hello everyone! im new to the thirdgen world! also new to the camaro world. but i just bought a 1991 camaro rs with the 3.1 v6. i gave $1100 for it and it runs and drives like a champ! as much of a champ as a little v6 can be anyway....lol. anyway, here is my problem. one of many because its a real fix-er-upper.

THE DOORS ARE SO HEAVY! and i know it cant be natural. i been in plenty of older vehicles. but these are ridiculous. they dont sag, they are just real heavy and have alot of resistance when opening and closing. what's making the doors do this? what do i need to replace?

 

Oh, it's natural. The doors on these cars are heavy. They all eventually start to sag. I would assume it's due to their length and the impact bar that goes through them.

 

so is there nothing i can do to make it better? forgive me but im going to take you back in time for a second...... i have noticed in the original knight rider, when michael gets in KITT, the doors swing real easy and shut nicely. so how do i get mine back to being that way? i know its a trans am. but same difference considering doors

 

Well, maybe your doors are sagging. Mine don't really look like they are, but if I hold the door just barely open and pull up on it, it moves. Either that, or the weight of the doors causes the hinges to bend or shift a little. They sell a tool to realign everything.

http://www.top-downsolutions.com/sto...tool-p-95.html

That's the tool. ONly way I know to make them lightser is to remove everything and make it all manual (locks, windows, mirrors) all thought, I don't think it would help too much.

 

well i will try the tool. its all manual already. so that wouldnt apply. thanks for the help! ill give it a try!

 

They are heavy because they are structural- they are part of the unibody when closed. And you believe everything you see on TV? Did you know that David Hasselhoff is not REALLY that good an actor?

 

That tool won't fix worn hinges, if that's the problem - more than like is. Open the door about halfway, and see if you can manhandle it up and down. If so, try to see if the play is in either or both hinges.

Mine had worn hinges, and the door would swing closed most of the way fine. When it was nearly closed, due to the sag it would ride up on the ground effects and be hard to fully close. New upper hinge and lower hinge pin made it like new - close with one finger.

 

lol that sounds like how i need it to be. thanks!

 

I think those were sound effects they used when the doors shut...no third gen f-body makes that 'solid' sound when the door closes.

There are a few precautions to prevent them from getting worse. NEVER let the doors 'swing' open by themselves when opening; always have your hand on the door the entire time, and don't just "throw" it open and watch the door swing back and forth several times on the hinge before coming to a stop. Also, never put any vertical weight on the doors, such as leaning on them when they're open, etc. I've practiced these methods on my 02 since new, and now I'm at 75K and they still open/close just as solid as they did the day I bought it.

 

well when i get mine back in good shape, ill follow your advice! thanks alot!

 

Just replace all the parts associated with the hinges - dent rollers, lower pins and bushings, and upper pins and even door strikers too... i have ZERO! problems with my doors shutting! Want them to make a nice sound when they shut and reducer road noise? then get some mat like hushmat or dynamat put it on behind the outer door skin this will make a huge difference and if you really want to go all out install some acoustic type foam on top of it no more hollow doors...

 

Grease the hinges

 

im gonna try pretty much everything ya'll are sayin. especially you FouledSoul

 

As FueledSoul said, make sure hinges and all parts related are in mint shape.

If you want to swing your door shut smoothly like Michael Knight does, leave the opposite window open. Easiest trick in the world.

Due to the large surface area of the doors, they move a lot of air.
When closing the door quite a bunch of that goes into the car causing a pressure difference which results in (provided all weatherseals seal well) the pressure preventing the door from closing properly.

just try it. Leave the opposite window open a bit, and gently push that heavy door. Due to inertia it will close with a gentle racket as can be expected from a 100 lbs door.

These doors are heavy. Most of it is that big *** piece of glass and if you have them the window motors. The actual sheet metal, carpet and the steel bar going through it do not weigh that much. Maye about half of the total weight all in all.

 

yeah i've noticed that in my truck. if only one door/window is open, it sometimes doest shut completely if you just half a$$ it when you close it. but then again, if you close it right, that trapped air cushions it and makes a very nice sounding door shut.

 

Agreed about the air pressure with both windows closed, always wondered where it's supposed to vent? Most other cars I've owned had a vent in the C pillar - is ours supposed to be that little black vent in the door jamb?

I have noticed my windscreen has popped out at the bottom, and it does a little 'boink' when u close the door. as the air escapes. However it's never leaked, so I've never been motivated to investigate further...

FueledSoul - does the matting really make a large difference - my doors may close nice, but they still sound like slamming the lid on a toolbox! Would be a pain to install I imagine, but sounds really worth it.

 

Specking of air presser i converted my blend door to be like a presser relief valve since i deleted my entire HAVC system. I had to take the diaphragm off so i could fit my wiring board with out it interfering. I used a spring in place of the diaphragm.

 

Matting - You have to realize these doors are 56x26 inches anything that the door strikes or strikes against will create a mechanical vibration / sound wave and since most of the door is hollow with the windows up it can bonce and be reflected around inside. like it was mentioned slamming the lid on a toolbox!. To put this into another prospective if the doors where a liquid such as water and the door striker was a blunt object braking the surface of the liquid it would create a wave from the strike point.
The mat is made to dampen vibration. Most of what you hear was vibration. A acoustic type of foam will absorb / reflect and canceling out whats left of the reaming energy of the sound wave.

 

Neat idea, but I want to leave my hvac working. I figure the loose fitting panels in the hatch area should be enough to let the pressure out, but doesn't seem to work that way.

I get the idea with the matting, just surprised it's necessary to add more - surely these cars came with some from the factory? I pulled the door cards off when I got the car ten years ago to get the locks working - can't remember what was in there insulation-wise.

 

There is ZERO door insulation or denting material from the factory all you got was a plastic moisture barrier and the door panel.

 

the doors are really long, and heavy(for structural support, and crash protection, its natural for them to sag on a 25 yr old car, they pretty much need rehung to fix it.

 

Here you go! This is video comparison i did of a non-sound deaden door and sound deaden door. I will most likely put together a small how to on solid doors but theirs a tad bit more to it then just adding mat its also being conservative on weight. There is only 2.2lbs of sound deadening and that's only two sheets 12x23" added to the door and that's all that is needed. Its all about placement you don't need to coat the whole door to be effective its knowing what areas should be addressed.


http://s253.photobucket.com/albums/h...3-18-41-57.mp4

 

If you or any one else do find that the doors "are" sagging,
“Top-Down Solutions” sells the door aliment tool but also sell the parts to fix it properly. I used the “non-greasable” door hinge repair kit and the "door spring tool" ( that I highly recommend) and my door swings like new and closes perfectly. The only resistance I can feel is with the new door weatherstripping. It shuts very snug with on play. Here's another link to TDS that shows the parts needed =
http://www.top-downsolutions.com/bod...rior-c-21.html

 

So they sounded this hollow and cheap when new from the factory, that is surprising!

That sounds like a worthwhile improvement, will put this on the never ending to-do list.