The car is a 1988 Dodge Aries, and certainly, panel gaps on K cars were not up to modern specs, but here is the issue I want to correct, if I can.
Around 20 years, back when the car was a daily driver, the outer edge of the driver's door was bent outward (it hit the side of the house, door was open while backing into a narrow driveway).
At the time, a local repair shop bent it back to where it is today, which is not so bad. The door does not leak, but the window glass only barely drops into the channel before it reaches the top, and there is a lot of wind noise from this door once the speed is > 45 MPH.
The problem is that the top corners (front edge, and especially the rear edge) are bent in too much, and the frame is bowed out around the mid-point.
So far, I have tried to place a 2x4 on each side and squeeze it in with an 8 inch C-clamp, but the flat surfaces on either side are in different places, so the wood just moves out of position. And I tried just pushing the door closed, against a 2x4 at the top of the door frame, but I don't think I can push with enough force to change the shape.
I want to try to push the center area of the window frame in, maybe 1/2 inch. So, I am wondering if anyone reading this would have suggestions. I have attached pictures of the leading and trailing edge. I drew a blue line in where this gap is, and added red color to the approx. location that the gap is at its worst. Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
Around 20 years, back when the car was a daily driver, the outer edge of the driver's door was bent outward (it hit the side of the house, door was open while backing into a narrow driveway).
At the time, a local repair shop bent it back to where it is today, which is not so bad. The door does not leak, but the window glass only barely drops into the channel before it reaches the top, and there is a lot of wind noise from this door once the speed is > 45 MPH.
The problem is that the top corners (front edge, and especially the rear edge) are bent in too much, and the frame is bowed out around the mid-point.
So far, I have tried to place a 2x4 on each side and squeeze it in with an 8 inch C-clamp, but the flat surfaces on either side are in different places, so the wood just moves out of position. And I tried just pushing the door closed, against a 2x4 at the top of the door frame, but I don't think I can push with enough force to change the shape.
I want to try to push the center area of the window frame in, maybe 1/2 inch. So, I am wondering if anyone reading this would have suggestions. I have attached pictures of the leading and trailing edge. I drew a blue line in where this gap is, and added red color to the approx. location that the gap is at its worst. Thanks in advance for any thoughts.