Door alignment - latch mechanism on or off?

[viiking]

I have new heater channels welded at front and back of my body waiting to mate the pan and body back up. I am waiting to weld the rest of it (A and B pillars, 1/4 panels) to make sure the pan and doors line up.

The doors have new door pins, have good gaps but need to be lifted up half an inch to align the trim holes with the body. I can do this easily with a clamp.

Question. Should I fit the door striker and latch and achieve this "lift" then weld. Or should I align the doors without the striker and latch, force the door up to align and then weld.

When I watch the Bug Me videos, they always seem to have all of the door mechanisms in place so it is not obvious how much the door mechanism helps to achieve the trim hole alignment.
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1968 1500 RHD Lotus White Beetle since birth. In the hospital for major surgery
1966 Lancia Flavia Pininfarina Coupe - in the waiting room
Discharged: 1983 Vanagon, 1974 1800 Microbus,1968 Low Light,1968 Type 3

[mukluk]

I would prefer to get the door aligned without the striker in place before welding. In my mind this method would better insure the body would be in the correct position. Using the striker to hold the door in place could have the body slightly tweaked and leave you relying on the striker to nudge it into proper position, thus adding extra stress and wear to the latches and hinges over time.
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1960 Ragtop w/Semaphores "Inga"

[VW_Jimbo]