Author Topic: Factory "tuning" of Doors???  (Read 2965 times)

Offline 84 Stepper

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Factory "tuning" of Doors???
« on: November 10, 2014, 04:48:13 pm »
I'm relatively new to these trucks, but I have owned one in the past and I just bought another.  Both seem to have the same issue, and the new truck is a low mileage original paint truck.

Here it is.......
On the front edge of the doors where they meet the front fender, the doors have an unnatural curve to them so they meet the front fender.  It appears after running out of adjustment, the factory put a slight bend to the front edge of the doors to help them line up with the fenders.  Both trucks, one an 84 and the other an 86, have this issue on both doors.  Is this common?  It's only about the front 3/8 of an inch and most people don't notice it until you show it to them, but it drives me nuts.  Especially in the light when the reflection highlights the bend.

My brother who is a body/paint guy from way back said it's normal.  He said the trucks didn't fit together so well and unlike new cars where you can just push a fender in to correct some alignment issues, these trucks have a very rigid boxed construction and you get what you get.  The front edge of the door ends up getting "tuned".

So what's the scoop?

My new truck is a really nice (unless you ask my wife) 84 Silverado step side.  I'll post pic's when I have more time.

Thanks for your help,
84 Stepper

Offline Engineer

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Re: Factory "tuning" of Doors???
« Reply #1 on: November 10, 2014, 08:57:25 pm »
My '77 has doors off of a '91 Suburban. Mine have the bend you speak of.

The little bend is not an afterthought. Its purpose is to prevent wind noise. Without this stair stepping of the body panels your doors would catch wind while you drive down the road.
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1994 Chevy K-2500 4x4 C6P 5.7/4L80E
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Offline LTZ C20

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Re: Factory "tuning" of Doors???
« Reply #2 on: November 10, 2014, 10:09:24 pm »
I did not even know of this information! I had no idea! Now I'm gonna look at mine and see if I can see it too. Learn something everyday, love this site.
LTZ Cheyenne C20