door vent window adjustment

[Bob Fouts]

Recently I adjusted the upper door hinge in about 3/16" so the door panel would line up with the edge of front fender. In doing that,of course, the top of the vent window is further in, about 5/16", than it was before. That makes it almost impossible to close the door, not a good thing. I have religiously followed the service manual without success. It is impossible to turn the adjustment screw (2) either in or out which I suspect is the crux of my problem. Anybody have some advice other than to move the door out 3/16 ? Thanks Bob

PS this is on my 85

[WayneC]

I can't seem to find a good illustration of those adjusting parts,

but I'm going to take a wild guess that there may be a jam nut on

the adjusting screw (stud) that has to be loosened first in order to turn the

stud shaft. Take a good look with a strong light. Then you may need a

deep socket to loosen the nut unless you can snake a wrench behind the

door panel fiberglass. If you've loosened the locknut and still cannot move

the screw/stud, you may need to apply some penetrating oil, let it sit awhile,

then work the screw in both directions every now & then and hopefully it'll

free up eventually.

What about the other adjusting screw (lower on the door panel)... were you

able to get that one to move?

[Bob Fouts]

Thanks for the response Wayne. I have tried penetrating oil to no avail. Looking at it closely, the adjusting screw appears to be screwed directly into the vent frame, which makes it dfficult to understand howthere couldbe a adjustment. This really has me stumped. There is no way I can get my hand in that area to try to feel what is there. I'm wondering if Studebaker or Avanti made a running change in the design which eliminated the adjustment? I sure like to hear from someone who can explait just how this adj. works. Bob

[WayneC]

Looking at the parts manual again in the daylight...

The adjustment bolt is listed as 2121-4, along with a jam nut and washer.

The adjustment bolt 2120-39 for the longer forward door run 2120-38 also lists a jam nut.

The illustration doesn't seem to show the jam nut.

Looking at the workshop manual... procedure for adjusting the door window and ventilator assemblies

(page 12 in Body section). Step 1 says to first loosen 3 bolts (figure 6) at the top of the

door below the vent window, and also loosen the adjustment locknuts at screws 2 and 4.

Shift the vent frame forward or rearward as needed, then snug those 3 top screws.

Then turn screw 2 in or out to adjust the top of the vent frame in or out as needed.

Then go on to adjust the side window frame for smooth operation.

Wish I could be there to look at the door, because it's not clear from the books exactly how the

adjustment parts are fitted. It's also not clear whether the jam nut jams against the vent frame

or against the washer on the screw/stud. I am imagining an adjusting stud with a slot at the end,

and a jam nut and a washer on it; I just can't tell for certain from the illustration.

It's also possible I'm wrong, that the adjusting stud is supposed to be frozen in the vent frame

and the adjustment is done via a nut on the stud.

But, the instructions say to turn the stud/screw, so my first supposition is more likely.

You are right, there does not appear to be any way to get your arm up into that area,

which means the lock/jam nut must be accessible from the outside... take a hard look again.

Are you sure the adjusting screw goes directly into the vent frame, rather than into a nut

that "appears" to be part of the frame? Must be a jam nut somewhere, even if it's only a thin one

that looks more like it's a part of something else.

Are the parts rusty?

Could you provide closeup pics?

Edited April 19, 2010 by WayneC

[Bob Fouts]

Hi Wayne: I've looked at the whole think as close as I can. Removed the jam nut and locking washer. Near as I can tell, the adjusting screw which is slotted, screws directly into the vent frame. There isn't a washer on the other side and it doesn't look like a nut. Because of the vey liminted space, it's impossible to figure out just how to adjust. I'm afraid a picture would leave you as confused as I am. Tomorrow I am going to put the hinges back where they were, which only bothered me. Perhaps someday, someone will be able to explain this adjustment?

Thanks Bob

[WayneC]

Hopefully someone else will jump in with the answer. I'm surprised no one has.

Wish I had the ambition, but I'm not going to pull a door panel apart on my car

to see what the parts look like.

The illustration does show the adjusting screw separate from the vent frame, so it does appear it

should move in & out of the vent frame. If that's so, to make an adjustment I assume the screw

has to be held by something at the washer end (at/near the door panel surface... that's the part I don't understand)

so that turning the screw in/out of the vent frame will cause the vent frame to move.

Can you see any rust on adjusting screw (3) where it enters the vent frame?

Can you turn adjustment screw 4 (at the base of the widow channel)?

I expect both adjusting screws (vent frame and end of the front guide for the side window)

might need to be loosened, otherwise they may fight each other (but they should turn a bit, regardless).

I would wet the base of the adjusting screw (at it's junction with the vent frame) with

penetrating oil (I like "Kroil") and let it sit a few days, periodically tapping the end of a

screwdriver (inserted in the adjusting screw slot) with a light hammer, then re-wetting with oil.

After a few days, try using a screwdriver bit on a ratchet wrench to turn the adjustment screw

(more leverage than you can get with a screwdriver handle), to try to move it slightly in both

directions without applying enough force to damage the slot or break the screw; assuming it

moves even a tiny bit, douse it again and let it sit overnight before trying again to unscrew it.