The driver's side door in my '87 targa makes a clunking sound about midspan when opening and closing. Sounds a bit like the doors on my first car, a '69 impala. I notice that the upper hinge pin seems to have slipped down a bit (about 1/4 to 3/8 inch), but it's still firmly in both sides of the hinge. Does this sound like a lubrication issue? I'm sure I could try to mallet that hinge pin fully back up if I could get in there.

BTW, there's no damage to the door or fenders and the door to fender spacings are consistent.

TIA for any thoughts.

 

You don't mention any window issues, So I am assuming it's not a loose window or part of the window frame or regulator. My guess for the most likely cause would be fatigue to the sheetmetal in the door that holds the door stay. It's buckling when you open/close the door, creating the clunking sound. Pelican and other sources sell a kit that is a very effective remedy. It basically consists of two thick brackets that are sandwiched and bolted tightly around the old sheetmetal. I have done this repair successfully on my '85 and a friend's '87. If this is your problem, I would recommend replacing the door stay at the same time, because a door stay which lets the door swing out too freely can contribute to and/or aggravate the problem. Unfortunately, your passenger door may not be far behind. Definitely tie a string around each bracket when you do the job because you will drop it in the door at least once. If you don't have a string on it, you might drop it only once because you can't get it back out. Also, putting a screwdriver through the hole for the doorstay in the brackets (you'll see what I mean) will make it easier to line up the holes for the bolts. This repair is much easier than I have made it sound. It is made tedious, but not difficult, becasue you have to remove the inside door panel to do the job.

 

I deleted because above reply somehow got posted twice.

 

Jeff,
I have similar noise on my driver side door everytime I swing it to open or close it. The culprit was the damaged check rod kit (the device that keeps the door from swinging wildly). Just my $0.02......