Now that I've made some progress removing the body molding, thanks everyone for the helpful hints, I'm on to removing what little rust is on the car before mounting the MSA Type 2 body kit.

My next problem is around the drivers side door. I have to slam it get it to shut all the way. Based on research I've done on this board and google, it appears it may be the door striker as the plastic bushing is worn and stretched. Meaning it is very loose around the metal piece that connects with the locking mechanism. I also noticed the door is rubbing the bottom near the locking side. The door doesn't appear to be loose around the hinges nor does anything appear to be bent. Would the striker be causing this?

Thanks again for helping the new guy...

 

Well first thing is to adjust the striker, then move to the hinges.

Is the door loose (rattles) when it's all the way shut?

Loose / torn weather stripping can also cause the door to not-want-to-shut.

 

The door is not loose and no tears in the weather stripping so I'll try to adjust the striker. Need to get this sorted out before I put the side skirts on as if the door is rubbing now, it definitely will rub on the part of the skirt that partially covers the door sill.

 

Do the body lines match up? Door vs fender vs quarter panel

 

The door lines up in the front but is a bit low where the door meets the rear. This problem should be the striker alignment, correct?

 

take the striker off and close the door, does it line up then or still sags down. if it still sags then the hinges need to be adjusted first. make sure you grab the end of the door and move it up and down really hard and double check for movement. dont forget how many times those poor hinges have been open and closed. their might be some wear. plus these doors are really heavy. i know you said its solid but they dont just sag for no reason.

 

So I haven't had a chance to work on the car until this weekend and thought I would provide an update. It was the striker, took it off as Shady suggested and the door lined up fine. Who knew that little plastic was so important. Changed the striker and the door shuts without slamming and and doesn't shift.

 

Yay!!! Someone cocerned about detail, most people just keep slamming the door. (Not necessarily people on this site)

 

The old striker was worn and the plastic ring around the catch had stretched. When closing, the door shifted down and you had to slam the door. Minor fix really, most time consuming part was just getting the new striker in the right position, never realized how much adjustment you really had with those...

 

Look for cracks between the mirror and window all three of mine have it.