DeTomaso Mailing List: December 2000, Message #73

Panteratime wrote:

>what would cause the doors to sit out about 1/8 inch from the body?  at the 
door latch point.  looking from the back at the side of the car the doors 
seem to not be perfectly closed flush with the body of the car. 

>>>This often happens when new weatherstripping is installed, which is 
slightly thicker than the original weatherstripping.

The weatherstripping rides along a thin sheetmetal lip that runs the full 
circumferance of the door opening.  If the weatherstripping is the cause, you 
can carefully remove it from the lip, then bend the lip inch by inch using a 
pair of vice-grips.  Bend it inwards slightly, re-affix the weatherstrip and 
see what you've achieved.

FWIW, my Pantera's body was done so that everything lined up perfectly when 
the doors were latched; when the weatherstrip was installed, the driver's 
door stuck out about 1/8 inch.  Haven't done the bending thing yet, that's 
project #475.

Also, the latch itself probably has a measure of adjustment in it should the 
weatherstrip not be the primary cause....

Mike