[DML] Re: Driver's side gullwing problem

["Jim Reeve" <dmc6960@xxxxxxxxx>]

More than just alignment can cause a door difficult to close.

The most common problems are mis-adjusted striker pins, incorrect or
bad inner door seals, or closing it from the wrong location.
--
For the striker pins, many early cars did not have the fiberglass
insill cut out far enough to properly align them.  Later cars had it
cut out further to allow better alignment and a rubber boot was glued
over the ugly opening.  This modification can be performed on ealier
cars.  Aligning it can be a pain and take a very long time, but for
most doors this is all they need.
--
Inner door seals can become folded over twords the inside on the upper
parts of the car, and along the A-pillar.  This can cause the door to
stick when closing, and can also prevent it from popping open once the
latches are release even with new struts.  I heard one case of door
seals being the sole cause of a jambed door on this list a few years
ago.  This can be caused by not using the correct seals from a vendor,
by physical misalignment of the door (which is not very common), or by
headliners and A-pillar trim pieces that stick out too far.
--
Not everybody is aware of door twisting when closing it from the wrong
location.  NEVER EVER close a door from the very front. It twists and
will physically not align properly on the strikers and could jamb the
door.  When closing the door from the outside, push down on the window
sill near the rear of the door.  My preferred spot is between the
B-pillar and the power window frame.  When closing from the inside,
use the pull strap for the entire motion if you have the later style.
 If you have the earlier style, try pulling it down most of the way
with the D-ring strap, then put your arm on the armrest and push down
with that (works for me when riding in an early style).  Also,
remember to pull strait down when using the pull strap and do not let
your arm start pulling it forward as you get near the bottom.

Other possible causes for a difficult door that are much less common
are over-tightened torsion bars, overcharged struts, malfuntioning
latches, or a physically misaligned door.
--
Over-tightened torsion bars not only can make a door difficult to
close, but they also increase the wear on them, increase the risk of
breaking or damaging the retaining plate, and breaking the epoxy
holding the plastic and fiberglass roof panels together.
--
Overcharged (or otherwise defective) struts are very rare, but I have
seen one instance of this happening.
--
Malfuntioning latches would only affect the final process of closing
the door (nothing to do with effort needed to pull it down).  The
latches should only be lubricated with a penatrating oil.  Any kind of
grease thicker than that will collect dirt and gum up the latches
preventing fluid movement.  This can also make it a little stiffer to
open.  Lock rod and release rod mis-adjustment can also cause them to
behave irradicly, but more often this creates opening problems rather
than closing problems.
--
I am one of the unfortunate few who have a physically mis-aligned
door.  It is a very difficult process to fix and I have yet to perfect
my passenger door even after 4 1/2 years of ownership.  I have been
able to make improvements with striker pin adjustments, new inner door
seals, trimmed up headliners cores, and moving the door around on its
hinges (with torsion bar removed), but its still not perfect.

These are everything I can think of at this time.

Jim Reeve
MNDMC - Minnesota DeLorean Club
DMC6960

--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Joe OBrien" <joeyoseppijoe@xxxx> wrote:
> 
> 
> Your doors must be out of alignment. On all of mine I can close them 
> with 2 fingers and a gentle push. One quick pull from the inside 
> does the trick as well.
> 
> Has got to be an alignment issue, shouldn't be extremely hard to 
> close a Delorean door.
> 
> Joe OBrien
> 
> 2524,
> 16634,
> 16851








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