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Front door adjustment - BF hammertime to the hinge?
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kguarnotta
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 22, 2021 7:15 am    Post subject: Re: Front door adjustment - BF hammertime to the hinge? Reply with quote

anyone have pics of this 2x4 method? I'm having trouble visualizing this.

I have put shims on my doors - I'm up to 1/16" shim, and can't fit any more in there - so I figure I need to bend something. I tried lifting up on door - but am a bit nervous about this...

The shims seemed to work for passenger side door. Although button on exterior handle is sometimes a bit stiff to open, it feels like Im stressing something that I should not. I'm not sure the best way to adjust this.
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CanStan
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 22, 2021 7:49 am    Post subject: Re: Front door adjustment - BF hammertime to the hinge? Reply with quote

Place one end of a 2x4 inside the door up agains the seat. Close the door as much as possible. It will still be open 12” or so. Go pick up the other end of the 2x4 and lift up. Give it a few good jolts. Then check the door to see how nice it closes. If it needs more, give it some more. A little bit at a time is best, rather than overdoing it!
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Eric&Barb
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 22, 2021 7:55 am    Post subject: Re: Front door adjustment - BF hammertime to the hinge? Reply with quote

Think that first sentence should read as...

Place one end of a 2x4 inside the door frame opening up against the seat.
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Lind
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 22, 2021 9:00 am    Post subject: Re: Front door adjustment - BF hammertime to the hinge? Reply with quote

I have done a fair amount of front door adjustments. There are a bunch of things that you need to look at.

The common issues are an over extended door from opening too far. The often happens when the wind catches the door. If your door is open, you should be holding it to keep the wind from doing adverse bodywork to your bus. This makes your hinge close before your door closes. I find this all the time on buses, and most people have no idea that their door is doing this. To check, hold your door handle open and slowly close your door and see where it stops closing and starts bending. This bending over time will crack out the thin door sheet metal where it sandwiches the hinge. The hinge is super thick, and sheet metal is super thin. If you remove your door panel, you can see the bottom hinge, remove the window frame to see the top hinge. There is plenty of thickness to do some serious welding in there to fix the hinge mounting. This is the problem in many door fit situations. you can adjust the door all you want, but if the hinge is the problem than bending the door on the hinge is a short term solution that will actually contribute to the problem coming back. Your door has to close fully before the hinge closes. Check this first. Fix the hinge before bending the door.

The door has to move in it's opening, so be sure that there is a place for it to go. front-back, up-down, one generally affects the other. The door can be adjusted by putting shims in the hinge and closing the door. You can pull up or down on the door. You can bend the top hinge with a sledgehammer (after removing your sideview mirror).

The easiest and best solution is to take your bus to a professional body man who knows split buses and has done these repairs dozens of times before. But if you like to learn and practice on your own bus, have at it. Personally, I learned by practicing on other people's buses. Wink
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 22, 2021 12:38 pm    Post subject: Re: Front door adjustment - BF hammertime to the hinge? Reply with quote

I've done both the 2x4 method and the hammer the upper hinge method, they both worked.

On the hammer the hinge method, it helps if you have another Bus to look at that has a properly oriented door so you can compare the hinge angle.
You can also compare left to right as usually the left side is tweaked but the right/passenger side is undamaged.

I've had to hammer the lower hinge too but that's rare, at least on the Buses I've messed with.
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T Crane
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 22, 2021 2:08 pm    Post subject: Re: Front door adjustment - BF hammertime to the hinge? Reply with quote

I suggest one also check the upper door frame's interaction with the door opening.
On my single cab, the upper door frame at the bend above the wing window would contact the door opening too early. The pressure would push down the rear of the door. I put a 2x6 between the upper door frame and door opening at the interference point and pushed the door toward the closed position. I had also loosened the upper door frame screws. That bent outward the upper door frame enough to eliminate the interference. My door closes much better now.

I figure that years of passengers grabbing the top of the door to lift themselves into the bus bent the frame inward as well as the door down.
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Two Glove Boxes
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 22, 2021 2:19 pm    Post subject: Re: Front door adjustment - BF hammertime to the hinge? Reply with quote

"Personally, I learned by practicing on other people's buses."

Lind, I like this thinking but seeing what your doing it on would make my nuts shrink into my stomach. Laughing Laughing Laughing Laughing Laughing

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Lind
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 22, 2021 2:35 pm    Post subject: Re: Front door adjustment - BF hammertime to the hinge? Reply with quote

German Krew wrote:
"Personally, I learned by practicing on other people's buses."

Lind, I like this thinking but seeing what your doing it on would make my nuts shrink into my stomach. Laughing Laughing Laughing Laughing Laughing

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/268706.jpg

That pic is actually staged. The hammer is way too light to do anything. There is a better pic somewhere on thesamba of later that day when I was using a heavier hammer and actually moving the hinge. I looked for the other pic, but I couldn't find it. In the other pic, the owner of the bus is holding the 2x4. It takes a bit of trust to let some lumberjack work a sledgehammer on your barndoor deluxe....
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Who.Me? Premium Member
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 22, 2021 11:22 pm    Post subject: Re: Front door adjustment - BF hammertime to the hinge? Reply with quote

Lind wrote:
German Krew wrote:
"Personally, I learned by practicing on other people's buses."

Lind, I like this thinking but seeing what your doing it on would make my nuts shrink into my stomach. Laughing Laughing Laughing Laughing Laughing

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/268706.jpg

That pic is actually staged. The hammer is way too light to do anything. There is a better pic somewhere on thesamba of later that day when I was using a heavier hammer and actually moving the hinge. I looked for the other pic, but I couldn't find it. In the other pic, the owner of the bus is holding the 2x4. It takes a bit of trust to let some lumberjack work a sledgehammer on your barndoor deluxe....


I thought that hammer looked too light. Also, the timber would probably split that way round.

When I used your technique it took a 4lb club/lump hammer and a foot long piece of 4x2 timber. Using it lengthways helps keep the hammer away from the body work.
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BonTonRoulet
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 23, 2021 12:20 am    Post subject: Re: Front door adjustment - BF hammertime to the hinge? Reply with quote

Who.Me? wrote:
Lind wrote:
German Krew wrote:
"Personally, I learned by practicing on other people's buses."

Lind, I like this thinking but seeing what your doing it on would make my nuts shrink into my stomach. Laughing Laughing Laughing Laughing Laughing

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/268706.jpg

That pic is actually staged. The hammer is way too light to do anything. There is a better pic somewhere on thesamba of later that day when I was using a heavier hammer and actually moving the hinge. I looked for the other pic, but I couldn't find it. In the other pic, the owner of the bus is holding the 2x4. It takes a bit of trust to let some lumberjack work a sledgehammer on your barndoor deluxe....


I thought that hammer looked too light. Also, the timber would probably split that way round.

When I used your technique it took a 4lb club/lump hammer and a foot long piece of 4x2 timber. Using it lengthways helps keep the hammer away from the body work.


And also hitting the wood in line with the grain actually transfers the force you are trying to exert at the other end. Hitting the grain as in the photo above isn't going to accomplish much other than crushing the wood.
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