How to Adjust the Door Closure on a 300ZX

The Nissan 300ZX is one of Japan's classic sports cars, with the final, fourth-generation model available from 1990 through 1996. Although Nissan has moved on to new cars in its "Z" line, the 300ZX can still be seen on the street and found for sale. If you own a ZX and are having trouble with the door closures, a few adjustments of the door hinges should resolve your problem and get your sports car safely and securely back on the road.

Instructions

1

Determine the direction of the door misalignment. For instance, is it failing to close properly because the bottom of the door is hitting the frame, requiring that you forcibly lift the door when closing rather than just pushing it shut? Figuring out which way or ways the door is misaligned will help save time making adjustments.

2

Measure the amount of misalignment. This helps you estimate how much the door's hinge adjustment must be manipulated.

3

Open the 300ZX's door to the widest extent, and make sure it is properly supported, using a jack or even having another person bear the weight. Avoid letting the door tilt downward as you are making adjustments, particularly when you are tinkering with the hinges that attach it to the frame. Not only could this misalign the door further, it could damage the hinges and require a more complex and expensive repair.

4

Determine which part of the hinge needs adjustment for proper realignment. The 300ZX has two hinge adjustments: the hinge-body adjustment, located where one-half of the hinge attaches to the main frame of the car; and the hinge-door adjustment, where the other half attaches to the door itself.

5

Shift the necessary hinge adjustment, either up or down, left or right, as appropriate. Use a torsion wrench to loosen the adjustment, make the changes that realign the door using the measurement of the misalignment as a guide and then tighten the adjustment to 26 to 29 foot-pounds of pressure.

6

Remove the door brace, making sure the door is properly attached to the body of the 300ZX.

7

Close the door gently, to make sure it closes smoothly and the problem (such as the door striking the frame) is no longer present. If the door is still misaligned, repeat the steps to make further adjustments as needed.