Door gapping after new rubber?

[RJK]

Hi all-thanks for the helpful and informative forum here! I got my windshield in properly, thanks to you guys. Much obliged!

So I recently blew my car apart for paint, and now have it back together. One of the last pieces of the puzzle now is getting the gapping right on the doors. I took the opportunity to put new rubber on the car, and now both doors don't fully close. The passenger door was always finicky, but the driver door closed great on the old rubber. I'm a little scared to adjust the door at the hinge, as I don't want to chip the paint. Any tips to adjusting the latching mechanism, or door hinge, safely? Thanks much for the help! -RJ

[Mark Maras]

 A few questions. Do the doors latch and if they do how far out are the doors from the body? Do they fit worse in the front or rear of the doors?

[RJK]

thanks! the gaps are narrower at the front of the door, between the door and fender, than the gap at the latch. pass door "half latches", if i grab it and shimmy up and down while pushing inward. driver door latches-also only halfway-on a gentle close, but i cannot for the life of me get it to "full latch". we did not pull the doors in paint, and the driver door latched perfectly with the old rubber. with the rubber out, it latches great, but i put a tiny chip in the paint closing the door with the rubber out, so i'm freaked out now about doing that!

[Mark Maras]

 Sounds like the hinge pins and bushings are worn. At least, that's where I'd start. Dorman hinge pin and bushing kit # 38397 (as I recall it's for a Chrysler) will bring your hinges back into proper alignment. The doors may need adjusting after the hinge rebuild but that will be a later decision. BTW, the bushings in the Dorman kit will work to firm up a sloppy shifter. Another thought, many have reported this problem, anywhere from having to slam the doors to not latching at all. Some have gone to Kia Sportage weatherstrip. Others have used heat (your choice) to soften the rubber, closing and latching the doors and letting them set but if your hinge bushings are worn you'll just chip more paint.