A friend showed me the trick to get the door "plump". Apparently, its a common issue.
Problem with this quick fix is it doesnt last. He said shims may be needed on the door hinges, inserted with the door aligned properly..
Seems logical at first thought, but 2 questions...what thickness of shims to use, and is it really a fix?

 

You're in a hot climate which is more likely the cause of sag/creep. Assuming it's not worn hinges, then it could be either the steel of the door frame, or the steel of the hinge mount - probably a bit of both.

It's reasonable to assume shim behind the lower hinge will work. For shim thickness, I remember working on a XJS which has very similar door length and hinge spacing as XK8. We had to measure the door sag amount at the latch and divide it by 4. So, for example, if sag at the latch is 2mm, then aim for 0.5mm of shim behind the lower hinge.

 

I used the body shims, which come in a variety of thicknesses. Use the thinner one(s) first as the rear edge of the door will move quite a bit with thin shims…..


if you’re not familiar with the procedure there are
many topics on that subject.

You can mark across the closed door with blue masking tape (easy to remove) and then cut the tape at the door’s edge. and then remove the door striker, shut the door, to see the “real” drop as the door is shut, and then know how much the striker is “lifting” the door as it shuts.

But it’s important to remember that once you loosen the bottom door hinge the door can move in and out as it relates to the interior of the car. As well as the up and down you are wanting to go.

The in and out will impact the door window glass as it moves up the track. I don’t know how much this impacts the convertibles, but on the coupes it can cause a lot of friction if you get the door tilted inward too much.


Z

 

The only way to really fix this is remove the door and strengthen the weld. I found a welder on craigslist that came to my house. once the door is off you will be able to see the weak area.

 

another thing to check is for cracks. That seems to be an issue for many here (related to the metal thinness).

Z