Door/Body Issue

[phyrph0enix]

Has anyone seen this happen before? What was your issue? I've looked at this from every angle and nothing seems to be out of line... but it obviously is! I'm taking off the 35" tyres, and lowering the 3" body lift today... I'm hoping that resting the body on the frame will at least start to straighten out the twist...


I know I'm going to need a new tub! I cannot!!! CANNOT do it now. I need to do some patchwork for the next couple of years until I have a garage. Then, I will be doing a total body restore!


as for the picture: I'm sorry I didn't keep the reference point more horizontal. Just look at the way the door fits to the body, as the Jeep doesn't actually slant forward...

THANK YOU!!!

 

[bmflyfish]

I agree with your reasoning about getting the body lift removed. Hopefully that will solve your alignment issues.

Good luck! Brian

 

[elwood blues]

Just from looking at the pic, the upper door hinge/windshield hinge doesn't look like the rest of the CJ. So, I'm assuming it has been replaced/is from a different CJ, that looks to be why. I'm betting that upper hinge is warpped, or bent causing your door to hang that crooked.

 

[phyrph0enix]

As far as I know, the hinges were sandblasted and powdercoated red... So I don't THINK they're from a different jeep. But I will consider that, as well as the window angle adjusters on the inside.

Keep the ideas coming!!!! I'm really stressed out and need some support cause the body guy by my house advised me to "ditch that POS and get a real car"

 

[jeepardy]

Looks like the front of the door has an even gap. How does the bottom line up ( can't tell from the picture) If it looks even then...

It looks to me like you might have to adjust the windshield angle and slide the hardtop back a little. The distance from the top lip of the windshield to the top outer edge of the body must be 75 1/8" on both sides of the vehicle.

 

[phyrph0enix]

Thanks for the measurement! I didn't know that existed! Let's put it this way: If the door is "closed" and you look at the striker plate and lock post, the lock post on the door jam is about 2 1/2" higher than the striker plate in the door.

I think the problem lies in the body twist. My solution, I think, will be to replace the driver's floor and rocker panel. When I'm welding the rocker, I can readjust the door jam to its original straightness.

I just have to keep in mind that this fix is just going to be temporary and that my Jeep will be new again when I get a garage...

 

[CJim7]

Looks like the front of the door has an even gap.

This is what I see also. It's definately not door sag which you could fix by adjusting the hinges. And if it lined up evenly up front, there should be no reason it wont line up evenly in the rear....unless the body is tweaked.

It's not hard to tweak a CJ body enough that the doors dont fit correctly. I found this out when I installed my boatside sliders. Just the act of unmounting the body from the frame and raising it slightly is enough, and this was with the seats, doors, and any other extra weight removed.

It looks to me like you have a collapsed body mount, most likely the center mount causing the body to "taco-shell" (I made that up). Hopefully that's all it is and the body bracing isn't compromised, that's a tougher fix then replacing a sagging body mount.

 

[CJim7]

Wait a sec...I just re-read and realized you have a 3" body lift. get rid of that and I bet all your problems dissapear. Someone probably put the spacers in the wrong spots.

 

[certifiablejeep]

I have seen this a bunch of times... when the floors start to go, the body starts to settle and twist... granted this looks like it is going the opposite way of a V where I have seen them mostly... when the tub starts to V, the door can't shut because there strikier plate moves too close to the front... this looks like someone jacked up the body underneath the door and now the tub is making an upside down V... if you can picture it.

cb