I found GoWesty's YouTube videos on the subject very useful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5UrduOCJws
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbbMbZ6DGgc

When my van was painted, they also didn't get the slider properly aligned.
I can now see daylight at the rear of the door, between the door and the
weatherstripping, from inside the van. It's also [shock] noisier, road
noise, that is. They also painted the spring at the rear waistline of the
door. Sigh...

Marc

On Sun, Sep 1, 2019 at 8:33 PM Jack R <jack007@comcast.net> wrote:

> I did exactly that... a floor jack and me (two Jacks).
>
> Be sure to check the inward/outward clearance/alignment, or the rear
> handle on the 84-85 will rub against the paint.  Also, check the weather
> stripping for good contact all around.  So many fine adjustments.  It took
> a lot of time, and checking, but my door is doing the best it has since I
> bought the van in 1987.
>
> Jack R.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
> Of Dan N
> Sent: Sunday, September 1, 2019 7:27 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: adjusting sliding door height
>
> well Richard,
>
> I do remember the same mistake I made as yours.. in worst scenario yet.
> when I did my first one long ago..
> I removed the bolt s(should loosen a bit and NOT remove it)... and BAM the
> rear of the door fell to the ground..
> aarghhh.. to heavy to lift it up and put the bolts back on.. I get my wife
> and my son to help.. each lift and hold the door in place while I
> re-install the bolts and adjust...
> the door has a ding and a nick on left bottom corner and left like that
> till I sold the van...
>
> dan
>
> On Sun, Sep 1, 2019 at 4:11 PM Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net>
> wrote:
>
> > Dan, I think your method will work very well.
> >
> > The key ingredient?:  the floor jack.  Taking a little time to position
> it
> > mid-centered with a scrap of wood for cushioning under Slider Door is an
> > easy bonus for successful results; gentle on the up and down.  I had not
> > imagined the overall heft in that door, massive:  also, didn't use a
> floor
> > jack for precise lifting, my mistake.
> >
> > Most importantly though:  I didn't understand how when loosening the 2
> aft
> > hex bolts how suddenly everything immediately falls into disarray; things
> > just don't go up and down....they tilt and rotate and things get messed
> up
> > instantly.  Parallel alignment?  Forget about it!  (The good news?
> > Everything gets instantly fixed when you do it right.  Meaning....use a
> > floor jack!)
> >
> > Lifting the Slider Door up Mid-Center....yeah...that's the key.  Keep
> > everything more or less horizontal and balanced.  Gosh, now that I've
> > thought this whole experience through, seems super duper easy!
> >
> > Rich
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > On Sunday, September 1, 2019, 3:47:52 PM PDT, Dan N <dn92610@GMAIL.COM>
> > wrote:
> >
> >
> > hi Richard,
> >
> > here what I did for the front, will be same for the aft... I put a bottom
> > jack under the door near the front (with a piece of wood as cushion), I
> > raise the jack up till it touches the door firm with no play, I loosen
> the
> > bolts, raise the jack up some more (about 1/2"  in my case), tighten the
> > bolts, lower the jack, remove it and test the door.
> > Repeat if it's not enough our too much..
> >
> > dan
> >
> > On Sun, Sep 1, 2019 at 2:51 PM Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net>
> > wrote:
> >
> > >  My slider door on my '85 Vanagon has needed a little adjustment in
> > > height....for like 30 years!  (I was about 1/10" or 2 mm too low;
> showed
> > > scuffing of aluminum trim strip down on the floor; also visually....I
> > could
> > > always tell the waistlines didn't match up quite right.  Reason was a
> > paint
> > > job 30 years ago; they took off the slider door and everything; but
> > didn't
> > > put it back together exactly right.)
> > >
> > > Just went out to garage and fixed it.
> > > Forward adjustment is easy.  Three Hex fasteners.  Loosen....lift a
> > > little...re-tighten.
> > > Aft adjustment....Man!....what a can of worms!!!  I loosened the 2 hex
> > > bolts holding the waistline bearing assembly at aft end of Slider Door.
> > > Instantly, it dropped.  Uh-oh.  Door is now all wonky....can barely
> > > move....what the heck did I just do?
> > >  Now, Bentley clearly says it's a 2-man job right there at the top of
> the
> > > page.  But I was solo.  Watched how everything back there moves and
> > pivots
> > > when those 2 hex bolts are loose and assembly is free to move.  Anyway,
> > > after lots of trial and error, it's all working good; better than ever
> > > actually since I've owned the van.  Was pretty gloomy though for about
> an
> > > hour when everything seemed to be binding up and all; basically, that
> > pivot
> > > hinge with the torsional spring at the aft end of door?....definitely
> > needs
> > > to be exactly VERTICAL.  And that slider door is heavy; hard to lift
> and
> > > hold (should have used a floor jack) while tightening those hex bolts
> by
> > > yourself.  Always learning.
> > >
> > >
> > > Rich
> > > San Diego
> > >
> >
>