Date: Sun, 1 Sep 2019 23:10:13 +0000
Reply-To: Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject: Re: adjusting sliding door height
In-Reply-To: <CAFdLW6nNDvg30S+001zE83Fw7R4TcJOLTtXE9hxXQvhdUyG8WA@mail.gmail.com>
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Dan, I think your method will work very well.
The key ingredient?: the floor jack. Taking a little time to position it mid-centered with a scrap of wood for cushioning under Slider Door is an easy bonus for successful results; gentle on the up and down. I had not imagined the overall heft in that door, massive: also, didn't use a floor jack for precise lifting, my mistake.
Most importantly though: I didn't understand how when loosening the 2 aft hex bolts how suddenly everything immediately falls into disarray; things just don't go up and down....they tilt and rotate and things get messed up instantly. Parallel alignment? Forget about it! (The good news? Everything gets instantly fixed when you do it right. Meaning....use a floor jack!)
Lifting the Slider Door up Mid-Center....yeah...that's the key. Keep everything more or less horizontal and balanced. Gosh, now that I've thought this whole experience through, seems super duper easy!
Rich
On Sunday, September 1, 2019, 3:47:52 PM PDT, Dan N <dn92610@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
hi Richard,
here what I did for the front, will be same for the aft... I put a bottom
jack under the door near the front (with a piece of wood as cushion), I
raise the jack up till it touches the door firm with no play, I loosen the
bolts, raise the jack up some more (about 1/2" in my case), tighten the
bolts, lower the jack, remove it and test the door.
Repeat if it's not enough our too much..
dan
On Sun, Sep 1, 2019 at 2:51 PM Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net>
wrote:
> My slider door on my '85 Vanagon has needed a little adjustment in
> height....for like 30 years! (I was about 1/10" or 2 mm too low; showed
> scuffing of aluminum trim strip down on the floor; also visually....I could
> always tell the waistlines didn't match up quite right. Reason was a paint
> job 30 years ago; they took off the slider door and everything; but didn't
> put it back together exactly right.)
>
> Just went out to garage and fixed it.
> Forward adjustment is easy. Three Hex fasteners. Loosen....lift a
> little...re-tighten.
> Aft adjustment....Man!....what a can of worms!!! I loosened the 2 hex
> bolts holding the waistline bearing assembly at aft end of Slider Door.
> Instantly, it dropped. Uh-oh. Door is now all wonky....can barely
> move....what the heck did I just do?
> Now, Bentley clearly says it's a 2-man job right there at the top of the
> page. But I was solo. Watched how everything back there moves and pivots
> when those 2 hex bolts are loose and assembly is free to move. Anyway,
> after lots of trial and error, it's all working good; better than ever
> actually since I've owned the van. Was pretty gloomy though for about an
> hour when everything seemed to be binding up and all; basically, that pivot
> hinge with the torsional spring at the aft end of door?....definitely needs
> to be exactly VERTICAL. And that slider door is heavy; hard to lift and
> hold (should have used a floor jack) while tightening those hex bolts by
> yourself. Always learning.
>
>
> Rich
> San Diego
>
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