I have a 1995 Ford f350. The passenger door seems to need some adjusting. It pops the front body panel every time you open the door. It is beginning to take paint off. I'm hoping someone here will know the best way to adjust the door or rehang it to solve this problem. Thanks,
Brian

 

Is the door gap evenly spaced (approx 1/4") at the back edge of the door (near the latch)?

Does the door 'drop down' when opened as it moves off of the door striker? If it drops, hinge test by grabbing the door firmly at the back and lift up/down to see if the hinges are 'excessively' loose.. Some is acceptable.. Close the door holding the door handle button in and see if it 'climbs' back onto the striker in order to meet the correct body lines/alignment..

If all look OK, and the leading edge of the door to fender spacing/gap is just tight 'all the way down' then you may need to adjust/slide the fender forward.. If the leading is pinched top 'or' bottom on the door/fender area's with a wide margine at the opposite end then it's usually more involved to correct..

Post the results..

 

So the door is fine. Striker checks out ok. I guess that leaves the fender to be slid forward a hair. Anyone know how to slide it without affecting the trucks looks too much. I only need like 1/4" of space for the door to clear it.

 

Couple ways you can make the needed change..

First,, maybe the most difficult, would be to loosen and slide the fender only a 'tad' forward without disturbing the hood/opposite fender alignments..

Second,, would be to shift the fender along with the radiator core support/panel just a little forward which would involve less bolt loosening ect.

Just the fender...

1.. Open the door and look’ inward’ towards the lower door hinge, you'll see a small (10mm bolt) just beyond/behind the hinge holding the lower fender attachment.. Take that bolt loose or better completely out..

2. From the outside, look at the lower most portion of the fender and you'll see a single bolt (13mm) there, remove it.. You can try leaving it loose/in place, but may require you remove it to make the move..

3. Open the hood and up close to the hinges you'll see 2 bolts there (13mm) with some fiber spacers under the fender/bolts.. Just loosen those and don't disturb the alignment spacers..

4. Under the hood, on the 'nose' of the fender (where the radiator/core support attaches to the fender) you’ll see a bracket with some 10mm bolts/slots.. 4 topside, and 2 underneath.. If the slots in the lower bolts look like they will yield a ¼ forward movement, loosen those only.. If not,, then loosen the topside bolts as well..

5. Next, If you pry the front portion of the inner fender splash shield away (just before where it curves under) just slightly, you’ll see the lower/inner fender to core support bolt.. Loosen it to the point of almost removing it..

6.. Now, look into the wheel well opening at the back and towards the frame area.. You’ll see a bolt with a large washer holding the splash shield in place there.. Loosen the bolt..

7... The fender should be ready to make the move now.. If you have some thicker smooth nylon or wood wedges it should be reasonably easy to insert them in the door/fender gap and spread the gap without any paint damage. Some good quality tape ‘doubled up’ on the edges where the wedges will be inserted will help prevent any paint chipping.. If it doesn’t move easy, you may need to apply a pull from the front.. Problem is that you’ll be fighting ‘some’ resistance from the body panels.. With the wedges installed it also makes the movement/retightening a one man job, and keeps the spacing correct until the fasteners are all tight..

To Shift the fender and core support…

1..Follow the same bolt sequence for the rear of the fender as described, but leave the forward bolts untouched..

2. Loosen the radiator/core support panel nut.. Under the hood, when you look down from the side of the radiator area you’ll see the radiator core support panel brackets with the bolt facing up as well as the attaching nut.. You may need someone to hold the bolt hex from the underside or a set of placed vice grips will usually keep it from turning.. Loosen the nut moderately..

3.. Pull or pry the core support forward just enough to get the gap needed at the fender/door..

4. Tighten the core support nut, the hood hinge area bolts, then the lower fender bolt, and finally the wheel opening/splash bolt, finishing with the bolt in the lower hinge area…

5. Generally, moving the core support forward ‘slightly’ usually won’t affect the hood latch a great deal, or the gap on the other fender, but may need some minor final adjustment for quality fit.. Moving one side a good distance can pinch the door/fender gap on the opposite side, as well as make for uneven gaps between the fenders and hood if moved excessively.. Moving the core support on one side may require that you move the hood latch slightly, possibly adjust the hood on the hinges to counter the offset, or open/close the nose/tip area gap for the opposite fender… The other option,, is to move each side 'equally' when moving the front clip to adjust the door/fender gaps..

Moving body panels is always a ‘give and take’ procedure..