'57 Doors - ease of closing

[Garry E.]

Has anyone come up with some little "tricks" to improve the ease of closing the doors on a '57......? I've adjusted the latchs, but closing the doors still requires a bit more effort than a gentle "push"..... "Over adjusting" the latchs outward causes the edge of the door to stick out slightly beyond the edge of the door opening - clearly not good...... I have new weather stripping that I know is putting some resistance to easy closing.....obviously, I can't change that......

Any other ideas/suggestions .....??

Garry Eastwood
#38705

[William B.]

Re: '57 Doors - ease of closing

I always fit and adjust the door 1st without the latch or weathersrip and paint(if possible), it should close and fit correctly without effort. Then install the latch, again it should not ride up or down and close with a little effort.
Final is install w-strip, 1st time it will be hard to close let it sit awhile and then it should close "like a man's car" some effort required.

[Steven B.]

Re: '57 Doors - ease of closing

Garry, I agree with William. Over the years I have had a few issues with my '57's doors closing. Usually it has been a little vertical fit adjustment (especially if the hinges have never been touched) but these doors do not close like modern doors, and they do make some noise when closed. Since I still have the original weatherstripping that is not an issue because it is "thinner" than new strip.

Steve

[Art B.]

Re: '57 Doors - ease of closing

My '57 doors have always required a bit more effort to close than my '61 doors. The trouble is with the reproduction weatherstrip, I believe. If I open the windows a bit, they close much easier. I have tried to adjust and reinstall the weatherstrips many times but have had little success. I guess I will have to live with it.

[William B.]

Re: '57 Doors - ease of closing

Art, if the windows down make a difference, your windshield post is most likely adjusted to close. Do you have a good gap between the windshield and door post with the door closed?

[Art B.]

Re: '57 Doors - ease of closing

William: No, the gap is 1/16" to 1/8". But I don't see why the windows being up or down should make a difference in relation to the gap. I will take your tip and adjust the door, but explain the relationship between the window and the door post gap.

[William B.]

Re: '57 Doors - ease of closing

If the gap at the top is too close, rolling the window the whole way up will push the gap closer causing it to bind. A lot of c-1's you will see the top of the post and the windshield frame touching each other.

[Calvin M.]

Re: '57 Doors - ease of closing

Garry, my '57 doors shut fine now that the new weatherstrip has given up the fight.

[Dan A.]

Re: '57 Doors - ease of closing

Don't '56s and early '57s have a door closure problem that develops over time due to the lack of a brace/bracket in the cowl area that the General added sometime in '57? IIRC Mike McCagh answered a post about it some years back.

[Calvin M.]

Re: '57 Doors - ease of closing

That's right, the late '57's (including mine) have the bracing. Seems reasonable that its absence might make the hinge area less stiff and contribute to door closure problems.

[Bruce B.]

Re: '57 Doors - ease of closing

My early 57 was hard to close due to the new weatherstrip.
After leaving it out in the sun over a hot summer it closes considerably easier.
A little rubber lubricant also helps some. I think I used Syl-Glyde, a silicone grease.

[Art B.]

Re: '57 Doors - ease of closing

After spending most of the day on the doors, I finally got the left side to close easier. The right side is another story. When I adjust the door post back, the gap at the back of the door is too close and almost rubs on the body where the latch is. I re-adjusted it several times until it is a little bit better. I also put some silicone grease on the weatherstrip and I think it improved the closing. My '57 is a late June car so it has the cowl braces. I am the 4th owner so who knows what happened to it before I got it.
My '61 doors close with no effort. GM must have made some improvements by then.

[Steven B.]

Re: '57 Doors - ease of closing

Anyone who has replaced original hinges with new hinges --- did you notice an improvement in fit??

[William B.]

Re: '57 Doors - ease of closing

you can adjust only the door post, adjust the door using the hinge bolts, follow the door post down inside the door, you should see bolts that will adjust the post

[Art B.]

Re: '57 Doors - ease of closing

According to the ST-12 it is not possible to adjust the post fore and aft. Page 1-14 & 15: "The door post is adjustable to obtain good sealing at the windshield side frame. An in and out adjustment is provided by a stud and nut on the door inner panel, "D," Figure 27. This is the same adjustment as for the lower end of the front run channel. No fore and aft adjustment is provided on 1956-1957 models. The door post is held to the door by the bolts indicated "F," Figure 27.",
In other words, I am stuck with moving the whole door fore or aft.