I replaced both lower hinges on my 66 coupe and with a buddy , over the last couple years still can't get them lined up so they don't bind, I can close'm but not with out having to always slam them,,needless to say it's gotton really old,, we've try'd using a floor jack to keep them level and even used a "level" to make sure their even and not cocked,, no matter what we do We can't gettem to just close,,,, checked out on the web ,,but no luck,,, any help; is greatly appreciated,,,thanks

 

I don't know if I can help over the Internet other than to say that you just have to keep trying... trial and error while thinking about how to get from "here" to "where you want to be"

When we rehung the doors on the 66 it took three of us, lots of patience, and a little luck...

You are in Mesa or Tempe aren't you?

I am in southern AZ all the time, I would be glad to help hands on, but I am seldom in the Phoenix area.

I have heard that the right way to do this is to remove the fenders, match the doors to the rear quarters, and then match the doors and front fenders. We didn't do it this way, but if you have had the fenders off, or if the doors did not fit well before you changed the hinges, you may well have to do it this way.

 

If you installed aftermarket hinges you may have to slot the holes a-bit to get enough adjustment. JMD has a good point about pulling the fenders and going from there. I have forgotten but is the striker adjustable on the door/quarter jamb. You may have to ignore your existing bodylines to get this to work.

 

After attempting to get some body lines straight on mine, I decided to leave that to the pros. I am having a body shop prep the body for paint when it comes time for that. Some things I can do, other things I can't. Oh well. I've come to terms with that and I am happy now, after much therapy and medication.

 

I had to replace my door latch and the replacement of that part improved my allignment dramatically, surprisingly.

 

My experience has been that it's a matter of patience ( & luck) when it comes to alignment of the doors. You definately want to square the door in the opening so that you have equal reveal around the fender gaps. I've found that it's easier to take the door jamb striker off so you can get the gaps. then re install it and adjust for latching.

 

I had a heck of a time getting my doors back on straight when I replaced the hinges. I eventually ended up removing the entire fender, and the door latch plate. After I did that, I was able to put the door in place exactly where I wanted it, and then tighten down the hinges. Worked perfect! A little more work to get the fender off, but overall I spent half the time on the second door when I skipped the whole trial and error part of removing the door, adjusting the hinges, trying to close it, removing the door, adjusting the hinges, trying to close it, etc. Good luck!

Chris