8 replies to this topic

[SomethingNew71]

Model: Morris Mini
Year: 1960
Description of problem: Alright so I spent the better part of my afternoon before work trying to shut the doors on my Mk1 after I added the Mk1 weather stripping from minisport. I don't know what I am doing wrong but it just will not shut. I even cut the weather stripping a bit to see if that would help it shut. No dice. Any ideas? It reaches the first notch of being shut but it never makes it to the final locked shut point.

[olds_kool_lews]

are you on about the door seal? that keeps the wet out? if yes then its usually down to differences in thickness of old and new seals, and the difference in materials etc, you might have to adjust the striker plate etc so the door shuts

[SomethingNew71]

are you on about the door seal? that keeps the wet out? if yes then its usually down to differences in thickness of old and new seals, and the difference in materials etc, you might have to adjust the striker plate etc so the door shuts

What is this striker plate you speak of??

[wassupcrew]

its the bit on the b post that the door lock clips in to. undo the two screws slightly and move it towards the outside of the car slightly

[SomethingNew71]

It doesn't seem to move in either direction. Check out this picture so you can see what I mean. Do I need to take it off and Dremel out the holes some?

Edited by SomethingNew71, 11 April 2011 - 08:15 PM.

[sonikk4]

You may find that the striker plate has some form of putty behind it preventing it from moving. Slacken it off completely then try it. It should adjust a small amount.

[SomethingNew71]

You may find that the striker plate has some form of putty behind it preventing it from moving. Slacken it off completely then try it. It should adjust a small amount.

I'll give that a shot today and see if that resolves it.

[dklawson]

Howdy Somethingnew71. Greetings from Durham, NC. It's good to see you here.

Looking at the picture you posted, I anticipate the reason your striker plate won't move is that a previous owner painted it firmly to the body. You will probably find that if you carefully use a razor blade along the perimeter of where the plate contacts the door opening and THEN loosen the screws... it will move. I would cut all the way through the paint making several passes, then remove the screws and gently pry the striker completely off working carefully so you don't peel off that blue paint. Then put it back on and adjust its position.

Unfortunately the problem you are having is not new or unusual for early cars. You can move the striker plate but then the door is likely to be "out" from the body at the bottom rear. I took a rather brutal approach to making my door seals fit. Put the seals on like you normally would then use a paint pen or marker and place a tick mark about 4" up the seal from the doorstep (both at the front and rear of the door opening). Now peel the seal away from the bottom of the door opening and CAREFULLY use a razor blade to cut the BOTTOM of the seal where it joins the U-channel that goes over the sheet metal. Cut from the bottom of the bulb seal into the center of the bulb seal. You are not trying to cut it off the U-Channel, just separate the bottom of the bulb from the U-channel. This will allow the bulb to flatten out "downward" when you close the door.

This worked for me. I can close my door and the seal collapses out of the way. It is still a good enough seal to exclude wind noise and down that low you are not dealing with rain and moisture. When you open the door, the seal still looks stock and intact.

[SomethingNew71]

Howdy Somethingnew71. Greetings from Durham, NC. It's good to see you here.

Looking at the picture you posted, I anticipate the reason your striker plate won't move is that a previous owner painted it firmly to the body. You will probably find that if you carefully use a razor blade along the perimeter of where the plate contacts the door opening and THEN loosen the screws... it will move. I would cut all the way through the paint making several passes, then remove the screws and gently pry the striker completely off working carefully so you don't peel off that blue paint. Then put it back on and adjust its position.

Unfortunately the problem you are having is not new or unusual for early cars. You can move the striker plate but then the door is likely to be "out" from the body at the bottom rear. I took a rather brutal approach to making my door seals fit. Put the seals on like you normally would then use a paint pen or marker and place a tick mark about 4" up the seal from the doorstep (both at the front and rear of the door opening). Now peel the seal away from the bottom of the door opening and CAREFULLY use a razor blade to cut the BOTTOM of the seal where it joins the U-channel that goes over the sheet metal. Cut from the bottom of the bulb seal into the center of the bulb seal. You are not trying to cut it off the U-Channel, just separate the bottom of the bulb from the U-channel. This will allow the bulb to flatten out "downward" when you close the door.

This worked for me. I can close my door and the seal collapses out of the way. It is still a good enough seal to exclude wind noise and down that low you are not dealing with rain and moisture. When you open the door, the seal still looks stock and intact.

Hey I just saw your response I didn't see it before I went out there but I moved the striker plate out still to no avail. I ended up flipping the weatherstripping around and now it seems to shut properly. Technically the weather stripping is on backwards but it seems to work ok and I will try doing what you said after I finish re-assembling the whole car. I appreciate the long response and I will def. try it out.