door hard to close

[78-5.3]

my pass door is hard to shut it drives me crazy i dont wanna slam it to shut it!!! i tried adjusting the striker but it did nothng?
i read that latches on these are different between years anyone have info on this ? what ae the differrances

[menace121978]

is there a big plastic washer on the striker? if not you need one.

eastwoods also sells a door adjustment tool that works really well from what i have heard. aka "butta tool"

[diponyou]

also i read that if your cab is sealed really well that the pressure cant escape and thats what causes a hard shut.

if thats the case try to see if rolling the window down a little and shutting it makes it any easier?

and if it is i think you just gotta wait for the seals to break in a little.
or find a way to relieve the pressure.

[78 Chevyrado]

When i have the windows up, i have to keep my hand on it to shut it, i dont have to slam it or shove it closed, just keep a hand on it. but with the windows down you can dang near click it shut from like an inch open. on my 77 I totally removed the vents in the lower rear of the door and it helped, but then you get a draft on the highway at 70+mph

[78-5.3]

i noticed on the stricker there are about 3 metal washers ? i will have to see if there is anyone plastic ones

[nlped]

It's not a plastic washer, he means a plastic "sleeve" on the striker itself.

Oh, and I can vouche for the "butta tool" It works great!

[old Rusty C10]

are you sure that the hinges arent bad? alot of the time there is play in the pin and you need to get a kit to make the door shut correctly. The kit contains a new pin and bushings to get rid of the oval shape caused by wear

[slammed longbed84]

also on top of makn sure it has the plastic sleeve put some grease on it and the latch that helps treemendassssllly!!!!

[raws67]

Also check to make shure your hinge pins for wear since its only your passenger door you can probably rule out the seals. Open your door about five inches grab the back of the door and try to lift it up and down. If they are worn you will know right away. They make rebuild kits for the hinges and they work good and relativly inexpensive. Usually the plastic bushing will wear out when the hinges are misadjusted or just worn out.

[Oldschool82]

I too have these problems, so thanks for the tips guys.

[6772fan]

My experience with the problem you described says that normally the plastic sleeve/bushing missing is the culprit. You can get them at the HELP section in most automotive stores. They're not expensive and pretty easy to replace, unless you have a problem removing the striker bolt that's sometimes frozen in place.

[bumslie75]

i think i need the sleeve thing too

[GMC Guy]

i put eletrical tape around the striker in place of the sleeve. only cuz i can't get those ******* things loose....

[glock35ipsc]

My diagnostics order......

1] Plastic sleeve on the Nader pin. If you pin won't budge, a quick rap with a hammer will usually loosen then. Use a long handled ratchet or bar to break it loose.
2] Worn hinge pins. Find them in the HELP section at any parts store. Easy to do.
3] The "butta" tool. Aligns and tweaks the hinges after replacing the hinges or hinge pins. I used mine all of 5-10 seconds, but was well worth it.

[willett]

Originally Posted by old Rusty C10

are you sure that the hinges arent bad? alot of the time there is play in the pin and you need to get a kit to make the door shut correctly. The kit contains a new pin and bushings to get rid of the oval shape caused by wear

who sells the kit??

i need one too!

[glock35ipsc]

Originally Posted by willett

who sells the kit??

i need one too!

Originally Posted by glock35ipsc

2] Worn hinge pins. Find them in the HELP section at any parts store. Easy to do.

^^^^

[spinem]

replace door pins?

[Alias137]

So what part number is the mysterious "butta tool"? I checked eastwood's site, and there is nothing there by that name. I understand it is a trade name, so there are 2 door alignment tools there. P/N 43674 is one for 29.99, and the other is P/N/ 14088 for 59.99. The 59.99 one looks like it has some serious leverage behind it. I need to align my doors too, so I would like to know which one you guys used. Thanks!

[glock35ipsc]

A while back, I bought one to tweak my doors, and proclaimed that they now shut as "smooth as butta!" Thereafter, it became known as the butta tool!

Get the $29.99 one. That's what I have.

[low86c10]

new door pins and bushings more than likely just replaced mine, $10 lmc

[GMC Guy]

i'm going to be buying one of the "Butta Tools" pretty soon. but i'm curious on how they work? does it just line up the latch and striker so you can tighten the hinge bolts?

[Tony_SS]

I used elec tape as a quick fix on mine.. it does the trick!

[Dooley Dude]

Mine used to be hard to close. I replaced the strikers because the sleeve was worn. Got them from LMC for like 9.95 apiece. Probably could have got 'em cheaper elsewhere, but that absolutely fixed my problem. I did nothing else, and they close perfectly now.

And as I recall, they were a bugger to get out. If you have an entire new striker, as I did, you don't need to worry about tearing up the old one. I think I used a pipe wrench to get mine out, even after applying PBlaster. Nothing can resist the pipe wrench!

[Big Port Jimmy 6]

I bought the silencers from the dealer. Jay

[78-5.3]

To replace the pins does the door need to come off ????