your weight on the door when entering or leaving the vehicle (biggest cause of sag).

You can remove the door from the car (Carefully removing any wires for the speakers and or motors for the windows.   Validate that the hinges are Equal distant and not canted one way or the other as in to the front or rear of the car, and up or down.  Re-hang the door verify the gaps and position, then rinse and repeat as needed.

There is a tool by Eastwood for hinge adjustments that allow you the Fulcrum to re-straighten the doors and hinges on the car.



 

I need to adjust my bottom hing back about 1.5mm so as to lift the door slightly at the rear but I cannot find any means of doing this short of cutting off the hinge and re-welding it.  There has to be an easier way?

Can you post up a picture of what you have?

Is the front wing the genuine wing or an aftermarket one?

First thing to check is the hinges themselves for play, unbolt each one while a helper holds the door up then wiggle the free hinge half. If there is play, thenyo0u'l just be working round the actual issue and you'll find the door wont stay where you left it for long!

usually its the bottom one which goes first, replacement is tricky but not too bad:
https://clubgti.com/forums/index.php?threads/276948/

main issue is you cant buy MK1 hinges any more so you have to use MK2 ones, then ream the hole out on the car to accept the larger mk2 golf bolts

rubjonny said

First thing to check is the hinges themselves for play, unbolt each one while a helper holds the door up then wiggle the free hinge half. If there is play, thenyo0u'l just be working round the actual issue and you'll find the door wont stay where you left it for long!

usually its the bottom one which goes first, replacement is tricky but not too bad:
https://clubgti.com/forums/index.php?threads/276948/

main issue is you cant buy MK1 hinges any more so you have to use MK2 ones, then ream the hole out on the car to accept the larger mk2 golf bolts

I cannot add photos for some reason.  I have added a shim to the top hinge but this has taken the door forward which has left a bigger gap at the rear of the door.

It may be that I have worn bottom pins but I cannto feel any shake in the door when I try to lift it but perhaps I need to check it as you say above.

its difficult to check for play with the door still on the car, but once you take the bolt out and wiggle its obvious

I will check the bottom hinge and am reasonably sure that it is worn.  

Am I better to replace the pins in the top hinge at the same time even if it is not showing much wear?

if there is no wear then no need. if there is wear then try, but it might be tricky! on the mk2 there is next to no room on the top hinge so the vice trick wouldnt work. but my mk2 both upper hinges were perfect luckily, just both bottoms worn

Sean Kerlin said

Briano1234 said

Yes you can shim the door to correct the sag, but there are the other adjustments that have to be broken and re-made on a Vert.  The door edges have to be adjusted by moving the hinge or the pin side of the door in or out as needed, You only have to shim one of the hinges, and that is the only hinge that you have to do.
That is if your hinge pins are good and don't need replacing.

There is also the Window glass that may have to be repositioned as the glass won't engage the Seal in Parallel and is cattywhompus (my dads word for screwy).

The only Proper way to adjust the doors is to make sure that both hinges are set at the proper angle, and don't put your weight on the door when entering or leaving the vehicle (biggest cause of sag).

You can remove the door from the car (Carefully removing any wires for the speakers and or motors for the windows.   Validate that the hinges are Equal distant and not canted one way or the other as in to the front or rear of the car, and up or down.  Re-hang the door verify the gaps and position, then rinse and repeat as needed.

There is a tool by Eastwood for hinge adjustments that allow you the Fulcrum to re-straighten the doors and hinges on the car.



 

I need to adjust my bottom hing back about 1.5mm so as to lift the door slightly at the rear but I cannot find any means of doing this short of cutting off the hinge and re-welding it.  There has to be an easier way?

Sagging doors and Cabriolets are hand in hand.  Folks allow their full body weight to the door to get in and out of the car.  Usually it is the Drivers side that is sagging.

Now knowing the way it is sagging determines how to fix.

Validate which part is sagging, that is sagging at the back end down?


Or Back side up?

To correct the sag as I stated you have to usually bend the hinges back as they have moved about.

Steck E-Z Store Door Alignment Tool - 21845, Tools: Auto Body Toolmart

Remove the door off the hinges and realign the attachment point to be parallel to each other and the same center line vertically.

or you can try shimming them using a cut washer.




If your door is sagging at the back end, then you will insert the shim between the top two parts of the upper hinge as that will kick the door up at the bottom.

Loosen the upper bolt


Pry the joint apart, and using a Hemostat insert the cut shim inbetween the hinges and over the bolt, then tighten it.


You have to make sure that your in and out of the hinge halves hasn't moved, and that your other adjustment align as in the upper vent wing seal gap.




And that your window fully engages the upper seal correctly.

Other wise you are looking at multiple adjustments as in window tracking and re-positioning the door.

I shimmed the top hinge as you say and this has eliminated the sag but the door now has a larger gap at the back than it does between the door and the front wing.

I am going to check if there is play in the bottom hinge and will replace the hinge pin if I do find play, which I suspect there is.