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Old 05-04-2011, 01:30 PM   #1
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2005 Chevy - Adjusting van doors?

With everyone typically taking used vans and rehabbing them into campervans, I'm curious if anyone has ever had to adjust the alignment of any of the cargo doors?

The passenger-side 60/40 cargo doors on my van have been stiff since I bought it, with the rear "40" door (rear) being the worst. I've always had to slam them hard to close properly. Now suddenly the 2 doors don't align. The rear closes but the gap at the rear verticle seam is larger than the opposite side (I can stick my pinky finger in it, can't come close on the other side; partially visible in the first pic). The "60" door (front) doesn't latch at the bottom. It is enough to lock the doors but it isn't correct. It seems that the rear door has shifted forward.

I've done a little searching online, looked in my owners manual and my repair guide. So far I have little info specific to adjusting/aligning van doors. Has anyone dealt with this and have some advise? I intend to work on it this weekend. The pics below show the gap being formed with both doors closed and some details of the lower door jamb. The text on the black door guide says "Forward/Inboard" with arrows pointing to the midline of the van. Does this mean moving that plate inboard moves the alignment of the door forward (and moving it outboard moves the door backward)?

Thanks

Gap


Door jam

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Old 05-04-2011, 04:39 PM   #2
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Re: 2005 Chevy - Adjusting van doors?

If all else fails, ask about alignment at a auto body/fender shop. They deal with this stuff all the time. Or, if you know someone in the body/fender business.

Mike
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Old 05-04-2011, 07:09 PM   #3
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Re: 2005 Chevy - Adjusting van doors?

There is adjustment at the hinges. If you loosen the hinge bolts, you can move the doors to get them to strike where you want. ( i think) I cant tell from your picture if that is the adjustment you need for sure but its easy to try.
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Old 05-05-2011, 09:04 AM   #4
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Re: 2005 Chevy - Adjusting van doors?

Quote:
Originally Posted by teeots
There is adjustment at the hinges. If you loosen the hinge bolts, you can move the doors to get them to strike where you want. ( i think) I cant tell from your picture if that is the adjustment you need for sure but its easy to try.
Thanks! I got a better idea of what is going on last night. I moved the van up to the garage to work on it and they suddenly worked "normally"! So it appears that a little body flex can give me issues on that side. I tried inspecting any possible adjustments but it was rainy and nasty so I didn't stay out long and wasn't thorough. I'm not sure what those "Inboard/Forward" tabs do. I tried adjusting them with no change. The hinges are welded or glued to the body (no adjustment) but did not focus on the where they connect to the door; I'll look at that tonight. The gap on the rear seam of the rear passenger cargo door is definitely wider than the opposite side.

Despite getting them to close again, the tolerances shouldn't be so tight that being parked on some uneven ground (e.g. side of a gravel driveway) won't allow me to close doors.
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