Body / Glass: A-pillar,,,,B-pillar,,,,door adjustment??????

[bosshoss61]

I'm trying real hard to adjust my doors. I have read a lot about door adjustment on this site. And am trying to adjust the doors on my car accordingly..
I've used a floor jack and some 4x4s to help lift the rear doors on the 4 door -50 Champion. And have adjusted the screws to maximum lift. But I'm still off by about an 1/8 inch at the top.
I am not at my witts end yet, and would like to try adjustment on my own. My question is...Is the A-pillar an adjustable piece between the two doors on my four door? Are they still called suicide doors? Where is the B-pillar? Do all cars have A and B pillars? I
could move the latches on the center post(pillar?) to get the door to latch easily. But, I don't think that is the fix. Because the rear door would still tilt twoard the front of the car at the top. It's only off by about an 1/8th inch. Are shims under the hinges a good option or not?
Thank you
Rick

[dictator27]

The A pillar is the one the front door hinges are attached to. The B pillar is the one between the doors. It is not adjustable. Yes, all cars have A and B pillars. The C pillar is the one the rear door hinges are attached to on your car.

Terry

[bosshoss61]

Thank you so much---so they are just labeled A,B, and C front to back. And two door models will not have a C pillar? Is that right. Thanks for your reply

[41 Frank]

The rear most pillar is always referred to as the C pillar, no matter whether they have a center pillar or not, as in hardtop models. So yes it is always A B C.

Thank you so much---so they are just labeled A,B, and C front to back. And two door models will not have a C pillar? Is that right. Thanks for your reply

[thunderations]

How solid is the floor and lower "C" pillar area? If it's weak, it will allow the lower hinge to shift to the rear and that would tilt the door forward at the top. The lower "C" pillar area is very prone to rust as it's where the rear tires would throw mud and water and it would cake in that area causing rust. I have a dry climate California 4DR 1950 Champion and that area is rusted a little, so it's a point of concern.

[bosshoss61]

Thank you all. The rear door is just to tight at the top and I don't want to chip the paint.
I'll look underneath and see how solid it is.

[jg61hawk]

Put masking tape along the edges of the doors and the pillars as you adjust and that will stop the chip problem.

[thunderations]

You could also have a paint build up in the upper hinge pocket or on the backside of the hinge too. That would move the top hinge forward causing the problem. Areas like hinge pockets and door jambs, in general don't always get sanded enough and primer builds up quickly. Then you add several coats of color and several coats of clear where originally there was one or two thin coats of enamel over a very thin primer coat. If you have an extra 1/16 inch of paint on the hinge and 1/16 on the hinge pocket, plus 1/16 on the door jamb, you have reduced the clearance by 3/16 of and inch. It all adds up. Now consider you have the same build up on the door and you have made the clearance even less.

[kurtruk]

Don't suppose you noticed if this issue existed before disassembly?

[christophe]

Don't forget that such problems can also come from a weatherstrip thicker than the original. You should try the paper trick. Put a sheet of thick paper between the door and the c pillar and close the door progressively to see if the sheet gets stucked. If it does, you may have a point of compression that is twisting the assembly.
Best of luck.

[bosshoss61]

I'll try the paper trick, thanks.
I did not notice if it was that way before I tore into it. Probably just excited to get started. Didn't do any pics or nothing....darn, I hate doing stupid stuff