1970 Chally Door Alignment basics

[moparmaniacc]

My drivers door needs adjusting.  It's too low at the rear; so the bottom of the door is hitting the chrome sill plate and no matter how low I adjust the striker it's hitting the top of the "slot" in the door.   Hinges do not feel sloppy when you pull up on the door and let go.
Also I see some evidence of vertical rust "cracks" in the paint near the lower door hinge.   I hope this thing is fixable....
Which part do I need to adjust - the door bolts? or the pillar bolts? thanks much, John

[Chryco Psycho]

door bolts move the door in & out side to side , frame/ pillar bolts will lift the rear of the door

[RUNCHARGER]

Before adjusting, open the door and see if you can lift the rear of it, you likely have play in the hinges and you will have to replace the pins and add some bushings before adjusting the hinges.

[jimynick]

The pillar bolts and you'll be happy to learn that Mopar had the great idea of putting in the door hinge bolts from both sides, which means you'll have to pull the kick panel to access some of them. You may be prey to sagging hinges and the easiest way to check for that is to grab the end of the door and with it being open 1/2 way lift up on it. If it lifts up and down more than 1/2-3/4" that'll be your problem. There are bushing kits you can buy and there also members here who will fix that problem for you. Having said all that, you can also loosen the hinge at the pillar (just off-tight) and using a strong friend or a jack with a board and a cushion (rag, styrofoam, etc.) under the rear of the door, lift it up some and by trail and error you should be able to raise the rear of that swine door. Do not loosen the upper hinge, it'll move by itself. By leaving the lower bolts a wee bit tight still, it helps to hold the door in the position you want and you can sneak in the passenger door to snug up the inside bolt, thereby holding your position until you clear away the lifting junk and snug the others down. there, wasn't that easy? 

[moparmaniacc]

Little, if any play in the hinges.  Great, I'll start by loosening the bottom hinges at the pillar.  Thanks for reminding me about the kick panels!

[Chryco Psycho]

check the gaps first , you may be better off starting with the top hinge

[Morty426]

check the gaps first , you may be better off starting with the top hinge

Agree

[RUNCHARGER]

That's actually one of my favorite jobs. When you spend time to get it right it really shows.

[1 Wild R/T]

First thing I do is remove the striker.. I adjust the door to the body lines with the hinges then set the striker to hit the center of the latch... The striker just holds the door closed, it doesn't locate the door up or down......

[JS29]

If the door is gutted you will want to put about 50 pounds of weight in it to compensate for that.