Adjusting BDR doors

[Sledge]

BDR owners:

The driver's side door has a little rattle and needs to be snugged up a bit. I can't see an obvious way to do it other than enlarging the hole for the latch post and then sliding the post inboard. Seems a bit crude. Is there another better way to adjust the door latch?

Thanks

Bill

[newBDR]

I loosened both the bolts holding the door to the hinge and the latch post itself to line the the whole thing up better. There was enough play to get it right. I figure I'll have to do it occasionally.

[SkipB]

Sledge,

You might want to put a length of weatherstripping in to provide some cushioning for the whole door. I fought the same rattle, especially over bumps. So I put some automotive weatherstripping in and problem was solved. I picked mine up at an automotive paint store. They had several types used by bodyshops for replacements after wrecks. BTW, do both doors as the passenger side will rattle too.

[tfarhood]

If you look very closely, you'll see that the latch on the door has a larger hole than the size of the catch pin on the body. All weather stripping will do is hold the door a little more open and the catch pin has pressure on the inside edge of the latch. I didn't want to put that much weather stripping on the car because of how it looks when you open the door. Another alternative is to get some black cloth tape from the hardware store. (looks like electrical tape, only it's cloth). Wrap about two wraps of tape around the catch pin to increase its diameter. That will remove the play in the latch and the rattle is gone. After all, it's the latch that rattles, not the door.

[SkipB]

tfarhood,

That is an even better idea than mine! It would seem to be an easy fix. But will the tape wear out right away, or has yours survived alot of door opening and closing?

I also found my door was touching in the cowl area, so a little weatherstripping stopped that rattle too. This was fiberglass against fiberglass. I thought about using a Dremel tool to grind one or both sides, but used the weatherstripping instead.

It could be my door is really off in its adjustment. It looks OK, so I am not sure if the door was just molded a little bit off or it is truly that adjustment.

I will try your fix on the catch pin.

[Sledge]

Gentlemen:

Thank you all for the suggestions, I think I'll try the cloth tape method first and see how that works.

I got an e-mail from Tony at trtec and he said they were working on an improvement to the pin which could be ready in a couple of months.

Thanks and cheers

Bill

[tfarhood]

The cloth tape lasted about two months last summer, which was still about 100 open/close cycles on the door. The tape will cut a little where it is tight tolerance, and will stay snug where it was loose before. This also gives you a solid close when you swing the door shut. I tried electrical tape first, but it only lasts about 20-30 open/close cycles. It only takes 3 or 4 minutes to replace the old tape with a new wrap, so it is a quick fix that only costs pennies to do. Not permanent, but very easy. The cloth tape works very good.