Is your door binding?

Question:

The driver’s side door on my 1955 Chevrolet squeaks and groans every time I open it. It is difficult to get to the hinges though because they are up in the front fender. I have tried shooting in WD-40 as well as thin motor oil and it doesn’t seem to help. Do you have any ideas?

Answer:

You could try a graphite spray with a tube to direct it to see if that helps, but I wonder if the door was bumped or tweaked in the past, causing the hinges to be misaligned and to scrape against one another.

I would also want to check if the hinge pins are worn, causing the door to sag from wear.

Removing doors is not a big job, but putting them back on is tricky. If you need to remove a door, put it back on with the rear corner a bit high and then adjust the door down, and in or out at the bottom to get it to align with the rear quarter panel or the B pillar.

You will have to tinker with it and possibly shim it to get it to lie flat and align along all of its seams. Always close the door slowly and gently while adjusting, and don’t push it if it binds. Your patience will be rewarded.