What is the best way to adjust the trunk and doors so that they close effortlessly?

Remove latch or strikers (whichever is easier). Make the panel fit the body, then reinstall the latch and striker.

Don't forget to clean and lube the hinges and latches to get them working smooth.

The panels are aligned nicely but the doors bounce back and you really have to slam them hard to close. One will not close at all. The same thing with the trunk. All of this happened after the car was up on a lift. Maybe a unibody Issue? us?

What weather strips are on it, reproductions? What is the body? HT convert?

Repro weather strips. Convertible body. I've had it happen on the hard tops too after being jacked up with a floor jack.

My 85 ramcharger had that (tho not a unibody & not on a lift since I had it) & I moved the "post" more toward the inside of the vehicle so the door had to go further inward to "catch" it & several adjustments to get that distance adjustment right it now shuts without slamming it. obviously the lift bent yours out of shape & hopefully it is just an in/out adjustment needed as opposed to an severe angle tweak

OK. A lot of people use the striker post to align the door when its latched. The door is suppose to swing on the hinges and end up centered in the frame. If the door is not centered as it closes, the hinges need to be adjusted correctly. The latch is only suppose to hold the door closed. As stated earlier, pull the striker post off the car, and check that the door closes centered. Worn hinges will allow the door to sag, and there may not be enough adjustment in the hinges to accommodate the sag. The hinges need to be tight, not sloppy loose. Also, when the door is held closed, be sure the weatherstripping is not keeping the door from closing tight enough for the door to be flush with the quarter panel. If the weatherstripping is holding the door away, that needs to be addressed before the striker is adjusted. The striker post is not intended as an alignment tool to center the door, or to crush the weatherstripping to make the edges flush, its just there to keep the door closed.

So, once the door closes centered, its time to adjust the striker post. You should be able to align the striker post with the door latch pretty closely with a visual alignment. Snug up the latch, and close the door gently. When you close the door gently, and the striker post first comes into contact with the latch, does the door want to lift, or drop? If the door lifts, lower the striker, if the door drops, raise the striker.

Once the striker post has been properly aligned for height, the next adjustment is for distance in or out. Its important that as the in and out movement is adjusted, the height adjustment isn't changed. The latch has 2 latch points, a primary close, and the final close. The primary latch is where you push the door closed, and it stays closed, but is ajar. The final latch is where the door latch is tight on the striker post, regardless of how the door matches up to the body.

Generally, I prefer to start the in and out adjustment with the striker post towards the outside of the door post as far as it will go. I want to be sure the door is able to complete both the primary latch, and the final latch. Once both latches have been completed, you can compare the distance between the door edge and the body to determine about how far in the striker needs to be moved. Loosen the striker and move it in to about 1/16" away from full closed, and tighten the striker (be sure the height is still correct). Gently close the door, and check the inward adjustment, and adjust accordingly. Ideally, the proper adjustment will slightly compress the weatherstripping, and you can still lean on the door and push it in slightly. The striker can be moved in slightly to seal wind noise, but if its moved in too far, it will not complete that final latching.

Thick weatherstripping will hold the door slightly open, where the door edge and the body are NOT flush when the door is properly adjusted. New weatherstripping will often cause this for a few months, until the weatherstripping had crushed down a bit, then the striker can be adjusted in slightly. It is a mistake to believe the latch can be used to close the door and body panel flush, all that will do is make it difficult or impossible to latch the door. Gene

Thanks for the detailed information poorboy! May I ask if you have any tips for the trunk latch?

Agreed, that is good in depth info. On the trunk I would do the same thing (pretty much), check trunk alignment), get that confirmed then move the plate up or down till it closes solidly at the right height unless Poorboy advises a different plan

Trial and error on trunk too then with latch and catch?

Yes, if the gap looks good all the way around I would start raising/lowering the catch that the u bolt piece seats into.

be carefull with the trunk,ive heard of guys getting them too tight and they wouldnt open with the key.had to remove back seat and climb in trunk.Of course I would never do that

The trunk latch is more body specific, some mount and are adjusted differently.

As with the door post adjustment, weather stripping plays into how the trunk lid closes. Without the latch in place, close the lid, and make sure the lid is centered correctly, and make sure the weatherstripping is not holding the lid open so the edges are not flush. The time to correct the weatherstripping issue is before the latch is adjusted. The latch is only suppose to keep the trunk lid closed, it is not designed to squeeze the weatherstripping so the lid closes to flush. Squeezing the weatherstripping on a trunk lid will probably result in climbing through the back seat and into the trunk to undo he mounting bolts and start over again.

Generally align the latch side to side first. Usually you can use a mirror to get it very close, if you are unable to see it visually. Its important to maintain the latch being level through the process. There is enough adjustment between the two bolts to have the latch not level, and that will cause all kinds of issues. Often a binding truck latch will not release, and would require removal from inside the trunk. Ideally, the trunk lid will close to flush with very light pressure against the weatherstripping.

Once the latch is centered and level, height adjustment is the next adjustment.

Again, I always prefer to start with the latch at the highest closed level, and very slowly work towards the tighter adjustment. Ideally, only very light pressure will be required to close the trunk lid. As with door post adjustment, weather stripping plays into the height adjustment. The trunk lid only needs to close tight enough to seal the weatherstripping to the lid to prevent water from entering the truck. Gene

More good info! & yes when I did my 65 dart the new weatherstripping was real thick & needed some adjusting on the latch to get it right

If you really want a "fun" experience, try adding latches and latching posts to cars that didn't have this set up in the beginning. At least with factory components on the correct car, you have everything in the correct vicinity.

Starting from scratch, especially with trunk latches you can't see to line up, can be a hair pulling adventure! Then cutting a nice 30s or 40s door to install latches and outside handles, then cutting the door post to install the striker post and its required backing, and having everything work, is a moving experience, and probably not for the weak at heart. Gene

you are spot on with that statement gene ! i have done this exactly two times, and it takes a lot of "measure eleventybillion times, cut once" then slightly re-do it again, and then the third time it works great, but you have to slightly fill the door post hole you have created because you didn't "figger" on having the need for a slight shift due to the arc of the door swing. works great now however ! closes with just the slight "click-click" i prefer. i really dislike slamming doors, hoods, or trunk lids to get them to latch !