Sliding door on the van moves free and easy but it always needs a good slam for the lock to close properly. Is there anything that can be done to make the lock mechanism require less of a slam?
Push the back of the door in and then don’t slide to close it So slide the door too - then just push the back edge of the door and will close without slamming it and stressing the door components Same from inside you can attach a pull from back part of door and simply pull it shut
That's what i do alreadu. Compared to closing a door on a modern van, just seems like a lot more effort and umph is requiresd.
Try leaving one of the cab doors open whilst shutting the slider. My panel van used to need a hell of a slam until I started leaving the cab door open. It seemed to reduce the air pressure that the slider has to shut against. Yes, I thought it was a *******take when it was suggested to me, but it worked with my panel van.
You can make it better, the position of the rear striker and the front receiver can be adjusted, along with the bottom roller and top roller running height. The rollers and their bearings front and rear that take the weight of the door wear out. And taking the locks off and getting oil into them makes a difference.
The one on my XO with the key in the handle was way better than my 79 you could close it on the catch lift up the handle and it pulled the back of the door in beautifully
I have the opposite experience, my shuts-in-one-go later one is really easy and quiet. So many adjustments, wheels, surfaces they run in/on, I think it's a combo of everything whichever style of slider mechanisms you have. Mine shuts nice because it's well adjusted and when I restored the van I went over everything replacing anything broken, cleaning, greasing etc all at once.
Anyone really, it does make a difference, like comparing apples and oranges, the later separate key like yours and mine were a step forward. Mine will shut itself like a modern van with little effort but it's still noisy in the middle of the night so I do what you do in those circumstances.
Unfortunately you might need to look at many things. What it should do - Mine grabs the back when it's nearly shut and slams it in without any help from me, that action pushes the door forward the last little bit so no slamming required. Where I park it on a small slope if I let it go from fully open it shuts itself.
If your door hits the threshold strip obviously that's not going to help and is very common with all the doors restored with Klokker inner bottom repair panels and the tendency these days to fit much thicker flooring than back in the day. So... I'd lie on my back and check the paint before anything.
So many things Front/rear position in the aperture so it doesn't bounce off the front and the rear catch aligns with it's keep. That's rear hinge in door adjustment and does that cast bit that catches the middle hinge adjust? It does wear and snap for sure. Square in the aperture. Rear hinge as above and front lower roller bracket - if that sags the bracket drags on the "shelf". If it does lift only because the front middle lock/bumper or whatever engages is the top roller now hitting the top of it's track? So many things to get right. Has the bottom roller worn a deep groove and how to compensate or repair? I've seen lots where the middle track is worn right at the end where the door is closing. catch at rear not having to lift the door into the correct closed position. If it does, the rear hinge angle needs adjusting via the screws inside the van, but not so much it rides on the nylon block.
