This weekend, i attempted to replace my drivers door on my mk6 Escort. The old door was stripped down of everything, window motor the lot, and the new door put on, but for some reason there was a gap at least a cm wide+ between the wing and the door!?

So the old rusty door had to go back on again A complete waste of time and petrol to come back still with a rusty door!

What i want to know is ....does anyone know why this would have happened? From what i can tell there is no way of adjusting the door once on either.. the hinges are welded and the middle bracket only bolts on in one place...?

Any help appreciated!

x

 

If the door is for a mk6 escort then why would it not fit perfect?

 

iirc 3 and 5 door is a lot bigger then 1cm difference so it cant be that?

 

Mine is the 3 door, and the door that was the replacement was also from a 3 door....

this is what i dont understand!

By the lock, the edge of the door latched properly, but there was only space for a needles between the gap that end!

very weird!

x

 

just thought i'd throw that in there

i cant think of any reason why the door would sit flush at one end and not the other, there are only three types of doors on the mk6 3door 5 door and convertable

 

because you are a girl!

 

 

ill go look at my gti 4 u in a min but i see o reason it shouldnt fit, bring it to southend ill fit it ya lol

 

Nothing to do with me bein a girl...i wasn't the one doin it lol they guy who's door it is was!

I dont have the door as it didnt fit its still in hemel!

i would appreciate if you could have a look at yours tho turbocabessex and just see if there is anyway that it can be adjusted so it would sit properly?!

x

 

The door was off of the same as mine, a 3 door si... ? lol

x

 

just looked at mine an there does seem a little space for adjustment, seems to have movable plates that move in the a pillar which the door bolts to, cant say for def without takin it off but i cant see there not bein any adjustment due to differences an doors/chassis manufacture

 

hmmmm...didn't appear to be anything when we tried it.. would be good if someone has had the problem before and actually had to do it themselves and found themselves in the same predicament as me.... lol

x

 

well i gotta pop to y garage soon to do some bits to my cab so while im there ill loosen mine properly a look 4 u

 

new doors used to come with new hinges, so you cut the old hinges off, lined up the new door & welded the new hinges on.

 

THANK YOU VERY MUCH YOUR A STAR!!

so does that mean that i wont be able to change my door then unless i get a NEW door?

x

 

Cant you just get new hinge? and then weld?

 

of if thats correct just cut off old hinges an re weld them

 

I dont know anyone who could weld it for me! I dont know if that is the issue at the mo, turbocabessex is very kindly goin to have a look at his door for me, once he comes back on that then i might know a little more!

x

 

Is it on upside down?

 

are you being serious?? lol

x

 

I imagine any decent bodyshop would do it or maybe a garage somewhere, but dont ask me how much though.

Last time i went to a bodyshop(with my old car, escort gti) i paid about Ł380 for 2 new rear arches fitted and painted.

 

As said above when you buy a new door from ford it comes with hinges to weld on, pain in the arse to do, mk3 fez are the same iirc!!! silly idea imo, you can still buy the hinges from Ford.

 

 

my mk3 fez wasn't I had to replace a door on that after it was hit by a moped! - an no i didn't pull out on him lol my car was parked in a car park but any how that just went straight on no problems!

x

 

just a thought was the door already of his car ????

if so did he put the door plates on to it to retain then then used you doorplates leaving his still in place on the door i.e. like a spacer ??

 

I don't think the hinges weld to the car - Sierra ones certainly aren't.

You unbolt inside the A panel where each hinge has two nuts and a heavy metal plate. That allows adjustment up/down and side-to-side so it fits the hole properly.

 

agreed with above the hindges are welded to the door not the car

 

had a look at mine an u can adjust it just by loosening it from the car, hinge welded to door not car

 

isnt there a torq's bolt on the later escorts in the hinge which is the adjuster i seem to remember my mate saying some thing about it on his gti it might not have any thing to do with it though i cant remember

mark

 

hmm...thanks for the replies guys...ill have to have another look into it.

I dont have the door as it was left with me mate, as didn't see the point in takin it if it didn't fit!

ill have to see about finding someone who knows what they are doing with the hinges cos most of what you just said has gone over my head lmfao

Thanks very much to turbocabessex! Top fella!

Taz...the door came off of his project car that he is gettin rid of, as far as i know he would have take that off the same as he did my rusty one which was the 2 bolts into the hinges and the middle bracket.......

x

 

yeah but there is 2 metal plates on the inside of the car when i take a door off a vehicle i put these back on the door as they are needed to hold door on and when a doors are removed people sometimes drop into the shell etc

they are around 10mm thick so if they was left on the outside between the hindge and the car it would explain the gap if yours was used inside the car as normal then it would explain why the door was held inplace just a thought

(easy mistake) although i did notice before i fitted it just lol

 

no worries, if your in the southend area any time soon gis a pm an ill have a look 4 u

 

from what i could see, he just un done each little bolt (i think they are the torx ones) and the lift the door out of the hinge that have the pins in ...and door was off?

just spoke to the guy who has the door, he says its weird, and doesn't know what i mean when i told him what was said here but he has said i can collect the door anyhow so i might take you up on that turbocabessex(sorry i dont know ya name ) lol my only prob is i dont have any of the tools, or the pop rivets or gun to re fit the window motor etc etc cos he had all of them bits!

x

 

The door will not fit.

Unfortunately, there is a common problem with the 1990-onwards Escorts and 1996-onwards Fiesta models. What happens is that the shells are all made in the same place and the doors are made/assembled in 2 different factories then shipped to the shells for final assembly.

This would not be a problem except that the "jigs" used to align the hinges with the doors are not the same in both factories for some reason.

What would happen is that, in the factory, they would align one door and if it did not fit, they would get one from the other "pile" (or something similar, it has been a while).

Basically, there is a "type A" and a "type B" door. If the door does not fit, then it will be out of line in all ways and the door will not close (if it even fits on the hinges themselves).

We used to come across this problem all the time in the bodyshops. Some places will cut the hinges off and reweld them in the right place, other shops will send the door back and ask for another. The problem is that you could get 4 or 5 "wrong" ones before you get a "right" one.

Why Ford could not differentiate between the 2 types when putting them into "dealer stock" I do not know, it would make life a lot easier.

Your best bet would be to either get the hinges rewelded or get another door.

Vauxhall are having the same problem with the new Astra H models and Corsa D ones.

 

you say that ian...about it not latching, but it certainly latched! no problems there, it was a bit tight on the edge of the rear quarter, couldn't have got a needle through it but the door shut and opened without a problem it was just this gap between the wing and the door!

x

 

Then you have a "good" one. Measure the distances between the door edge and the hinges on each door and you will see what I mean, or ask any Ford dealer.

 

get it and bring it over i got the tools to do it, my names liam by the way

 

Thanks Liam thats very kind of you, once i have the door in hand ill let ya know It's in Hemel at the moment so .. i probs wont have it til maybe the weekend...but once i have it ill drop ya a pm!!

Thanks very much!

x

 

also i see the prob now, he split the hinge, u need to undo the bit still attached to the car an there is your adjustment

 

just re read it again an correct me if im wrong but your mate split the hinge to take the door off (left 1 part on car an 1 part on door) if so just need to loosen bit left on the car an theres your adjustment