Adjusting Door Striker on Your 1972 Dodge Dart: A Step-by-Step Guide

When your car's doors won't shut properly or seem to sag when you close them, it can be frustrating and concerning. One potential culprit is an out-of-adjustment door striker bolt. However, simply forcing the bolt into place isn't always the best solution. In this article, we'll delve deeper into why adjusting just the striker bolt might not fix your problem completely.

Why Adjusting Only the Striker Bolt Won't Cut It

When you're trying to get your doors aligned correctly on a 1972 Dodge Dart (or any vehicle for that matter), it's easy to jump straight to fiddling with parts under the hood or in the doorframe. However, adjusting only the striker bolt can sometimes lead to more problems down the road.

The problem lies not just in how tight or loose the bolt is; it also has a lot to do with proper alignment and adjustment of other components within your car's suspension system - namely, its hinges. If these aren't properly aligned so that they sit flush against each other when everything else is functioning correctly then naturally enough you'll experience issues like sagging doors not shutting completely etc.

So What Should You Do Instead?

Instead of just force-correcting the problem by adjusting only one part (in this case, the striker bolt), it's essential to take a more holistic approach. Here are some steps that can help:

1. Check and adjust your car's suspension system:

- Make sure all shock absorbers and struts are in good condition.

- Inspect bushings for wear or damage.

2. Adjust door hinges correctly:

- Ensure they're properly aligned with the vehicle's body so that when you shut a door, it closes flush against its frame without any gaps remaining.

3. If necessary, adjust the striker bolt position:

- Once your doors are shutting and staying closed securely due to correct alignment of all moving parts (hinges included), now is an excellent time to double-check whether further adjustments may be needed on this particular piece of hardware itself.

4. Finally, check how tightly or loosely it closes:

By following these steps carefully and methodically rather than just randomly monkeying around with individual components until something 'works' again for a little while longer before requiring another round of fiddling later down the line because one crucial step was overlooked...

Adjusting door striker 1972 dodge dart