1977 fj40 doors won't fit body mounts shot? (1 Viewer)

[idahofj40cruiser]

I finally got my 1977 barn find running again. It was rode hard and put away wet around five years ago. I replaced most of the gaskets, filters, etc.. and she is running like a champ. Now my current challenge is getting my drivers side door to line up. I am thinking that the body mounts, or bushings are shot and this is causing my my cruiser to shift funny. It was left with a soft top on it for years and I am wondering, if not having doors on it, caused it to settle in a wonky way. The front hood also hangs over the drivers side about a half inch. It could have been in a small accident with a rock or tree Is the body bent, or do I just need to change the body mounts, or something else along this line. This has become my daily driver because it is so damn fun to drive, but the snow in the cab while driving, is a little surreal.

 

[Pulso]

Try loosening all seven bolts on both hinges and then position the door how you want it and tighten em up. There's actually a lot of adjustment room with those hinges. The four bolts on the inside are a PITA to get to but easier if you remove your gauge cluster and go in from there.

 

[Cruiser Corps]

x2

Try loosening all seven bolts on both hinges and then position the door how you want it and tighten em up. There's actually a lot of adjustment room with those hinges. The four bolts on the inside are a PITA to get to but easier if you remove your gauge cluster and go in from there.

Also use a healthy does of patience during adjustments.

 

[Fast Eddy]

That's actually not that bad. I've got one that has never been painted nor abused and it's kinda like that too. The front clip, for sure, can be disassembled and reassembled to come out perfect.

The front of the door where it doesn't overlap the windshield looks strange. The windshield looks to be moved forward?

Do the hard top sides have the poles that go down into the tub? That pretty much makes those fixed and you have to align around that point. I've never messed with moving the cowl hinges, but the doors move a lot on their hinges.

 

[Living in the Past]

Diamond plate on the rocker makes me think your tub has some structual rust damage. The measurement between the A and B pillars gets narrower as you go up? This would cause the windshield to be that much forward with the top on. It would also explain why the door is to far back at the top. A picture of the whole door would show more of what's going on. But with what I've seen this is my guess.

 

[bikersmurf]

It looks like the hinge bushings are worn or missing. If your hinges are very worn, you can buy oversized bushings and drill out the hinges so the holes are round again. I used Oilite bushings and was very pleased with the results.

Check this thread out...https://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/410919-door-hinge-bushings-2.html

 

[woytovich]

Yup... loosen up all of the body panel bolts and adjust, snug, readjust repeat, repeat, repeat until everything is where you want it... then lock em down. Since everything moves/is adjustable it all needs to come together in relation to everything else. A PITA for sure.

Yup... check position of windshield frame and hard top to cowl and rear of body. That "frame" for the doors needs to be right. Can you move the door into proper position without the hinges attached? (if not then the WS/hardtop orientation is probably "wrong".)

 

[idahofj40cruiser]

Ya, I do have the full roll cage and it does taper at the top. This has pushed my windshield forward a little bit. Thanks for the advice, I think you have something there. I will try taking the cage off and see if it helps.

 

[ken_79-fj40]

I'll second the thought on the door hinge bushings. If they aren't there at all it's never going to be right no matter how much adjusting you do. I would try those first and see where it gets you. It looks like the door needs to get closer to the body, which can be adjusted on the body side of the hinge a bit. Probably not enough to compensate for missing bushings though.

 

[cjgoode]

Is the hard top fully seated. That windshield looks to be to straight up. I do not see how you can possible adjust the door and fix where it should line up to the windshield frame. Maybe the windshield if on the wrong side of the sheet metal that comes down off the top, the sheet metal should be in front of the frame not behind it. But the door still needs some adjustment to make it line up nicely with the hardtop.

 

[coleman2347]

69LC here on mud makes some very cool hinges that allow you to remove your doors at will or swap them with half doors..just a thought..Lee

 

[Pulso]

69LC here on mud makes some very cool hinges that allow you to remove your doors at will or swap them with half doors..just a thought..Lee

I just installed those hinges on my passenger side door this past weekend. My door wasn't as crooked as the OP's, but not great either. 69LC's hinges seem to have more room for adjustment then the originals and now my door is perfectly straight. Plus, this summer I'll be able to take them off in under a minute!

 

[bikersmurf]

One other thing, there is also some adjustment in the bar that goes over the top of the door. It can be moved back and forth a 1/4" or so to adjust the angle of the windshield.

 

[brian]

what does the under body, at the body mounts directly under the front seats look like?

 

[MicahMan]

agree

I just installed those hinges on my passenger side door this past weekend. My door wasn't as crooked as the OP's, but not great either. 69LC's hinges seem to have more room for adjustment then the originals and now my door is perfectly straight. Plus, this summer I'll be able to take them off in under a minute!

Right on, my cruiser was a softtop that had been rolled so I know about weird settling in cruisers. Thanks to the quick hinge my doors will seal and don't whistle. On a side note the bushings seem to be a better quality and act almost like door stays since mine are long gone!

 

[idahofj40cruiser]

Thanks for your help, it's almost perfect now

Alright, you were all right on the money. I just needed to put the bushings on, and adjusted the front windshield. It would be perfect, but the roll cage wont let me drop the windshield back any further back. Is there any option to cutting the cage and modifying it so I can still use the screw adjustment for the windshield?

 

[bikersmurf]

Cutting the cage...

How much do you need? You could cut and reveled the upper stringers. You might even be able to move the cage back enough. Could the tub be folding in? Pushing the front hoop forward? There is a little bit of adjustment where the the rear bars bolt into the main hoop... I'd try checking all the body mounts (fixing as necessary), loostening all bolts associated with the cage, and tightening up the windshield to see if you can get thins to where they should be.

If the mounts under the rear of the seat are caving in, it could push things forward, and you've just adjuted the doors to compensate... Also, it's a 40, and with a few exceptions, they're not show piees, get it as close as you can, and be happy with it. Or, call Metaltech, and let them solve your cage problems once and for all (spending a chunk of your hard earned money).

 

[zebrabeefj40]

Diamond plate on the rocker makes me think your tub has some structual rust damage. The measurement between the A and B pillars gets narrower as you go up? This would cause the windshield to be that much forward with the top on. It would also explain why the door is to far back at the top. A picture of the whole door would show more of what's going on. But with what I've seen this is my guess.

I think Living in the Past has the root cause of the problem. Looking at the pattern of the gaps sure looks like the entire cowl has tilted back. I've had this issue on one of my 40's as well once the rockers rusted out enough. You can sometimes adjust it out but at some point you'll need to put a highlift in the door opening and straighten things up. Then reinforce the rockers to hold it that way.

Good luck!

Nick

 

[bikersmurf]

I think Living in the Past has the root cause of the problem. Looking at the pattern of the gaps sure looks like the entire cowl has tilted back. I've had this issue on one of my 40's as well once the rockers rusted out enough. You can sometimes adjust it out but at some point you'll need to put a highlift in the door opening and straighten things up. Then reinforce the rockers to hold it that way.

Good luck!

Nick

x2...or3
Good point. I find it hard to believe th PO built it so that the cage was touching the windshield much less preventing it from being in the right place.

 

[brianrb100]

One other thing, there is also some adjustment in the bar that goes over the top of the door. It can be moved back and forth a 1/4" or so to adjust the angle of the windshield.

@bikersmurf Can you elaborate on this adjustment? I'm currently having some door alignment issues.