I've been away in sunny (HA!) St. Louis, and I'm catching up. Some
comments:
Marcus Tooze's spridget hinge posts:
If only the lower hinges are gone, it should not be too hard to fix using
replacement lower mounts. The good news is that rust is usually severe
only on the lower hinge mounts. The bad news is that it is fairly easy to
destroy a salvagable upper mount while trying to remove or adjust the
door. Complete door posts are available to deal with this, but they fit
poorly and require mucho fiddling amounting to virtual remanufacture.
Salvage the upper mounts if that is humanly possible.
In all but the rustiest of cars, this should be possible if you are very
careful. The general sequence should be (note, this is not the
sequence I followed, but rather the sequence I should have followed):
Saw and/or grind off the outer cover for the A post, which has to be
replaced anyway. This gets you access to the innards of the post,
particularly the captive plates for the hinge mounts. All screws into
these captive plates, upper as well as lower, will be seized, that is a
given.
If the rot is confined to the lower mount, then the challenge is to loosen
the screws in the upper captive plate without destroying the upper mount.
(The lower mount screws won't matter, because that mount has to be
replaced any way.)
The original mount screws are 1/4-28 Pozi-drive oval-head screws. Heat
the screws and captive plates as hot as possible with a propane torch or
to dull red with an acetylene torch. Let them cool, then soak with
penetrating oil from the back and side. Then, only then, try to ease them
out with a pozi-drive (NOT phillips) screwdriver, preferably the Snap-On
one with a hexagonal boss for a small wrench to let you really torque the
suckers. If all else fails, use a sharp 1/4 inch drill to drill the heads
off, and use vice grips (mole grips if you're a purist) to remove the
stubs. In other words, swork.
Once sure the upper mount is salvaged and sound, cut the damaged lower
section out using the replacement part as a guide. Generally, you will
cut just below the reinforcement for the check strap. Then remount the
door using the upper hinge only, and adjust the upper hinge until the door
is perfectly fitted in its aperture. Use duct tape, the door latch, etc,
to hold the door secure. Install the lower hinge to the door,
centralizing the screws in the oversize door holes to preserve adjustment
latitude. Fasten the replacement lower hinge mount to the hinge, again
centralizing things to preserve adjustment, then fix the lower mount in
place and tack weld it to the side of the footwell (use self tapping
screws if you are insecure). Check the door operation to ensure the door
fits well and can be latched easily. Then start welding. Good luck.
Scott Fisher: grind them [the rod bearing journals] to 0.01" for maximum
smoothness. Hmm.. for maximum smoothness, or for maximum rod knock?
Robert Keller: He found his MG engine is red inside. I thought they were
painted black inside after Cecil Kimber died.
But seriously folks, Eastwood sells Glyptal; its use is discussed in a
book they also sell. Considering the recent thread about oil return in B
engines, it might be worth $21.95.
Ray Gibbons,
in and around Burlington, VT.
I think british sports cars are ideal subjects for amateur restorations...
since they seem to have been designed and built by amateurs originally.
|