81 Malibu, front driver fender adjustment?
- Thread starter PraeT
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How is the gap back at striker? Make sure this gap is tight and even before adjusting the fender.
Depends why the door is rubbing. It can happen for three main reasons.
1) sagging hinge on a door with a tighter gap allowing contact that otherwise wouldn't occur. Normally caused by hinge pin and rollers wearing, although an old hinge that had a bad pin for a long time can enlarge the hole the pin sits in. In such a case either new core hinge or drilling out the hole, inserting a bushing for pin to rest in will be required beyone normal pin replacement. (Also may act like sagging hinge present if rust damage to the hinge pillar is severe and allowing flex)
2) replaced/readjusted panek fit, either door or fender, with the gap set too tight.
3) object left leaning against fender for period of time ( need not be huge/heavy, such as a dismounted truck tire leaning against fender for several months will do it)
Normally, the surface of the door will project outwards from the body (if standing next to car think of surface curving towards you) LESS than the fender surface, this is usually smallest fraction of an inch... like 1/32 even. When opening the door, because it started slightly recessed from level to start with at the surface it is allowed to tuck behind the fender surface with a smaller gap than needed if it wasn't recessed. (This is also why fender edge has a thin lip near door edge, not 90* angle at edge.) If the door sticks out further than fender, then it doesn't slip behind, and makes that slight contact.
Lots of coats of paint, primer, glazing putty of filler, etc are enough to create effect.
So. Answer to your question is "it depends". Could be hinge pin or roller replacement without alignment, as little as tugging the fender out a little because it was pressed in, a missing shim on the fender to hinge pillar, or adjusting either door or fender forward or back on the body.
If you compare hinge droop, if the door sinks considerably when just slightly open that may be your issue. If you compare surface level of door and fender, door should be equal or lower than fender as you run a finger along seam. If door surface is higher, that's a problem - either fender flattened inwards or missing shim.. If that's ok, look at door to qtr panel both sides, you can see if door is too far Fwd and needs to slide back slightly enlarging gap. Finally, if all that checked out last resort, especially if contact on both sides, is moving fender slightly Fwd to correct, but beware need to adjust hood to hood hinge to remain square and fender to header panel and hood gaps.
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