Door is sprung

[Lumatic]

The main door on my 93 Is sprung out of alignment. Mostly on the bottom outside but also the top. I know there are videos out there but I have not seen one which addresses this problem. There are 2 hinges about a foot and a half apart. The door locks with no problem

[Lumatic]

Let's try this again

[GMFL]

It can be bent back in to shape. Hold pressure in the middle of the door and gentle work “bend” the bottom of the door back in place.

[dbj216]

Mine popped open on the highway because this dumb cluck forgot to deadbolt it. It was bent a bit worse than yours. The price of a new door was about $2000 at a local dealer. Budget buster.

My local dealer then took the trailer into the shop and his techs bent the door back into form while I waited. I think they wedge a board or something at the middle of the door and push it at the bottom and at the top until it fits. I'm satisfied. The cost was $100.

The old vintage cast aluminum door frames are a different story. But they too can be formed back into shape.

Bent Airstream doors is rather common. Airstream even has a DIY video out there that shows how it's done.

David

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by GMFL

It can be bent back in to shape. Hold pressure in the middle of the door and gentle work “bend” the bottom of the door back in place.

Yes, but how?

[GMFL]

Step 1 Open door
Step 2 put one hand on door around deadbolt area “on the inside”
Step 3 take other hand and grab bottom of door
Step 4 pull bottom of door while pushing with deadbolt hand
May have to do this several times to get it like you want. But use stead firm pressure and DO NOT YANK ON IT.

[OTRA15]

Our AS mechanic put a scrap of 1x3 behind the middle of the outer edge of the door, between the door and the door jamb [at a location where it would not crush any weatherstripping etc.], and leaned on the bottom corner of the door. Small steps at a time. It is actually easy to see the door bend. Remove block of wood and test fit. Small steps at a time.

[Click on link at top of frame below to open a new tab/window, and navigate to time stamp 7:00]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7-PprGeESE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC_N-eIsa8c

Sprung door search results: https://www.google.com/search?q=spru...=airforums.com

Good luck!

Peter

[Lumatic]

There is useful information in the videos but I did not see anything specific to my problem (although I will look again) The center of the door is fine, The bottom of the door is sprung out and to a lesser degree the top,

[OTRA15]

Did you navigate to time stamp 7:00 in the first video? Maximum adjustment possible is 1/8" without drilling out the rivets on the inside skin of the door, which you may need to do IMO, judging from your photos.

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Did you navigate to time stamp 7:00 in the first video? Maximum adjustment possible is 1/8" without drilling out the rivets on the inside skin of the door, which you may need to do IMO, judging from your photos.

Thanks. Went back and looked more carefully. Looks like I need to take off the inner skin, bend the door and re rivet. In the meantime door does work and I can live with it for a while.

[GMFL]

Originally Posted by Lumatic

Thanks. Went back and looked more carefully. Looks like I need to take off the inner skin, bend the door and re rivet. In the meantime door does work and I can live with it for a while.

Do not take off inner skin. Just bend it. You do not have to remove anything. It’s easy to do.

[A W Warn]

Mine was not nearly as bad as yours, maybe 1/4" out at the corners.
I used wood blocks near the center while applying inward pressure at upper and lower edges, without removing the interior skin. Wood blocks and hand pressure were the only tools I used.
Work slowly and incrementally moving the wood blocks to different positions, upward or downward, as needed to recreate the curve in the door frame.
Be extremely careful. The aluminum kinks easily, and when it does... it's forever!

[sgschwend]

I think you may find that using a helper for the block of wood method so that the help can hold to opposite end of the door while you bend it.

Removing some of the rivets in the inner skin will make bending much easier. You could use a ratchet strap the set the curve and then add rivets to lock the shape in place.

When I made the second video the door had been slammed open and the top and bottom was over an inch out. By making a cardboard templet I could check the door as I recurved it, that would help if you use a ratchet strap and replace a few rivets to hold the new curve.

[57Vintage]

From your description, if the top and bottom of the door edge are out, check the profile with a template as suggested. Inspect the profile by thirds; top, middle, bottom by holding the template at the edge of the door. I suspect you may find the distortion is in the middle. If that is the case place the block in the middle of the distortion and push 'gently' against both top and bottom corners.

[BigAl]

my door flew open on the freeway and was about two inches out. I took all the rivets off the inner skin around the edge of the door. Not the horizontal ones across the center. The skins remained in position. The door is now very flexible(while those rivets are out). I then clamped the door to a template of the curve that I had fabricated. While held to that I enlarged the rivet holes and used the next size rivet. The door is now perfect and has been so for the past six years.
Al
There is a repair video somewhere that explains this.

[OTRA15]

See videos in Post #7.

PS -- the first post of this sub-forum is a Sticky Topic for Another Sprung Door:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f453...oor-26820.html