Firebird body bend!
 

All, just picked up my 67 Firebird convertible from the shop. My drivers door no longer opens. It has been perfect for the last 23 years. Now the door unlatched, but the door hits the door frame. It is clear to me that they opened the door when that car was on a lift and the body is bent.
Any way to get it back? I can jack up the front, and put stands under the rear of the subframe, let the nose down and see if it bends back. Or am I making it worse?
Car does have Competition Engineering subframe connectors, put in back in 94.
Maybe it needs to go to a frame shop?
This is pretty irritating :hairpullout:

This would get me fired right up. Sorry to hear you're story. Does the bottom of the door hit the sill or the back of the door hit the quarter panel? This definitely determines which way it is bent. Is it just the drivers door? It might not be the frame, just some careless mechanic hanging on the door causing it to sag. I hope you get to the bottom of this and get it remedied.

One more area to look at is your torque boxes. Since they are only spot welded on. One of mine was separated from the firewall, so when on four wheels door gaps were perfect, but when on jackstands placed on the frame behind the firewall, the drivers door actually rubbed the front fender when trying to open it.

If that did happen I would suspect some serious rust in the rockers.

Is it hitting on the top or the bottom of the door?

Don

Door is hitting the rear quarter panel, just driver’s side. Not sure how one would even begin to fix it, as you can’t open the door!

Door is hitting the quarter panel, or on the bottom. I don’t know how we’d go about fixing it, as I don’t want to force the door open...

Post a picture of the whole door.

Don

Yikes!

Can you lift the body in the middle of the car with a floor jack and a bit of wood to the point where the body is back in the correct position (doors / door jams)?

I'd think that something is seriously rusted through if they can bend the body like that unless it fell off the lift, but what do I know... If, by lifting it with the floor jack can get the body back in position, get everything up on jack stands, level everything out (per the frame alignment manual) and do a bit of reinforcing.

Just my thoughts. YMMV.

:cheers:

A picture would really help.

Does the right door open and shut fine? Are all the other gaps and sheet metal alignment ok? Why did you have the vehicle at the shop?

Had a chance to look at it, and take it back to the shop. Turns out the latch assembly is bad. Who would have thought, after working for me for 30 years it breaks in the two days it was at the shop. But these things do happen. Part on order through NPD. Thanks for the comments.