Is This A Door Sag/Hang Issue?
- Thread starter -TRQuixote-
- Start date
Hard to say, but at that kind of age it's probably a little bit of both. I know the seals on my 04 have split in several places, even with the doors being well aligned ever since I bought it. I've also put quite a few miles on mine though, so I may have more door cycles than most. You figure that car is nearly 30 years old at this point, so any soft parts surviving in good condition is more of a bonus than an expectation for me.
Tom and Vipers
Enthusiast
You should be able to feel sag when you open and close the door. There are issues with the door panel rubbing which makes it difficult to adjust the door accurately. To me it looks like sag. That area you don't normally brush when you get in and out.
OP
OP
-TRQuixote-
Enthusiast
Would that be pretty straightforward for the average person to resolve? Getting ready to hopefully take delivery of the vehicle.
Are you Mechanical at all? How do you even know you have sag?
OP
OP
-TRQuixote-
Enthusiast
I suppose I dont know. Just learning/doing my due diligence.
Bill W
Enthusiast
Not sure if it's a door sag issue. I had a similar tear and used high-quality black electrical tape to fix it eight years ago. Still looks good, and with dozens of people checking out my car over the years at Cars & Coffee (and a few other shows), nobody has ever noticed it.
GTSnake
Enthusiast
Most probably. Both my doors are a little misaligned with the passenger side being worse. My driver side actually fits a lot better. Surprising since it's used 95% of the time. I've tried to adjust the pass side but for some reason it still doesn't fit that well.
Barry
VCA Member
I have the same issue and I've been told the hinge is bent from leaning on the door.
GTS Dean
Enthusiast
At 26+ years old, my '96 had this problem on both doors. I removed the door panels and adjusted each hinge and striker plate so that after a button press, the doors pop open about 1" - exactly like they did when the car was brand new. They closed easily, snapped firm and the door gaps were perfect. I reinstalled the door panels and they started dragging again so I had to forsake exterior panel alignment for making the door panels fit the hole. Now at 30 years old, it's gotten worse again.
I've become convinced that the door panels have lost their original molded dimensional contours and are the primary source of of the dragging and interference fit at several locations - particularly the carpeted lower sections. How to fix that? I'm still struggling for answers.
I've become convinced that the door panels have lost their original molded dimensional contours and are the primary source of of the dragging and interference fit at several locations - particularly the carpeted lower sections. How to fix that? I'm still struggling for answers.
Last edited:
I've heard that before I hope one day in the future to get one I've owned classic/muscle mopars in the past and on my 67 coronet my doors were sagging so I know it *****.Good luck with with you're viper!
VIPER PIT
Viper Owner
This might freak some of you out. But on my 98 GTS since new, I always felt a little bit of dragging along the bottom where that picture shows and also as you go up toward the jam striker. Since the car was new, and the door was alined perfectly on the outside, I pulled up the weatherstrip to study the substrate there. I then took a Dremel tool and a small cut off wheel and trimmed that fiberglass material ever so slightly. Some areas a 16th of an inch up to an eighth of an inch in another area and reinstall the weatherstrip. Never had a problem after that. The door panels with that carpet on the bottom of them are kind of bulky and the tolerances between the panels as they’re made is not that consistent so I’ve seen many cars rubbed like that. I would consider it normal.
