Door alignment distress!

[ek96]

Hi all!

So my passenger door never closed properly (it never made the second 'proper' latch) so would often swing open if I went round a sharp righthand bend! But, when adjusting it, I cannot get it to line up, I can't even get it back to where it was- it's now sitting far too low! I tried adjusting the latch at first, bringing it closer to the outside so the door makes the latch, but it just didn't go far enough. I have tried raising the door using a jack and my dad lifting it himself, but it still sits incredibly low!

Any ideas?

Thanks!

[ManyMinors]

What has happened to the car in the past? A car with a good deal of rust in the door pillar will do this as the heavy door no longer has the support it needs. Often you need to remove the wing to examine the door pillar properly. Is the door the original one for the car or has it been replaced? A door from another car can be quite a different fit and never be satisfactory. Wear in the hinges or the locking handle can cause all sorts of problems too and fitting the wrong rubber/draught excluder can also be problematic.

Obtaining a good door fit on a Morris Minor can be a very time-consuming task!

[firedrake1942]

Many minors is spot on. I am assuming it is a 2 door as they are the bigger nd therefor heavier ones. Much time can be spent trying to fix this on the lock / latch / handle side without appreciating that the door pillar / A post is as rotten as a rotten thing behind the wing and cannot take the weight any more. The condition can be exacerbated by people using the door as a prop to get out of the car and pulling it down.

Try moving the door itself and if the hinges move, the problem may be there, if the pillar moves then rot behind is probably the answer

As an indication, if you take the kick panel off and rot is obvious at the bottom of the A post then it is probably time for some surgery.

Some not untypical pictures below - it may not, of course be as bad as these..

Unfortunately many of the threads on this subject on the forum have there photo's rendered inaccessible duet photobucket's greed