sagging drivers door -1936 ford tudorsedan

3

36hmpbk

Junior Member
how do you correct the sagging door. The hinges seem to be in good condition. The male dovetail strikes the female dovetail a little low,. the door is hard to close. I removed the top weatherstripping which seemed to be too thick. I am afraid I might break the inside door handle because I have to pull it so hard.
 
How is the door gap? Can you detect "play" in the hinge pins? Can you loosen your hinge screws and insert shims between the A-pillar and the hinge?

If possible, please post plenty of photos of your problem including your hinges and A pillar screws.
 
Check the door gap on the A pillar, if it is uneven bend the hinges to correct.

If it is even, something else has sagged and you probably will need to shim the body to bring the back of the door up to match the B pillar.
 
There are three male dovetails two have offsets and the third (which is reproduced) does not. Having the incorrect male dovetail on the door will make the door very difficult to close and mess with body line alignment. The offsets are very slight and can be noticed because the male part is close to one of the mounting screw holes. Many times one door will take an offest and another will not. Watch closely how the male part enters the female as the door is slowly or nearly closed. They should match together for a proper close.
48-702550-A is the not offset style where as -B and -C are offsets.
 
The driver's door on my '36 coupe was not aligned with the dovetail, but could be lifted and inserted into the dovetail. I removed the bottom hinge and inserted 1/8" shim behind it.the door shut perfectly and the gaps were excellent.
 
Terry said:
There are three male dovetails two have offsets and the third (which is reproduced) does not. Having the incorrect male dovetail on the door will make the door very difficult to close and mess with body line alignment. The offsets are very slight and can be noticed because the male part is close to one of the mounting screw holes. Many times one door will take an offest and another will not. Watch closely how the male part enters the female as the door is slowly or nearly closed. They should match together for a proper close.
48-702550-A is the not offset style where as -B and -C are offsets.
Click to expand...

I tend to align doors without the dovetail in place. I don't want to rely on the dovetail moving the door into position.
 
I am not familiar with a 36 Ford, however if there are body mounts between the frame
and the body, these can affect door alignment. My 49 wagon doors - their heavy, were sagging. Adjusting the body mounts with shims corrected the alignment.
 
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